Norwich Airport

Norwich International Airport (IATA: NWI, ICAO: EGSH) also just Norwich Airport, is an airport 2.5 nautical miles (5.2 km) north of the city centre of Norwich, Norfolk on the edge of the city's surburbs.

Along with a long history of flights to Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam via KLM Cityhopper (formerly KLM uk), it offers flights to various destinations in the United Kingdom and Europe. Besides the commercial flights, charter helicopters also operate out of Norwich flying crews to North Sea gas rigs.

Norwich Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P723) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

Facilities

NWI has two runways, one 1,842 m (6,043 ft) long (09/27), the other 1,285 m (4,215 ft)(04/22). The latter (04/22) runway has been closed due to maintenance costs, and is now serving as the 'C' (Charlie) taxiway for large aircraft (Boeing 737 or bigger) to the (09/27) runway. It has 9 Parking stands.

Airlines and Destinations

• Air Scotland (Girona)
• Air Southwest (Bristol)
• bmi (Aberdeen)
• Eastern Airways (Aberdeen)
• Flybe (Alicante, Amsterdam [Starts October 29], Bordeaux, Chambery, Dublin, Edinburgh, Exeter, Faro, Geneva [Winter Only], Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Málaga, Manchester, Murcia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
• KLM
  • KLM Cityhopper (Amsterdam)

History

The first Norwich airport was set up on a former First World War aerodrome on Mousehold Heath under what is now the Heartsease housing estate. This fell into disuse in the early part of the Second World War.

RAF Use

The current site, known as Horsham St Faith was first developed in 1939 and officially opened on 1 June 1940. It had been built pre-war and had five C-type hangars, permanent brick and tiled buildings with central-heating and a high standard of domestic accommodation.

During World War II Bristol Blenheim and de Havilland Mosquito bombers of the Royal Air Force operated from the site. Two of the early visitors to the new airfield were the Right Honourable Neville Chamberlain and General Sir Alan Brooke.

In August 1941, an aircraft from No. 18 Squadron flying from Horsham St. Faith en route to attack a power station at Gosnay, dropped a box by parachute over the south-west corner of the airfield at St. Omer-Longeunesse, containing a pair of legs for Wing Commander Douglas Bader who had been shot down over France and had lost his artificial limbs in the process.

In December 1941. No. 105 Squadron arrived to begin training on De Havilland Mosquito aircraft and from June 1942, the squadron carried out photographic and bombing missions over Germany.

USAAF Use

In September 1942 Horsham St. Faith was made available to the United States Army Air Force for use by the Eighth Air Force. The USAAF designated the airfield as Station 123.

319th Bombardment Group (Medium)

The first USAAF tennants at the airfield was the 319th Bombardment Group (Medium), arriving from RAF Shipdham on 4 October 1942. Flying the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the group only stayed until 11 November when the group was tranferred to Twelfth Air Force at St-Leu, Algeria.

56th Fighter Group

P-47 of the 61st Fighter Squadron

With the departure of the Mitchells to North Africa, the next USAAF group to use Horsham St. Faith was the 56th Fighter Group, tranferring from RAF Kings Cliffe on 6 April 1943. The group was under the command of the 67th Fighter Wing of the VIII Fighter Command. Aircraft of the 56th were identified by red cowlings and tails.

The group consisted of the following squadrons:

• 61st Fighter Squadron (HV)
• 62d Fighter Squadron (LM)
• 63d Fighter Squadron (UN)

The group entered combat with a fighter sweep in the area of St Omer on 13 April 1943, and flew numerous missions over France, the Low Countries, and Germany to escort bombers that attacked industrial establishments, V-weapon sites, submarine pens, and other targets on the Continent.

On 8 July, the group had to move to RAF Halesworth when work started on enlarging Horsham St. Faith for use as a heavy bomber station with hard surface runways and concrete hardstands and a peremiter track. The move was not particularly popular with the men of the 56th who had to give up the comparative comfort of Horsham's barracks for the temporary hut accommodations at Halesworth.

458th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

File:458bg-b24s.jpg

B-24s of the 753d and 754th Bomb Squadrons on a mission from Horsham St. Faith.

Main article: 458th Bombardment Group

With runway construction finished, The 458th Bomb Group (Heavy), arrived at Horsham St. Faith late in January 1944 from Tonopah AAF Nevada. The group flew its first mission on February 24 with B-24 Liberators.

The group flew its last combat mission on 25 Apr 1945, flying 240 missions losing 47 aircraft in combat along with another 18 before returning to Sioux Falls AAF South Dakota in July 1945.

Postwar Military Use

The airfield was transferred to RAF Fighter Command on 10 July when it was occupied by four Gloster Meteor Squadrons one of which. No. 307, was entirely composed of Polish personnel. Meteor jet aircraft arrived during 1946-48 and in June, an echo of the airfield's former occupants was provided by a visit from a Swedish P-51 Mustang squadron.

RAF Horsham St. Faith was a front-line RAF station for many years, and its squadrons participated in many post-war exercises. The station was inactivated on 1 August 1963.

The Royal Air Force left Horsham on 24 March 1967 and, during the following two years. the major part of the airfield and buildings were sold to Norwich City and County Borough Council, a small part being retained by the MOD. The airfield was developed into the present-day Norwich International Airport.

Most of the World War II buildings used by the United States Army Air Force remain, although converted for a variety of purposes. Three of the five large pre-war hangars are still being used for aircraft maintenance. Two have been converted for commercial use. The control tower still exists although the top has been restored and a new tower has been built adjacent to the present main runway. Other wartime buildings now form part of the industrial estate and are intermingled with many newer structures.

The blocks used as living quarters situated towards Catton were until recently used by the University of East Anglia as accommodation for students. Some of the housing in the same area, formerly enlisted men's quarters, has become married quarters for nearby RAF stations.

As for the runways, taxi-tracks etc., these largely remain. Only one runway is now used and the east-west runway, 10-28, which was extended eastwards by the RAF in 1956, has become the main runway to avoid take-offs and landings over built-up areas. A section of the old main runway is currently used for light aircraft.

In the new airport terminal building opened in 1988 there is a memorial display relating to the USAAF, consisting of photographs, paintings, and a plaque commemorating the American use of the airfield.

The City of Norwich Aviation Museum records the history of the two former military airfield sites from a location on the northern edge of the airport, accessed through the village of Horsham St. Faith.

See also

• List of RAF stations
• USAAF Eighth Air Force - World War II

References

• United Kingdom AIP
• Freeman, Roger A., Airfields Of The Eighth, Then And Now, 1978
• www.controltowers.co.uk Horsham St Faith
• Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to Present [1]

External links

• Official Site
• RAF Bomber Command History of Horsham St Faith
• 458th Bombardment Group Website
• City of Norwich Aviation Museum Website

• Aerial Photo of Norwich International Airport from Multimap.com