RAF Northolt Wikipedia. RAF Northolt IATA NHT, ICAO EGWU is a Royal Air Force station in South Ruislip, 2 nautical miles 3. Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, west London. Approximately 6 mi 1. London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights. Northolt has one runway in operation, spanning 1,6. Northolt pre dates the establishment of the Royal Air Force by almost three years, having opened in May 1. Originally established for the Royal Flying Corps, it has the longest history of continuous use of any RAF airfield. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the station was the first to take delivery of the Hawker Hurricane. The station played a key role during the Battle of Britain, when fighters from several of its units, including No. Polish Fighter Squadron, engaged enemy aircraft as part of the defence of London. It became the first base to have squadrons operating Supermarine Spitfire aircraft within German airspace. During the construction of Heathrow Airport, Northolt was used for commercial civil flights, becoming the busiest airport in Europe for a time and a major base for British European Airways. More recently the station has become the hub of British military flying operations in the London area. Northolt has been extensively redeveloped since 2. British Forces Post Office, which moved to a newly constructed headquarters and sorting office on the site. Units currently based at RAF Northolt are No. The Royal Squadron, the Queens Colour Squadron, 6. City of London Squadron, No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit, the Air Historical Branch and the Central Band of the RAF. HistoryeditConstructioneditFollowing Louis Blriots first flight across the English Channel in 1. British Army considered the necessity of defending the United Kingdom from a future air attack. By May 1. 91. 0, Claude Grahame White and other aviation pioneers were flying from the flat areas around Ruislip, although they soon sought an aerodrome for London, which was eventually built at Hendon. A proposal was made in 1. RAF Northolt now stands to be developed as Harrow Aerodrome. The company established to develop the site was listed on the London Stock Exchange but the idea did not progress any further. The outbreak of the First World War necessitated a new aerodrome for the Royal Flying Corps. Looking for some genuine advice from thoses in the know. We are looking at an operation where the width and vis of the EC130 would be advantageous. However, having. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get. The Corps had received the Royal Warrant on 1. April 1. 91. 2, whereupon Major Sefton Brancker of the War Office conducted aerial surveys in 1. Gazelle Aircrew Manual' title='Gazelle Aircrew Manual' />Glebe Farm in Ickenham, and Hundred Acres Farm and Down Barnes Farm in Ruislip, looking for the most effective operating base for new squadrons. He settled on a site near Northolt Junction railway station but it was not until January 1. British government officially requisitioned the land. It is rumoured that the government official tasked with acquiring the land arrived at the site with his map upside down, leading to the government requisitioning and developing land on the wrong side of the railway line,5 including the old Hill Farm. Easterly view of the aerodrome in 1. Construction of the new aerodrome, to be named RFC Military School, Ruislip, began in January 1. Gazelle Aircrew Manual' title='Gazelle Aircrew Manual' />It opened on 3 May 1. Northolt and home to No. Reserve Aeroplane Squadron which relocated from Farnborough. Most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station, in this case Northolt Junction, later named Northolt Halt and now South Ruislip station so the airfield became Northolt despite being in neighbouring South Ruislip. In the same year the airfield was extended westwards, and aircraft began flying sorties in defence of London against Zeppelin raids. No.  1. 8 Squadron was formed in the same month as Northolt and equipped with Bleriot Experimental biplanes, whose slow speed led to heavy losses in combat with the German Fliegertruppe. In 1. No. 4. 3 Squadron was formed under the command of Major Sholto Douglas. Aircraft equipping the squadron included the Sopwith 1 Strutter, built by the Fairey Aviation company, then in Hayes. The Strutter made its first test flight from Northolt in 1. Harry Hawker at the controls. Fairey conducted test flights at Northolt from 1. Air Ministry gave the company notice to vacate the aerodrome. Flights later resumed from the Great West Aerodrome owned by Fairey in Harmondsworth, which was eventually developed as Heathrow Airport. No.  4. Squadron went on to fly sorties over France from 1. January 1. 91. 7, taking part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge between 4 and 8 April 1. No.  6. 00 Squadron and No. Squadron of the fledgling Royal Auxiliary Air Force were formed at Northolt in 1. Squadron Leader Lord Edward Grosvenor. Both squadrons were deployed to RAF Hendon in 1. Squadron would return in 1. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and subsequently the Duke of Windsor, made his first flight in a Bristol F. Fighter from Northolt on 2. April 1. 92. 9. 1. Battle of Britain and the Second World Waredit. Squadron pilots May 1. RAF NortholtaNortholt became an active base during the Second World War for Royal Air Force and Polish Air Force squadrons in their defence of the United Kingdom. It was the first RAF station to operate the Hawker Hurricane, with No. Squadron receiving the first four aircraft in December 1. February 1. 93. 8. In the lead up to war, the RAF implemented a policy of adding concrete runways to important airfields. As a result, by 1. Northolt had a new 8. Later in 1. 93. 9 RAF Hendon became one of its satellite airfields. Polish pilots were taught English at RAF Uxbridge, where they also practised formation flying using tricycles with radios, compasses and speed indicators. On 1. 5 September 1. Hot Dog Bush Flash Game Free Download. Battle of Britain, No. Squadron RCAF, No. Squadron, No. 3. 03 Polish Fighter Squadron, No. Squadron, and part of No. Squadron were based at the station, all under the control of No. Group RAF, headquartered at RAF Uxbridge. All flew Hawker Hurricanes except No. Squadrons contingent, which operated the Boulton Paul Defiant. During the Battle of Britain, the Polish Squadron downed the highest number of enemy aircraft with its Czech pilot Sergeant Josef Frantiek scoring the most kills. The Luftwaffe bombed the airfield in August 1. Biggin Hill, Hornchurch and North Weald, as part of a concentrated effort against the airfields and sector stations of No. Group RAF. 1. 3 A total of 4,0. Under the leadership of the station commander, Group Captain. Stanley Vincent, the airfield was camouflaged to resemble civil housing. Vincent had been concerned that camouflaging the airfield as open land would look too suspicious from the air Northolt was surrounded by housing and so a large open area would draw attention. A fake stream was painted across the main runway while the hangars were decorated to look like houses and gardens. The result was so effective that pilots flying to Northolt from other airfields often struggled to find it. Thirty Allied airmen including servicemen from Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom were killed flying from RAF Northolt during the Battle of Britain, of whom ten were Polish. The Polish War Memorial dedicated to all Polish airmen who lost their lives during the Second World War stands near the southeastern corner of the airfield. Its name is also commemorated at the adjacent eponymous junction on Western Avenue. Squadrons based at RAF Northolt during the battle shot down a total of 1.