Dunkeswell

Dunkeswell opened in 1943 and was handed to the USAAF who flew Liberators on anti submarine duties and helped the war against the U - Boat menace. Post war the airfield was used briefly by the RAF before being closed in 1946 and sold in 1948. However, this was not the end of flying activities and today the field opearates as a civilian airstrip for light aircraft. Several old buildings survive and are in use on the nearby industrial estate, there is a memorial to wartime use and also a small heritage centre that is free to enter. We went for a look last week after doing the Upottery center whic is only a few miles away.

Upottery Heritage Centre

I visited Upottery Airfield 9 years ago and pictures from that visit can be found here but although I also found the Heritage Centre at that time it was out of season and closed. However this time around it was open so we called by. The airfield has strong links with supporting the D-Day landings and it was from here that Easy Compnany as immortalised in Band of Brothers departed for Normandy in 1944 and, in fact, the airfield was used for filming in the TV series. The heritage museum, which is free to enter, focuses on the D-Day period but there are other displays relating to the Home Front, Bomber Command etc and it is based in the refurbished Officer's Mess from WWII. The chap manning the museum when we went was friendly and helpful and happy to chat and I popped a donation in the box before leaving.

Hawker Hunter WW654

This Hunter had a fairly varied service life including 5 years with the display team the Blue Herons. It was built in the 1950s and withdrawn from service in 1993 being sold by tender and ending up in a Portsmouth scrap yard. However 1n 1998 it was sold privately and after some refurbishment was mounted on a pole outside former Royal Naval Air Station at Ford. It had a full repaint 20 years ago but is now looking a little faded as I saw today. A full history is here.

RAF Culmhead

Culmhead in Somerset opened in 1941. Initially it was named after the nearby village of Church Staunton but to avoid confusion with Church Fenton was renamed. At the point of opening there was a very limited RAF presence in the South West which was addressed by the arival of Polish Wing Hurricanes and then Spitfires which protected the Portland area. Various other units then used the field including naval Seafires and then in 1944 the first two RAF Gloster Meteors of 616 squadron arrived for training purposes although a week later they went to RAF Manston for their first operational flight. After this the airfield was wound down with some glider training use before closing in 1946. Although the airfield became home to a signals unit from the 1950s this came to an end in 1999 and a small business park has grown up at the intersection of the original runways. Not much of the airfield proper now survives but there is a memorial and you can alsoe see, on private land, two control towers albeit they are derelict.

RAF Exeter

The current Exeter airport began life in 1937 and was in use by Jersey Airlines flying regular trips to Jersey. However, no sooner had the venture started to get going than WWII broke out and the airfield was taken over becoming RAF Exeter and serving an important role with Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. It went on to see USAAF service and had a role with C47s dropping parachutists in support of the Normandy landings. However, a memorial to the airfields wartime use reflects the importance of the Battle of Britain period.

Chinook

Spotted from Bicton Park today was this Chinook helicopter.

Sopwith Camel

An old Revell kit with decals from the spares box so probably not 100% accurate but they will do!

Tragic loss

My thoughts and condolences are with friends and family of the two pilots lost at the Reno air races on Sunday when two T-6 Texans collided as they were coming in to land. Press release: The Reno Air Racing Association is heartbroken to announce that around 2:15 p.m. this afternoon, two members of our racing family, Nick Macy and Chris Rushing, passed away in a landing accident. Both expertly skilled pilots and Gold winners in the T-6 Class, Macy piloted Six-Cat and Rushing flew Baron’s Revenge. Families of both pilots have been notified and support services are onsite as they deal with this tragedy. There were no civilian casualties and RARA is doing everything we can to support the families and friends of the involved pilots.

Four engined heavies