RAF Little Snoring
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Royal Air Force Little Snoring or more simply RAF Little Snoring is a former Royal Air Force station located immediately north of the Norfolk village of Little Snoring, approximately Script error: No such module "convert". east-northeast from the town of Fakenham. The airfield remains open for general aviation use as Little Snoring Airfield.Template:Sfn[1]
History
The station opened in July 1943[2] and was built to be a satellite station and dispersal for RAF Foulsham which is Script error: No such module "convert". south-east of Little Snoring. Just a month after the station became operational, the stations status changed when No. 3 Bomber Group gave the station full status.
| Squadron | Period | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Squadron | 1944–1945 | de Havilland Mosquito VI and XX |
| 115 Squadron | 1943Template:Sfn | Avro Lancaster II |
| 141 Squadron | 1945 | de Havilland Mosquito XXX |
| 169 Squadron | 1943–1944 | de Havilland Mosquito II |
| 515 Squadron | 1943–1945 | Bristol Beaufighter, de Havilland Mosquito II and VI |
| 1678 Heavy Conversion Flight | 1943 | Avro Lancaster II |
After this the airfield was retained on a care and maintenance until an anti-aircraft co-operation unit on civilian contract operated from Little Snoring for several years during the 1950s. Supermarine Spitfire were the main type used, but were replaced by de Havilland Vampires before the unit was disbanded in 1958.[3]
- Additional units[4]
- No. 2 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit
- No. 15 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section
- No. 274 Maintenance Unit RAF
Current use
The site is currently used as Little Snoring Airfield, operated by the McAully Flying Group, formerly the Fakenham Flying Group. Airfield facilities include a private hangar and a clubhouse with pre-flight briefing facilities, kitchen and toilets.[5] The eastern and southern parts of all three runways have been removed but the remainder are retained for flying.
The airfield is also used for aircraft manufacturing, The Light Aircraft Company has an aircraft maintenance facility which produces the Sherwood Ranger microlight.[3]
The former mortuary is now a toilet and shower block at the villages' camp site. The site also features an air raid shelter and concrete pads for vehicles and temporary buildings.
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The former mortuaryScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
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Modern aircraft hangars, 2014Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
References
Citations
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Bibliography
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