Misplaced Pages

#282717

74-797: Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome ( IATA : FZO , ICAO : EGTG ) was a private airport in Filton and Patchway , within South Gloucestershire , 4  NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) north of Bristol , England. The airfield was bounded by the A38 road to the east, and the former London to Avonmouth railway line to the south. To the north it was bounded by the Filton Bypass. A major road now crosses this bypass, running across former airfield land and linking Filton and Patchway to Cribbs Causeway . The housing development of Charlton Hayes

148-692: A common sight in the skies around Filton in the early to mid-1950s. 501 was disbanded on 3 February 1957. As a protest, one of the pilots flew his aircraft under the Clifton Suspension Bridge , but he crashed into a hillside on the Leigh Woods side of the Avon Gorge , near Sea Mills, Bristol , and was killed. During the late 1940s and early 1950, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) flew their Lockheed Constellations and Boeing Stratocruisers into Filton to be serviced in

222-487: A considerable length of 2,467 m (8,094 ft), having been extended for the maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon airliner in 1949. Its size was beneficial in the late 1960s and early 1970s for development and manufacture of the supersonic Concorde . Filton had a succession of owners. Following a review of its commercial viability, the last owners, BAE Systems Aviation Services Limited , decided to close

296-567: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

370-530: A surplus Concorde, G-BBDG , was housed in one of the hangars and cannibalised for spares by British Airways ; following the decommissioning of Concorde, it was moved to the Brooklands Museum and restored. A further downhill extension to the main runway was made for the Concorde project in the late 1960s. There was also a shorter concrete runway at Filton with a roughly north–south orientation, which

444-509: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

518-484: Is a former Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Air Force (RAF) station located 5 miles (8 km) north of the city centre of Bristol , England. Throughout its existence, RAF Filton shared the airfield with the Bristol Aeroplane Company (later British Aircraft Corporation) whose works, now owned by BAE/Airbus, are situated on the south side of the main runway. The first squadron to form at

592-617: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and

666-411: Is being built on the section of the airfield that is in the town of Patchway. The airfield had a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Ordinary Licence (number P741) allowing flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee. Several private jets had the airfield as their home. Filton's runway was wider than most, at 91 m (300 ft), and had

740-523: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

814-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

SECTION 10

#1732793041283

888-543: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

962-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

1036-454: The Bay of Biscay before making several low passes over Bristol, including over the Clifton Suspension Bridge where crowds had gathered, before landing at Filton. A new museum, Aerospace Bristol , opened in 2017 to the north of the old runway. This followed the closure of a previous visitors centre in 2010 after a fatal accident in which a man fell from a walkway. Concorde is one of the exhibits in

1110-532: The Bristol Aero collection. On 21 November 2006, a public inquiry meeting was held with South Gloucestershire Council to discuss the building of 2,200 homes on the airfield ( Patchway section). The first residents moved in to Charlton Hayes in October 2010. The aircraft interests of the formerly named British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) are now owned by Airbus, GKN and BAC rebranded as BAE Systems, whilst

1184-532: The Bristol Aeroplane Company , the large Art Deco office building has sculptures, plaster panels and foyer flooring by Denis Dunlop . Next to the A38 road, Airbus UK purchased 26 acres (110,000 m) of the former Rolls-Royce Rodney Works in order to build a facility for wing development and manufacture, which was completed following the granting of planning permission by South Gloucestershire Council in 2016. The following units were here at some point: Sections of

1258-571: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

1332-587: The Gloster Gladiator I biplane fighters previously with No. 605 Squadron RAF and still wearing that squadron's code letter (HE). The Squadron went on to Norway in April 1940 operating from a frozen lake. Between May and June 1940, No. 236 Squadron was based at Filton with Bristol Blenheim twin-engined fighters, flying defensive sweeps over the Channel . In February 1941 No. 118 Squadron RAF

1406-554: The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity , with both services then moving to a new base in nearby Almondsbury in October 2018. The manufacture of aeroplanes started in 1910, when Sir George White , the owner of Bristol Tramways , established the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company in the maintenance sheds of Bristol Tramways. A small 'flying ground' was set up opposite Fairlawn Avenue in 1911, at

1480-564: The Bristol to South Wales railway embankment. Subsequently, the filling station was moved further north, to a safer location. In the early 1960s a new Filton bypass was constructed, roughly parallel to the old one, and this later became part of the M5 motorway . The 1960s and 1970s saw the development and production of Concorde at Filton and a further extension of the Filton runway. The first flight of

1554-441: The Concorde 002 prototype took place on 9 April 1969 at Filton Aerodrome. All other British-built Concordes also used the main Filton runway for their first flights. Because of jet blast, gates and traffic lights were installed to close off the A38 road when Concorde took off. A few Lightning fighters were produced during this period. The length of the runway and its closed-to-passengers status made it an ideal dispersion site for

SECTION 20

#1732793041283

1628-628: The FB5 from Spring 1951. 501 Squadron continued at Filton until it was disbanded in March 1957, when the remaining Royal Auxiliary Air Force flying units were stood down. Filton was also once again home to the Bristol University Air Squadron as part of 62 Group. Initially flying de Havilland Tiger Moth T2s, these were replaced with de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T10 trainers; and also No. 3 Air Experience Flight RAFVR which

1702-608: The IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,

1776-782: The Royal Air Force, the Government nationalised the company. Frederick Corfield the then local MP, was then Minister for Aviation, and presumably had influence over what was an unusual decision for a Conservative administration. In 1960, the British Aircraft Corporation took over the aircraft interests of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. In 1960 an RAF Vulcan bomber, approaching from the west, landed at Filton in heavy rain. The pilot braked, but started to aquaplane. He decided to abort

1850-478: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . RAF Filton Royal Air Force Filton or more simply RAF Filton

1924-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

1998-550: The Volunteer Reserve Pilot training scheme. This continued until March 1953 when No. 12 RFS closed. In the 1950s and early '60s, Filton was designated as a V bomber dispersal base. During the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) Avro Vulcan V bombers were at Filton and kept at 'immediate readiness' status with engines idling. The airfield is now closed and the last aircraft to operate from

2072-461: The aero engine facilities are part of Rolls-Royce. MBDA owned the guided weapons facilities. Refurbishment by Airbus of Filton House and Pegasus House (both Grade II listed buildings), as part of a new major office complex, was completed in 2013. Pegasus House, also known as New Filton House, was reopened by the Duke of Gloucester after standing vacant for 20 years. Built in 1936 as headquarters for

2146-530: The aero engine interests of the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Armstrong Siddeley were amalgamated to form Bristol Siddeley Engines . Rolls-Royce purchased Bristol Siddeley Engines in 1966. On 4 February 1971, Rolls-Royce were declared bankrupt due to the burden of development of the RB211 engine for the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar jetliner. Due to the importance of Rolls-Royce engine division to

2220-477: The aircraft and there were no significant casualties. After the disbanding of 501 squadron, Bristol Siddeley Engine apprentices and British Aircraft Corporation apprentices used Barnwell Hall, the former RAF Officers Mess, for accommodation. The Bristol University Air Squadron continued to use some of the RAF facilities. Nowadays, many of the RAF buildings are derelict and Barnwell Hall has been demolished. For many years

2294-565: The aircraft factories, as well as heavy loss of life when several air-raid shelters were hit. In response, a squadron of Supermarine Spitfires was based at Filton. Before D-Day , US-manufactured aircraft were assembled at Filton Aerodrome, from assemblies imported via Avonmouth docks. Filton became a major port-of-entry for US casualties after the D-Day landings in June 1944, most of them taken to Frenchay Hospital . Aircraft produced at Filton during

Bristol Filton Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

2368-565: The airfield during the First World War was No. 33 Squadron RFC which formed during January 1916 and was composed of elements of No. 20 Squadron RFC which flew the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 . The next squadron was 42 Squadron which moved to Filton during April 1916 from crews of 19 Squadron and again flew the B.E.2. Then No. 66 (Fighter) Squadron was formed in June 1916 with Sopwith Pup biplanes before

2442-417: The airfield for business effective 31 December 2012. BAE left the site, selling parts of the industrial buildings and land to Airbus , who have expanded their presence there. As of 2016, Airbus is the main company left on the site. Airbus has built new offices and refurbished one of the original, listed 'Aircraft Works' buildings, Pegasus House, as well as restoring the historic Filton House. Planning permission

2516-519: The airfield runway, and the site eventually became part of the Engine Division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company . Aero-engine production started close to Filton Airfield, with the acquisition of Cosmos Engineering in 1920. In the same year, the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company became the Bristol Aeroplane Company, often abbreviated to BAC. From 1929 the No. 501 (City of Bristol) Squadron RAF

2590-473: The airfield was No. 935 (County of Glamorgan) Barrage Balloon Unit (Auxiliary Air Force), which was at Filton from January 1939 with 2 Flights of 8 barrage balloons , and responsible for the defence of the Naval Yard at Plymouth as well as the airfield at Filton. The unit's allocation was increased to 24 Balloons during August 1940 as RAF Filton did not have a defensive fighter squadron attached to defend

2664-643: The airfield. No. 11 Balloon Centre at RAF Pucklechurch , north of Bristol, also came under the command of the RAF Filton station commander. Squadrons stationed at RAF Filton from the beginning of the Second World War included 501 (County of Gloucester) Sqdn (Auxiliary Air Force) , now flying Hawker Hurricane Ic fighters, until 10 May 1940 when the Squadron moved to France; and 263 Squadron (reformed on 2 October 1939 at Filton) taking over some of

2738-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

2812-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

2886-491: The attack but No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron RAF (Auxiliary Air Force) was moved in from 26 September 1940, flying Hawker Hurricane Mk1 fighters, as a result of this raid. After the war years Filton again became home to No. 501 Squadron RAF , which was reformed in May 1946 as a Royal Auxiliary Air Force day-fighter squadron equipped with Spitfire XVI (LF)s. These were followed in 1948 by de Havilland Vampire F1s, and

2960-502: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

3034-410: The doors were being operated. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, BAC branched out into the development and production of pre-fabricated buildings, plastics, helicopters, guided weapons, luxury cars, gas turbines and ramjet motors. The Bristol Britannia (Whispering Giant) airliner and Bristol Freighter were produced. In 1948, 501 Squadron was equipped with De Havilland Vampire jets. These were

Bristol Filton Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

3108-934: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

3182-412: The first residents arriving in 2021. As of 2023, parts of the old runway have already been dug up, and construction on areas that were formerly taxiways and aprons is well underway, as the development continues. [REDACTED] Media related to Filton Aerodrome at Wikimedia Commons IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it is administered by

3256-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

3330-478: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

3404-597: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

3478-460: The former RAF station, with the 22R discharging its exhaust into a de-tuner. The power was increased to maximum reheat. An LP turbine disc was ejected from the engine, rupturing two fuel tanks and starting a fire. A new fire truck positioned in front of the aircraft was quickly enveloped in flames. The fire took hold so quickly that there was little the fire crew could do. Both the aircraft and fire truck were destroyed. The test engineers managed to exit

3552-467: The houses demolished, though some survived up until the airfield was closed and the land readied for the Charlton Hayes housing estate. The First World War buildings on the military base were wooden huts, but eventually more permanent structures were erected, including Barnwell Hall. During the war, RFC Filton was mainly used as an aircraft acceptance facility. A flying school was located beside

3626-487: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

3700-457: The land that made up Filton Airfield were sold by BAE Systems for £120 million. In late 2017, several hangars were re-opened as Aerospace Bristol , a museum about aerospace and the heritage of aerospace manufacturing in Bristol. The former airfield site has been earmarked by South Gloucestershire Council for 2,675 new homes. This new suburb, to be called Brabazon , is being developed by YTL Corporation and will begin construction in 2020 with

3774-406: The landing. Although he managed to take-off and eventually land successfully elsewhere, the jet blast from the aircraft's four Bristol Siddeley Olympus 201 engines severely damaged a filling station at the eastern end of the runway, sent cars spinning on the A38 trunk road and wrecked the boundary fence steel railings. Eyewitnesses claimed that the aircraft barely cleared the engine test beds next to

SECTION 50

#1732793041283

3848-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

3922-599: The nation's airborne nuclear deterrent during the Cold War . During the Cuban Missile Crisis in February 1962, Vulcan Bombers were stationed at the airfield, on short-notice stand-by. On 3 December 1962, Bristol Siddeley Engines were using Vulcan XA894 as a flying test bed for the Olympus 22R, which was designed to power the ill-fated BAC TSR-2 bomber. On that day, the aircraft was positioned at Filton on an apron near

3996-407: The newly completed Brabazon Hangar, then the largest hangar in the world. Maintenance flights to Filton ceased when suitable hangars were completed at London Heathrow Airport . In 1954, BAC opened a technical college for apprentices and trainees at the bottom of Filton Hill. This was eventually absorbed by Filton Technical College, that had opened on the opposite side of Filton Avenue in 1961. In 1958,

4070-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

4144-402: The pre-war Filton bypass. The three-bay Brabazon Aircraft Assembly Hall (AAH) was built in the late 1940s under the direction of T. P. O'Sullivan . The hangar doors and the railway level crossing for the aircraft were the largest in the world at the time. After a worker was crushed and killed while taking a sleep in one of the folds of the hangar doors, a siren was installed to warn employees when

4218-556: The production of aircraft engines. Until the war, there was a belief that German bombers had insufficient range to reach Filton; however, the invasion of France by the Nazis in 1940 changed the situation. As war approached, anti-aircraft guns were set up in a field pasture on Filton Hill, next to Filton Golf Club, to defend the aircraft factories. On 25 September 1940, German aircraft, based in France, raided Filton, causing extensive damage to

4292-506: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

4366-700: The site were the NPAS (Western Counties Air Operations Unit) Police helicopter & the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity , who both moved to a nearby, purpose built site at Almondsbury in October 2018. In 2017, part of the former RAF Filton site became home to Aerospace Bristol , an aerospace museum run by the Bristol Aero Collection Trust. A varied collection of exhibits is housed in the former RAF hangars [now Grade 2 listed]. The exhibition covers over 100 years of aviation history with emphasis on items relating to Filton, including Concorde 216,

4440-579: The squadron moved on to France in March 1917. The squadron was joined by 62 Squadron in August 1916 when the squadron was formed from elements of No. 7 Training Squadron which were equipped with the Bristol F.2 Fighter from May 1917. No. 101 Squadron RAF was disbanded at Filton following its return from France in March 1919 where it had flown the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 as a night bomber squadron. In June 1929 No. 501 (Special Reserve) Squadron RAF

4514-500: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

SECTION 60

#1732793041283

4588-686: The top of Filton Hill. The company grew rapidly during the First World War, building thousands of Bristol Fighters and other aircraft. In 1915, as the Aircraft Works expanded over the original flying area, the Royal Flying Corps established Filton Airfield in fields at the bottom of Filton Hill. Access was via the hamlet of Charlton . The hamlet was taken over by the War Office , with people being re-housed and most of

4662-515: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

4736-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

4810-463: The war included the Blenheim , Beaufort , Beaufighter and Brigand . Filton Aerodrome was upgraded to a concrete runway during 1941/42. After the Second World War, the concrete runway at Filton Aerodrome was extended westwards by John Laing & Son to enable the huge Bristol Brabazon airliner to take off safely. This extension required demolition of the hamlet of Charlton ; it also severed

4884-423: Was also undertaken. In 2002 BAE Systems left civil aircraft development and manufacture, to reorganise into a military manufacturer of aircraft, ships and other military products. Airbus continues on the site. The runway will be lost under housing developments. On 26 November 2003, Concorde 216 (G-BOAF) made its last flight, and also the last flight by any operational Concorde. It flew from Heathrow , passing over

4958-504: Was attacked on 25 September 1940 just before mid-day by 58 Heinkel He 111 bombers with Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter escort. The Luftwaffe raid was primarily aimed at the Bristol Aeroplane Company's works on the south side of the airfield. One of the air raid shelters on the airfield received a direct hit, five others seriously damaged and during the raid over 200 people were killed. Luftwaffe reconnaissance planes had determined that there were no fighter aircraft stationed at Filton prior to

5032-429: Was based at RAF Filton . The squadron was equipped with Hawker Hurricanes by 1939 and formed part of the British forces sent to France. Before the Second World War, there were only grass runways at Filton. The re-armament programme from 1935 to the outbreak of war saw further expansion of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and East Works on Gypsy Patch Lane and Rodney Works along Gloucester Road North were established for

5106-758: Was formed at Filton as a day bomber squadron flying Airco DH.9A biplanes. Initially named 'City of Bristol' it was renamed 'County of Gloucester' Squadron in May 1930. It became part of the Auxiliary Air Force in 1936. The Squadron flew Hawker Harts and then the Hawker Hind light bomber from 1938. During the Second World War it was home to the Filton Sector Operations Room which was part of No. 10 Group RAF of RAF Fighter Command . The first unit to use

5180-721: Was formed at Filton in June 1943, flying the Bristol Blenheim and de Havilland Hornet Moth in the radar calibration role. During the Second World War the Station Warrant Officer at Filton was Alec (Tubby) Kerr. Described in the Bristol Evening World in 1957 as one of the best-known Station Warrant Officers the RAF has ever known. SWO Kerr was awarded the MBE on 13 June 1946. The following units were also here at some point: The airfield

5254-484: Was formed on 8 September 1958, also with de Havilland Chipmunk trainers. Operating out of Filton from 1948 was No. 12 Reserve Flying School RAF (RFS) equipped with six de Havilland Tiger Moths for RAF Reserve Pilot training and (from 1949) initially two (later three) Avro Ansons for Navigator training. This school was operated under special contract to the Air Ministry by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as part of

5328-462: Was granted for Airbus to build a new Engine Development Centre, and in 2016 for a new Wing Building and Wing Development Centre. The regional West of England Royal Mail letter sorting depot was built on part of the airfield site approximately ten years before the airfield closed. As of 2016, the only flights originating at Filton were from an area given to National Police Air Service for its helicopter and for an Air Ambulance helicopter operated by

5402-404: Was reformed at Filton flying Supermarine Spitfire Is until April 1941. Also in February 1941, Bristol University Air Squadron (UAS) was formed at Filton as part of 54 Group (along with Birmingham UAS). Initially flying the de Havilland Moth and later de Havilland Tiger Moth and North American Harvard trainers. It continued at Filton until it was disbanded in 1946. No. 528 Squadron RAF

5476-698: Was sometimes used by a Dakota to ferry key BAC personnel to Fairford during Concorde development in the early 1970s. This has now been demolished for the Charlton Hayes housing development. In 1977, British Aerospace , who owned a share in what became Airbus , had a major share of the site. Work undertaken included production of components for BAe 146 and Airbus aircraft. During the late 1990s and up to 2010 Douglas DC8 and Airbus A300 B4 aircraft flew regularly in and out of Filton. Airbus A300 B4 aircraft would be lined-up, awaiting conversion from passenger to freight use by BAE Systems . Boeing 747-200 maintenance

#282717