RAF Benson

Infobox Airport
name = RAF Benson
nativename =
nativename-a =
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image-width = 280px
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IATA = BEX
ICAO = EGUB
type = Military
owner = Ministry of Defence
operator = Royal Air Force
city-served =
location = Benson
elevation-f = 226
elevation-m = 69
coordinates = Coord|51|36|59|N|001|05|45|W|type:airport
website = [http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson/ www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson]
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 01/19
r1-length-f = 5,981
r1-length-m = 1,823
r1-surface = Asphalt
stat-year =
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footnotes =

:"BEX redirects here. For the airline that operated under that name from 1984 to 2000, see Business Express Airlines.RAF Benson Airport codes|BEX|EGUB is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC1 and the Merlin Mk3 and Mk3a.Benson is currently home to 28 (AC) Squadron and 33 Squadron and also to Oxford University Air Squadron and 6 Air Experience Flight. In January 2008, 78 Squadron was formally stood up at RAF Benson to create, alongside 28 (AC) Squadron, a Merlin Force. 78 Squadron were previously a Sea King/Chinook Squadron based at RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands). Previous units once based there include the Queen's Flight.

The Thames Valley Police helicopter (a Eurocopter EC135) and the Thames Valley and Chiltern air ambulance helicopter (a Bölkow 105, call sign "Helimed24") are also both based at Benson.

The airfield is a well-known frost hollow.

History

Building work for RAF Benson began in 1937. RAF Benson was officially opened on 1 April 1939 and its first aircraft were 2 squadrons of Fairey Battle light bombers which arrived on 3 April 1939.

The King's Flight moved from RAF Hendon and would stay (renamed as the Queen's Flight after the death of King George VI) until after the war, moving to RAF Northolt in 1995.

The Battles, were replaced in December 1940 with Vickers Wellington medium bombers. At the same time the Spitfires of No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit RAF an RAF Coastal Command unit arrived. It gained considerable fame as the home of photographic reconnaissance for the remainder of World War II.

References

External links

*WAD|EGUB
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/RAFbenson/ Official RAF Benson website]