Cranwell
From Free net encyclopedia
Cranwell is a village in mid Lincolnshire. It became famous for the RAF College built to the west of the village, and its two associated airfields.
The northern airfield at RAF Cranwell is the older example being used for light aircraft and airships from 1916 and remains as a grassed field used occasionally by gliders and light aircraft. The southern airfield is much larger with two paved runways and abuts the A17 road, this was first used as a flying training base in 1917. The paved runways were built in 1954, to make way for the jet aircraft, Meteor and Vampire.
The RAF college is where all RAF officers are trained, the equivalent of the British Army's Sandhurst). The Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC) moved here from Biggin Hill in the 1990s. No.3 Flying School still trains aircrew and others for the British and some foreign air forces.
Cranwell provided a home for the Red Arrows aerobatic display team, another famous symbol of the RAF, who moved there from RAF Scampton a former V-bomber base until 2002 when they moved back to Scampton.
History
Cranwell was first established in 1916 as a Navy air training centre, and airships were operational there until the end of World War I. By 18 April 1918 Cranwell was largest Aerodrome in the world.The camp was split into two parts. East camp was initial training of apprentices and officers and west camp, specialist training in signals,electrical and wireless. In early 1920 Cranwell became the world's first military air academy. The College Hall was complete by the mid 1930s and its symmetrical classical architecture remains a potent symbol for the Royal Air Force.
Cranwell was at the forefront of aircraft development,and Long range development flight was established in 1921, this lead to a world record distanmce flight of 3,420 miles from cranwell to the persian gulf in a Hawker Horsley, and a second in 1929 when a fairey long range monoplane flew non stop from cranwell to Karachisome 4,130 miles in 50 hours and 37 minutes. Cranwell's most famous graduate was Sir Frank Whittle. The western world's first true flight by a jet aircraft, the Gloster E28/39, took place here on May 15th 1941 at around 19.45 lasting 17 minutes, flown by Flight Lt. Sayer. Whittle was the first to propose ideas for the jet engine when at Cranwell in the late 1920s: his 1929 thesis resulted in him obtaining the patent for the jet engine in 1930. The Gloster Meteor aircraft (f8) was also test flown here.Barkston Heath airfield situated south of Ancaster acts as a satellite airfield, supporting Cranwell cadets in their pilot training.
An independent heritage centre telling the story of RAF Cranwell may be visited near the village of North Rauceby, to the south east of the larger airfield.
Plastic surgery was pioneered at No.4 RAF Hospital Rauceby in the 1940s.
Byard's Leap & Temple Bruer
The hamlet of Byard's Leap stands to the west of the larger airfield and is in the same parish - Cranwell and Byard's Leap - within North Kesteven District. There is a local legend associated with Byards Leap: the name is said to come from Blind Byard, a horse that leapt over a 60-foot wide cliff whilst being pursued by a witch called Old Meg. Allegedly, the impact of the leap left four horseshoe prints in the ground, and today there stands four posts with horshoes on to mark the spot. A memorial stone on the site tells the full legend. A museum of micro-cars has opened here.
There is also a connection to the Knights Templars. Not far away is the village of Temple Bruer, and another legend states that the Knights Templars held jousting tournaments at the site.