List of Beam approach beacon system units explained

This is a List of Beam Approach beacon system Units of the Royal Air Force.

The first system to guide RAF aircraft safely down onto a runway was called the Standard Blind Approach (SBA) system and was trialled in the late 1930s. It was also being used by a few civil airports. By late 1941 the word 'Blind' was changed to 'Beam' as it was felt that blind did not give a reassuring feel to a system used when visibility was very low. The word Standard came from Standard Radio, the name of the company that made the equipment under license from the German company that designed it. However the equipment was also 'standard' fit on RAF aircraft. The change from Blind to Beam is evidenced in the two sets of Unit names in the tables below.

There were no physical beams in the system at all, rather it relied on a heavily distorted dipole radiation pattern using a single transmitter. Instead of 'beams' it used a single heavily distorted toroid that was flipped left and right with a periodicity that simulated a morse code letter, the plane of equal field strength in this arrangement being mathematically equal to a line of zero width - a perfect 'beam' from an imperfect, cheaper, and simple radio transmitter. SBA was not automatic, the pilot flew the aircraft at all times.

The Beam Approach Beacon System (BABS) is an automatic radar landing system developed in the early 1940s but not used until much later when it replaced the SBA system.

Blind Approach Training flights

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
1 Blind Approach Training Flight 12 January 1941 Abingdon 8 November 1941 1501 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
2 Blind Approach Training Flight February 1941 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley 8 November 1941 1502 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
3 Blind Approach Training Flight 27 January 1941 Mildenhall 8 November 1941 1503 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
4 Blind Approach Training Flight 17 December 1940 Vickers Wellington Wyton 8 November 1941 1504 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
5 Blind Approach Training Flight 1 January 1941 Honington 8 November 1941 1505 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
6 Blind Approach Training Flight 6 January 1941 Waddington 8 November 1941 1506 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
7 Blind Approach Training Flight 18 January 1941 Bristol Blenheim
Handley Page Hampden
Airspeed Oxford 		Finningley 8 November 1941 1507 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
8 Blind Approach Training Flight January 1941 Bristol Blenheim 8 November 1941 1508 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
9 Blind Approach Training Flight January 1941 Vickers Wellington
Airspeed Oxford 		8 November 1941 1509 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
10 Blind Approach Training Flight January 1941 Vickers Wellington
Airspeed Oxford 		Leuchars 8 November 1941 1510 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
11 Blind Approach Training Flight 22 September 1941 Airspeed Oxford Upwood October 1941 1511 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
12 Blind Approach Training Flight 22 September 1941 Airspeed Oxford Dishforth October 1941 1512 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
13 Blind Approach Training Flight 22 September 1941 Honington Honington October 1941 1513 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
14 Blind Approach Training Flight 22 September 1941 Coningsby October 1941 1514 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
15 Blind Approach Training Flight 22 September 1941 Airspeed Oxford Swanton Morley October 1941 1515 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
16 Blind Approach Training Flight 22 September 1941 October 1941 1516 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
17 Blind Approach Training Flight October 1941 Wattisham October 1941 1517 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
20 Blind Approach Training Flight 10 October 1941 Airspeed Oxford
de Havilland Tiger Moth 		October 1941 1520 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
21 Blind Approach Training Flight October 1941 Airspeed Oxford Stradishall October 1941 1521 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
22 Blind Approach Training Flight October 1941 Airspeed Oxford Docking October 1941 1522 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
23 Blind Approach Training Flight October 1941 Little Rissington October 1941 1523 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
24 Blind Approach Training Flight October 1941 Airspeed Oxford Bottesford October 1941 1524 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
25 Blind Approach Training Flight October 1941 Brize Norton October 1941 1525 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
26 Blind Approach Training Flight 3 October 1941 Airspeed Oxford October 1941 1526 (Beam Approach Training) Flight

Beam Approach Training flights

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
1501 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Abingdon Stanton Harcourt 15 November 1943 Disbanded
1502 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Driffield Leconfield 15 August 1943 Disbanded
1503 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Mildenhall Lindholme 6 August 1943 Disbanded
1504 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Wyton Newmarket 21 August 1943 Disbanded
1505 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Honington Upper Heyford 3 February 1943 Disbanded
1506 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Waddington Skellingthorpe 21 October 1943 Disbanded
1507 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Finnigley Gransden Lodge 27 November 1943 Disbanded
1508 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Swanton Morley Unk 1 March 1944 Became 1508 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1509 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Thornaby Dyce 14 August 1944 Absorbed
1510 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 November 1941 Leuchars Unk March 1943 Became 1510 (BABS) Flight
1511 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Upwood Unk 15 September 1945 Became 1511 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1512 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Dishforth Banff 30 August 1944 Disbanded
1513 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Honington Airspeed Oxford
Avro Anson 		Bramcote 1 December 1946 Became 1513 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1514 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Coningsby Fiskerton 9 January 1945 Disbanded
1515 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Swanton Morley Airspeed Oxford Colby Grange 1 June 1945 Disbanded
1516 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Llanbedr Unk 15 September 1945 Became 1516 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1517 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Wattisham Wheaton Aston 17 December 1945 Disbanded
1518 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 3 November 1941 Scampton Edzell 30 August 1944 Disbanded
1519 (Beam Approach Training) Flight November 1941 South Cerney Feltwell 3 July 1945 Disbanded
1520 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Sturgate 29 May 1945 Disbanded
1521 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Stradishall Unk 15 September 1945 Became 1521 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1522 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Docking Watchfield April 1942 Absorbed
1523 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Little Rissington Little Rissington 17 December 1945 Disbanded
1524 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Bottesford Tollerton 9 January 1945 Disbanded
1525 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Brize Norton Docking 26 June 1945 Disbanded
1526 (Beam Approach Training) Flight October 1941 Thruxton Hampstead Norris 9 November 1944 Disbanded
1527 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 29 October 1941 Prestwick Unk 15 September 1945 Became 1527 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1528 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 22 November 1941 West Malling Unk 15 September 1945 Became 1528 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1529 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 22 November 1941 Wittering Fairford 16 February 1946 Disbanded
1530 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 14 August 1942 Hunsdon Wittering 1 August 1944 Disbanded
1531 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 20 July 1942 Cranage Cranage 29 May 1945 Disbanded
1532 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 15 October 1942 Hullavington Babdown Farm 15 June 1942 Disbanded
1533 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 27 October 1942 Church Lawford Church Lawford 3 April 1945 Disbanded
1534 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 7 December 1942 Shawbury Shawbury 29 May 1945 Disbanded
1535 (RCAF Beam Approach Training) Flight 15 December 1942 Middleton St George Topcliffe 30 August 1943 Disbanded
1536 (Beam Approach Training) Flight March 1943 Airspeed Oxford Spitalgate 8 May 1945 Disbanded
1537 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 4 May 1943 Upavon Little Rissington 4 April 1947 Disbanded
1538 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 15 April 1943 Croughton Croughton 18 October 1944 Disbanded
1539 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 15 April 1943 South Cerney South Cerney 1 June 1945 Disbanded
1540 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 15 April 1943 Lulsgate Bottom Weston Zoyland 17 December 1945 Disbanded
1541 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 17 May 1943 Stracathro Stracathro 11 July 1945 Disbanded
1542 (Beam Approach Training) Flight July 1943 Dallachy Dallachy 30 August 1944 Disbanded
1544 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 24 January 1944 Errol Errol 30 August 1944 Disbanded
1545 (Beam Approach Training) Flight March 1945 Wheaton Aston Halfpenny Green 17 December 1945 Disbanded
1546 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 8 May 1944 Faldingworth Faldingworth 9 January 1945 Disbanded
1547 (Beam Approach Training) Flight 1 June 1945 Watchfield Watchfield 1 January 1947 Disbanded
1551 (Beam Approach Calibration) Flight 20 November 1942 Bicester Bicester 15 April 1943 Merged

Radio Aids Training flights

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
1508 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 20 September 1945 Unk Unk 20 November 1945 1508 (Acclimatisation) Flight
1510 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 9 August 1947 Unk Bircham Newton 15 September 1948 Absorbed
1511 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Unk Wheaton Aston 1 August 1946 Disbanded
1513 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Unk Bramcote 1 December 1946 Disbanded
1516 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Unk Snaith 11 April 1946 Disbanded
1521 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Unk Longtown 1 April 1946 Disbanded
1527 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Unk Prestwick 28 February 1946 Disbanded
1528 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Unk Fairford 4 March 1946 1555 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
1552 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Melbourne Full Sutton 26 October 1946 Disbanded
1553 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Melbourne Melbourne 1 October 1945 Disbanded
1554 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Melbourne Melbourne 1 October 1945 Disbanded
1555 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Fairford Bircham Newton 31 August 1947 Disbanded
1556 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 15 September 1945 Stradishall Fairford 1 April 1946 Disbanded
1559 (Radio Aids Training) Flight 1 October 1946 Oakington Bircham Newton 9 August 1947 Disbanded

Other units

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
No. 1508 (GEE Training) Flight RAF 1 March 1944 Unk Unk Ouston 8 August 1944 'C' Flight of No. 62 OTU
No. 1510 (BABS) Flight RAF March 1943 Anson 9 August 1947 1510 (Radio Aids Training) Flight
22 September 1939 Boscombe Down Anson, Whitley Boscombe Down 14 October 1940 Wireless Intelligence Development Unit
Beam Approach Calibration Flight RAF October 1941 Oxford, Anson Bicester 20 November 1942 1551 (Beam Approach Calibration) Flight
Beam Approach Training Flight, Church Lawford RAF March 1942 Church Lawford Church Lawford 27 October 1942 1533 (Beam Approach Training) Flight
Beam Approach Training Flight, Nanyuki RAF Nanyuki Nanyuki 26 June 1942 Absorbed by No. 70 OTU
Blind Approach Calibration Flight RAF 12 July 1941 Watchfield Oxford, Anson October 1941 Beam Approach Calibration Flight
4 October 1942 Watchfield Anson, Oxford, Master Hinton-in-the-Hedges 15 April 1943 'A' Flight, Signals Development Unit RAF
1 October 1945 Woodbridge Anson Martlesham Heath 1 November 1949

See also

Royal Air Force

Army Air Corps

Fleet Air Arm

Others

References

Bibliography

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