South Cerney Old and New The building of Royal Air Force South Cerney began in 1936. In August 1937, No 3 Flying Training School, providing advance training for pilots, moved to South Cerney from Grantham, bringing Hawker Audax aircraft, which were replaced by Oxfords in 1938. At the outbreak of war in 1939, Headquarters No 23 Group, which controlled advanced pilot training, also moved from Grantham to South Cerney, where it remained until October 1946. Meanwhile the Flying Training School was engaged in a heavy training programme providing experience on multi-engined aircraft for newly trained pilots. Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth honoured the station with a visit on 10th February 1940. The King inspected the training section, whilst the Queen visited the domestic quarters and the WAAF accommodation. Later in 1940 the Duke of Kent visited the station, and in 1941 the Duchess of Gloucester came in her capacity as Chief Commandant of the WAAF. Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, also visited the station in 1941. In 1940 the station was amongst the first to be bombed by the Luftwaffe. Bombs were dropped near the airfield in June 1940. a few days after several hundred survivors of Dunkirk had passed through the station. Training became difficult, as night flying was restricted by the passage of enemy aircraft on bombing raids to the Midlands and Merseyside. On 14th March 1942, the Flying Training School was renamed No3 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit. Later in the war the unit also provided refresher and acclimatisation training for pilots trained overseas. The unit reverted to its designation of No 3 Flying Training School in December 1945, and in April 1946 moved to Feltwell, being replaced by the Flying Training Command Instructors School, which was disbanded in February 1947. During the next year the Central Link Trainer School, the Aircrew Transit Unit and the Aircrew Allocation Unit were amongst several small units based at South Cerney. In March 1948, however, all these units were transferred and the station taken over by the No 2 Flying Training School, previously at Church Lawford, whose function was to provide basis flying training for cadet pilots. The Central Flying School (Basic) was formed at South Cerney in May 1952, absorbing much of the then disbanded No 2 Flying Training School. It stayed until May 1957 before moving to Little Rissington. In August 1954 the Central Flying School Helicopter Squadron was formed: the first unit in the Royal Air Force whose specific task was to provide instruction for helicopter pilots. No 1 Initial Training School moved from Kirton-in-Lindsay to South Cerney on 22nd July 1957. Its function is to give aircrew cadets basic training as officers. In 1965 the Primary Flying Squadron was introduced to give initial flying to newly-commissioned pilots. Other activities which have occupied the station from time to time include that of being host to Cambridge and Bristol University Air Squadrons and various Air Training Corps units for their summer camps. In 1958 the Royal Air Force Gliding and Soaring Championships were held at South Cerney. In 1965 the station played host to the World Gliding Championships, which were visited by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. (RAF South Cerney) |