| RAF Topcliffe | |
| Ensign: | Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg |
| Ensign Size: | 90px |
| Location: | Topcliffe, North Yorkshire |
| Country: | England |
| Pushpin Map: | North Yorkshire |
| Pushpin Label: | RAF Topcliffe |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within North Yorkshire |
| Coordinates: | 54.2056°N -1.3822°W |
| Type: | Military airfield |
| Code: | TP |
| Site Area: | 117 hectares |
| Ownership: | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator: | Royal Air Force |
| Controlledby: | No. 22 Group (Training) |
| Condition: | Operational |
| Built: | 1939–1940 |
| Used: | – present |
| Battles: | Second World War Cold War |
| Elevation: | 28m (92feet) |
| Icao: | EGXZ |
| Wmo: | 03265 |
| R1-Number: | 02/20 |
| R1-Length: | 1826m (5,991feet) |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| R2-Number: | 13/31 |
| R2-Length: | 1256m (4,121feet) |
| R2-Surface: | Stone mastic asphalt/asphalt |
| Footnotes: | Source: UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Topcliffe (EGXZ)[1] |
Royal Air Force Topcliffe or RAF Topcliffe is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England.
It was established as a RAF Bomber Command station in 1940. The British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 and the airfield became an enclave within Alanbrooke Barracks. The last remaining RAF unit is No. 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadron which operates the Grob Viking T.1 glider.
Royal Air Force Topcliffe opened in September 1940 as a bomber station in RAF Bomber Command and was home to No. 77 Squadron and No. 102 Squadron, both flying the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley heavy bomber. There was a decoy site at Raskelf. No. 419 Squadron and No. 424 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) moved in flying Vickers Wellington bombers and later, the Handley Page Halifax III. On 1 January 1943 the station was transferred to No. 6 Group RCAF and became a training station.[2] No. 61 (RCAF) Base RAF was here between 25 March 1943 and November 1944 and became No. 76 (RCAF) Base RAF with the unit disbanding on 1 September 1945, the unit controlled sub-stations at Wombleton, Dalton and Dishforth.[3]
No. 1 Air Navigation School was initially here between 9 April 1947 and 1 May 1954 with Wellingtons and Ansons. Navigation Staff Pilot(s) Training Flight RAF was here between October 1948 and December 1949 within No. 1 ANS. The School was reformed here and operated between 15 March 1957 and 1 December 1961.
The Air Electronics School RAF arrived on 14 January 1962 and from 30 January 1967 became the Air Electronics and Engineers School RAF, flying the Vickers Varsity T.1 until 26 October 1973.
From 1 October 1964, the Northern Communications Squadron RAF flew the Avro Anson C.19, replacing them with Beagle Basset CC.1 before the squadron departed on 6 January 1969.
The Airman Aircrew Initial Training School was located at Topcliffe from 30 January 1967 until February 1970 when it was disbanded into 6 FTS.
No. 15 Aviation Flight of the Army Air Corps flew the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver AL.1 from the early 1970s and No. 666 Aviation Squadron AAC flew Westland Scout AH.1 helicopters between 1973 and 1978.
Between 1972 and 1973, most of the station was transferred to the British Army and became Alanbrooke Barracks.
During the 1980s, Topcliffe was home of the Royal Navy Elementary Flying Training Squadron. From 24 April 1995 it was temporarily home to a Short Tucano squadron of the RAF Central Flying School. It was the home of the Tucano Air Navigation Squadron, teaching student navigators of both the RAF and the Royal Navy until 2003, when it moved to RAF Linton-on-Ouse.[5]
During the 1990s and until 2001, the airfield was utilised by Merlin Parachute Club, home to both the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment parachute display team and the University of York Sport Parachute Club.
No. 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadron moved to the airfield in 2003, after their previous home at the former RAF Catterick became increasingly unusable.[6]
No. 635 Volunteer Gliding Squadron also operated from Topcliffe from 2009 when it moved from its former home at RAF Samlesbury. The unit disbanded in 2016 as part of the relaunch of air cadet aviation.[7]
RAF Topcliffe was a satellite station which served in the role of a Relief Landing Ground for Short Tucano T.1 aircraft of No. 1 Flying Training School previously based nearby at RAF Linton-on-Ouse (one of two, the other being Dishforth Airfield).
Tucano Element of No. 6 Flying Training School RAF between April 1995 and March 1996 and Joint Elementary Flying Training School RAF between 1 April 1993 and 1 April 1995.
In 2012, Yorkshire Air Ambulance moved their second base to RAF Topcliffe from nearby Bagby Airfield.[8]
Since the British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 to establish Alanbrooke Barracks, the airfield is now enclosed within the Barracks.[9]
The last remaining RAF unit based at Topcliffe is No. 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadron, which teaches Air Cadets to fly the Grob Viking T.1.
As of March 2012, the station is the permanent base of G-YOAA one of the two Yorkshire Air Ambulances.[10]
Units based at RAF Topcliffe.[11] [12]