UK Runway Lengths

Discussion in 'Research Material' started by CL1, Jul 17, 2021.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  2. Ewen Scott

    Ewen Scott Well-Known Member

    Note while he says it is not 100% accurate, he comments “......I will include what I feel relevant......”

    So the runways at Prestwick and various short grass runways in the Orkneys rate a mention, but not those at Scotland’s three busiest airports, Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen don’t. Lol!
     
  3. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

    I don't think it's an anti-jock thing; lots of other places missing.
     
  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    drop him an email
     
  5. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Runway development is a study itself. Military airfield construction philosophy was dynamic from the RAF expansion in 1934/1935 and later involved the requisition of civilian airfields to have enhanced runway lengths. The focus can be said to be on the Eastern side of the country for new airfield construction when it was recognised the Germany in the act of rearming would pose a threat to Britain.

    Runway development was ongoing from the RAF expansion period but it was not until into the war that existing new airfields laid down in grass were converted into concrete which became essential to cope with the increased weight f the four engined heavies. Even so some of these expansion airfields did not have their runways converted to concrete from until the start of the summer of 1943....Scampton and Hemswell come to mind.

    However all wartime laid down airfields having to handle heavy aircraft were laid down with concrete runways and all airfield new construction followed the AM specification drawn up in 1938 for Bomber and Fighter station runway lengths.

    The AM 1938 airfield specification brought in three categories:

    Class A Bomber Airfields.....three runways...main at 1400 yards...two secondary at 1100 yards...perimeter track 50 feet.
    Class B Bomber Airfields.....three runways ..main at 1400 yards....two secondary at 900 yards...perimeter track 50 feet

    Fighter Airfields ....................two runways both at 800 yards,50 feet wide with perimeter track 35 feet wide

    By December1940 the bomber airfield main runway length specification had been extended to1600 yards but by April 1941,the specification was reviewed and the main runway length was standardised at 2000 yards and the two secondary runways at 1400 yards. The runway width was specified at 50 yards. This specification remained in force with some exceptions for the duration of wartime airfield construction apart from the three emergency airfields of Manston, Woodbridge and Carnaby which had 3000 yard single runways,250 yards wide .Manston had a further 500 yards as a grass extension and Woodbridge had 500 yards of grass extension at each threshold of the runway.

    But In 1944,enhanced runway lengths were effected for three bomber airfields, Lakenheath,Marham and Sculthorpe and one envisaged transport airfield (Heathrow).These had the conventional three runway layouts but the main runway was extended to 3000 yards and the two secondary runways at 2000 yards .Runway width was 100 yards.

    St Mawgan (Coastal Command) also was improved with the main runway extended to 3000 yards by 100 yards. One of Its two secondary runways was upgraded to 2000 yards with a width of 50 yards. The second one being at 1400 yards and a width of 50 yards.

    Postwar the introduction of the V bomber force led to selected airfields requiring their main runway to be extended to 12000 feet (4000 yards) and the elimination of one secondary runway or having none at all for such runways were inadequate for V bomber use.

    It's interesting to see the airfields, in addition to the 10 main V bomber airfields, listed in 1962 that were designated as V bomber force dispersal airfields and as such had runways capable of accommodating them.. There are few which have survived to the present day.

    England

    St Mawgan

    Yeovilton
    Tarrant Rushton
    Boscombe Down
    Lyneham
    Filton
    Kemble
    Manston
    Bedford
    Pershore
    Shawbury
    Cranwell
    Burtonwood
    Leconfield
    Elvington
    Lemming
    Middleton St George

    Scotland

    Prestwick
    Leuchars
    Kinloss
    Lossiemouth
    Machrihanish

    Wales

    Brawdy
    Llanbedr
    Valley

    Northern Ireland

    Aldergrove

    There used to be a website entitled Airports and Airfields of the UK which was a good reference on airfield development based on aerial photograph which clearly showed the extension of runways by the indication of the previous thresholds looped in by the peritracks.It would appeared that the website is no longer maintained.
     
    4jonboy and CL1 like this.
  6. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  7. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Not the same one Clive, unfortunately
     
  8. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

    I used to browse that site intermittently and it was quite popular, but one day it had gone.
     

Share This Page