51:
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178:. A large and varied fleet of powered support aircraft was used, mostly for parachute-dropping and glider-towing. Those included examples of Bombay, Dakota, Halifax, Hector, Heyford, Hudson, Lysander, Manchester, Martinet, Master, Mitchell, Mosquito, Overstrand, Spitfire, Stirling, Tiger Moth, Warwick, Wellington, Whitley, Wildcat. Gliders tested included
154:, as part of RAF No. 21 Group. Development of the Rotabuggy took place mostly in 1943, but its planned role was taken over by the development of heavy gliders. In the period 1942–1944, trials of rotary wing and parachute developments were conducted at Ringway, Sherburn-in-Elmet and during detachments to various other airfields, such as RAF Snaith,
145:
Manned trials of the
Rotachute began in early 1942, towed firstly behind ground vehicles, then behind aircraft. The original concept proved difficult to achieve with safety and stability, but flights continued to help research flight characteristics for a follow-on project, the
129:(unpowered autogiro) that was planned to deliver an armed soldier to a battlefield more accurately and reliably than conventional parachute methods. During 1941, unmanned models had already completed ground-based tests plus some releases from aircraft in flight.
101:, that researched and developed non-traditional airborne applications, such as gliders, rotary wing aircraft, and dropping of personnel and equipment by parachute, in the period 1942–1950.
109:
On 15 February 1942, the
Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment was formed as a reorganisation of the Airborne Forces Establishment, that itself was a September 1941 renaming of the
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202:, that had been vacated by USAAF bomber units. It joined an existing detachment there of its A Flight, and AFEE came under control of RAF No. 43 Group. The adjacent former airfield at
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was used as a dropping zone. Activities included specialist training of pilots for helicopters and gliders. Types tested included gliders
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150:, an air-towed land vehicle with autogiro capabilities. On 1 July 1942, because of intensive activity at Ringway, AFEE moved to
186:, Horsa, Hotspur and Twin Hotspur. AFEE also conducted testing of captured rotary wing aircraft, such as examples of the
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On 14 September 1950, AFEE was disbanded, and most of its equipment and personnel were transferred to the
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that had been delivered on 6 September 1945 in the first crossing of the
English Channel by a helicopter.
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121:, with two flying units, A Flight and B Flight. At Ringway, one of the existing projects was the
381:"Fa 223...Henrich Focke's Singular Kite", Part One. Air International, May 1984, Vol. 26 No. 5
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242:, Curtiss Commando, Dragonfly, Harvard, Hastings, Lancaster, Valetta.
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Military history of the United
Kingdom during World War II
297:, Lt. Col. Robert 'Bob' Smith, I.M. Little, Air Commodore
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On 4 January 1945, the whole of the AFEE was relocated to
16:
Former Air
Ministry research and development establishment
269:. Helicopter training functions were transferred to
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Research into
Airborne Forces deployment / equipment
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445:Aviation organisations based in the United Kingdom
475:Defunct organisations based in the United Kingdom
263:Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
95:Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE)
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238:. Additional support aircraft included Boston,
141:Ground test of a Rotachute III at Ringway, 1942
281:J.A.J. Bennett, F. John Cable ('Jeep' Cable),
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245:Captured types tested at Beaulieu included a
460:1950 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
285:, John Norman Dennis, O.L.L. Fitzwilliams,
440:Military parachuting in the United Kingdom
420:Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment
24:Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment
455:1942 establishments in the United Kingdom
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398:Sturtivant, Ray and Hamlin, John. 2007.
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400:RAF Flying Training and Support Units
470:Organizations disestablished in 1950
289:, Sir Gordon Harvey, W.G. Jennings,
32:15 February 1942 - 14 September 1950
368:Air International June 1984, p. 294
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113:. The AFEE was initially based at
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465:Organizations established in 1942
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335:"Airborne Forces Units & HQs"
133:Wartime developments (1942–1944)
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1:
111:Central Landing Establishment
359:Sturtivant 1995, pp. 108–113
301:OBE RAF, Peter R.D. Wilson.
97:was a branch of the British
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386:British Prototype Aircraft
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384:Sturtivant, Ray. 1995.
435:History of parachuting
324:Sturtivant 2007, p. 38
277:Notable AFEE personnel
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66:Research establishment
251:Focke-Achgelis Fa 223
188:Focke-Achgelis Fa 330
152:RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet
140:
295:C.H. Latimer-Needham
228:Cierva W.14 Skeeter
222:, plus helicopters
168:RAF Hartford Bridge
249:helicopter, and a
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267:RAF Boscombe Down
236:Sikorsky Hoverfly
190:'kite' autogiro.
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40:14 September 1950
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337:. Archived from
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257:Disbanded (1950)
232:Cierva Air Horse
148:Hafner Rotabuggy
123:Hafner Rotachute
119:No. 70 Group RAF
105:Formation (1942)
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341:on 30 July 2012
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291:Robert Kronfeld
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247:Flettner Fl 282
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194:Beaulieu (1945)
172:RAF Farnborough
162:, RAF Riccall,
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57:United Kingdom
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376:Bibliography
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343:. Retrieved
339:the original
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287:Raoul Hafner
280:
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200:RAF Beaulieu
197:
182:, Hamilcar,
176:RAF Beaulieu
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108:
99:Air Ministry
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83:Air Ministry
79:Part of
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271:RAF Andover
240:Cierva C.40
224:Bristol 171
204:East Boldre
117:as part of
115:RAF Ringway
429:Categories
408:085130365X
394:1856482219
220:Waco CG-13
218:, GAL.61,
180:Baynes Bat
127:rotor kite
388:. Haynes
37:Disbanded
164:RAF Burn
345:8 March
184:Hengist
45:Country
406:
392:
216:GAL.56
212:GAL.55
54:
29:Active
305:Notes
208:AW.52
404:ISBN
390:ISBN
347:2012
174:and
125:, a
93:The
71:Role
63:Type
265:at
431::
313:^
293:,
273:.
234:,
230:,
226:,
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