377:
35:
63:
409:, serving in the RAF, spent several years at the school in the photographic section taking slow motion film of jumps on a project intended to decrease the frequency of parachutes failing (sometimes called "Roman Candle"). He recalled the Special Operations Executive training centre, housed in an Edwardian house on the outskirts of the airfield, where he was assigned to take pictures of the agents for identity documents. There was an additional SOE holding centre in a large house in nearby
935:
70:
339:
A new airport site at
Ringway, eight miles south of Manchester city centre, was selected from several alternatives, and this was to become the site of the RAF station by early 1940. Construction of the all-grass airfield began in late 1935, and the first (westerly) portion opened in June 1937 for
479:
military transport aircraft in the three 1941/42 southside hangars. Two hangars built in the NW corner of the airfield during 1939/40 for use by Fairey
Aviation remain in use, one for aircraft maintenance and the other for ground operations. The other three wartime hangars built for Fairey's were
667:
By
January 2009, the only surviving building from RAF Ringway was the Officers Mess (Building 217) in Ringway Road and until recently used as the Airport Archive. It was still standing, but disused, in November 2011. It was later demolished to make way for a further extension of car parking
360:
station, including two large hangars, workshops, barrack blocks and ancillary accommodation, began in the northeast corner of the airport during spring 1939, with phased completion during early 1940. One of the hangars was intended for use by
660:
On the disbandment of 613 Squadron (and all other Royal
Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons) in March 1957, RAF Ringway was closed and its hangars and other buildings handed over for civil airline operations including cargo and maintenance.
398:, which was charged with the initial training of all allied paratroopers trained in Europe (60,000) and for development of parachute drops of equipment; also the development of military gliding operations. Men and women agents of the
344:. The remaining airfield areas and the terminal building were opened for public use on 25 June 1938. Initially known as Manchester (Ringway) Airport, then Manchester International Airport, from 1986 it has been designated simply
466:
bomber. The aircraft failed to meet operational requirements and, with only 202 built, it was subject to several radical modifications, culminating in
January 1941 with the Avro Manchester Mk III, the prototype of the famous
603:
328:. Barton Aerodrome was planned to be the main airport for Manchester, but it became clear by 1934 that its small boggy grass airfield was inadequate for the larger airliners then coming into service including the
423:(ATA) was based at Ringway between 1940 and 1945. The veteran ATA aircrews delivered many thousands of military aircraft to operational units which had been built, modified or repaired at Ringway,
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638:
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533:
618:
462:. Avro's experimental department, located in Ringway's 1938-built northside hangar between mid-1939 and late 1945. In 1939 they completed the prototype
553:
528:
676:
A garden outside
Olympic House (near Terminal 1) houses several carved stone memorials to the wartime units based at Ringway and to 613 Squadron.
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966:
961:
366:
96:
664:
The two 1939/40-built hangars remained in use until late 1995, when they were demolished to permit construction of the new
Terminal 3.
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523:
518:
513:
578:
508:
838:
293:
131:
976:
382:
483:
No. 613 (City of
Manchester) Squadron had its home base at RAF Ringway during 1939 and again from 1946 to 1957 when it flew
395:
680:
628:
317:
62:
921:
903:
884:
771:
211:
956:
608:
416:
399:
386:
365:, but this unit had been moved south at the outbreak of war. RAF Ringway was therefore initially used by
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325:
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20:
304:. It was operational from 1939 until 1957. The site of the station is now occupied by
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767:
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undergoing physical training with No. 1 Parachute
Training School at Ringway, with a
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321:
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98:
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bomber which first flew from
Ringway on 9 July 1944. Avro built over 100
751:
406:
301:
476:
934:
48:
434:
Over 4,400 warplanes were built at Ringway by Fairey Aviation and
471:
bomber. The last warplane prototype to be assembled here was the
754:(1 October 1998), "Chapter 5 : The War (Part Two)",
431:
and at other northwest aircraft factories and airfields.
534:
No. 50 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF
679:
There is a monument, formerly in Terminal 1 but now in
491:
jet fighters in its fighter role as a unit within the
708:
930:
604:
Development Unit (Central Landing Establishment) RAF
394:
From June 1940, Ringway became the wartime base for
19:For the current civilian use of this facility, see
755:
498:The following units were also here at some point:
948:
554:No. 110 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Wing RAF
367:No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF
911:
858:
821:
797:
785:
738:
726:
671:
589:Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment
316:Manchester's first municipal airfield was
896:Avro – the History of an Aircraft Company
524:No. 8 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF
519:No. 7 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF
514:No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF
874:
714:
509:No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAF
375:
839:Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust
949:
893:
809:
324:(open from January 1930) just west of
972:Military installations closed in 1957
967:Military airbases established in 1939
383:6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion
363:No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron
962:Royal Air Force stations in Cheshire
898:, Marlborough Wilts: Crowood Press,
877:RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2
750:
16:Former RAF base in Cheshire, England
827:
691:; of them, John Alcock was born in
529:No. 50 (Army Co-operation) Wing RAF
396:No. 1 Parachute Training School RAF
351:
69:
13:
681:Manchester Airport railway station
629:Manchester University Air Squadron
318:Manchester (Wythenshawe) Aerodrome
14:
988:
594:Central Landing Establishment RAF
402:(SOE) were also trained to jump.
320:(open from April 1929), and then
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212:European theatre of World War II
68:
61:
33:
867:
852:
649:Parachute Training Squadron RAF
634:Parachute Exercise Squadron RAF
579:No. 1951 Reserve AOP Flight RAF
311:
815:
803:
791:
779:
744:
732:
720:
1:
977:History of Manchester Airport
916:, Stroud: Sutton Publishing,
644:Parachute Training School RAF
639:Parachute Training Centre RAF
584:Airborne Forces Establishment
480:demolished during the 1990s.
879:. UK: Ian Allan Publishing.
624:Glider Training Squadron RAF
609:Glider Exercise Squadron RAF
438:. The aircraft included the
400:Special Operations Executive
7:
655:
549:No. 107 (Transport) OTU RAF
10:
993:
912:Scholefield, R.A. (1998),
599:Central Landing School RAF
389:in foreground, August 1942
300:, Cheshire, England, near
18:
493:Royal Auxiliary Air Force
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614:Glider Exercise Unit RAF
417:No. 14 Ferry Pilots Pool
226:72 metres (236 ft)
672:Memorials and monuments
421:Air Transport Auxiliary
283:Royal Air Force Ringway
894:Holmes, Harry (2004),
835:"Ringway (Manchester)"
391:
381:Paratroopers from the
957:History of Manchester
485:Supermarine Spitfires
379:
272: Concrete/Tarmac
264: Concrete/Tarmac
256: Concrete/Tarmac
82:Shown within Cheshire
875:Falconer, J (1998).
689:transatlantic flight
574:No. 663 Squadron RAF
569:No. 296 Squadron RAF
564:No. 264 Squadron RAF
559:No. 253 Squadron RAF
489:de Havilland Vampire
456:Handley Page Halifax
218:Airfield information
544:No. 78 Squadron RAF
539:No. 64 Squadron RAF
452:Bristol Beaufighter
371:RAF Coastal Command
167:RAF Fighter Command
108: /
914:Manchester Airport
687:, the pioneers of
504:No. 4 Squadron RAF
392:
356:Construction of a
346:Manchester Airport
306:Manchester Airport
248:Length and surface
163:Controlled by
112:53.3539°N 2.2750°W
21:Manchester Airport
619:Glider Flight RAF
294:satellite station
280:
279:
276:
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132:Satellite Station
984:
943:
938:
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908:
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859:Scholefield 1998
856:
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847:
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825:
824:, pp. 49–51
822:Scholefield 1998
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801:
800:, pp. 35–37
798:Scholefield 1998
795:
789:
788:, pp. 22–23
786:Scholefield 1998
783:
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761:
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742:
741:, pp. 19–22
739:Scholefield 1998
736:
730:
727:Scholefield 1998
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718:
712:
685:Alcock and Brown
448:Fairey Barracuda
352:Second World War
322:Barton Aerodrome
235:
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196:June 1938 - 1957
188:
186:
138:Site information
123:
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117:53.3539; -2.2750
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941:Cheshire portal
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464:Avro Manchester
390:
358:Royal Air Force
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342:Fairey Aviation
314:
291:Royal Air Force
285:or more simply
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157:Royal Air Force
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51:in England
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697:Barton Airport
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469:Avro Lancaster
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923:0-7509-1954-X
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905:1-86126-651-0
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886:0-7110-2175-9
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812:, p. 132
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773:0-552-14137-2
769:
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759:
758:A Kentish Lad
753:
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723:
717:, p. 77.
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715:Falconer 1998
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460:Fairey Gannet
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444:Fairey Fulmar
441:
440:Fairey Battle
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868:Bibliography
854:
842:. Retrieved
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746:
734:
729:, p. 17
722:
710:
693:Old Trafford
678:
675:
668:facilities.
666:
663:
659:
497:
482:
473:Avro Lincoln
433:
415:
404:
393:
355:
338:
330:Douglas DC-2
315:
312:Prewar years
289:is a former
286:
282:
281:
208:Battles/wars
173:Site history
147:Air Ministry
25:
810:Holmes 2004
752:Muir, Frank
387:Whitley III
287:RAF Ringway
193:In use
115: /
91:Coordinates
76:RAF Ringway
31:RAF Ringway
951:Categories
407:Frank Muir
302:Manchester
100:53°21′14″N
477:Avro York
405:Comedian
244:Direction
223:Elevation
103:2°16′30″W
844:25 April
656:Post war
425:Woodford
153:Operator
49:Cheshire
695:, near
419:of the
340:use by
298:Ringway
238:Runways
198: (
183: (
45:Ringway
920:
902:
883:
770:
429:Barton
411:Bowdon
326:Eccles
764:Corgi
703:Notes
683:, to
269:00/00
261:00/00
253:00/00
178:Built
143:Owner
918:ISBN
900:ISBN
881:ISBN
846:2022
768:ISBN
487:and
458:and
436:Avro
334:DC-3
332:and
228:AMSL
200:1957
185:1938
181:1938
128:Type
296:in
953::
837:.
766:,
762:,
699:.
495:.
454:,
450:,
446:,
442:,
427:,
413:.
373:.
369:,
348:.
336:.
308:.
47:,
889:.
848:.
202:)
187:)
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
_Parachute_Battalion_training.jpg)