Turweston Aerodrome, ENG - Postcode - NN13 5YD

Introduction & Geography

Turweston Aerodrome is a historic general aviation airfield near the village of Turweston in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the Northamptonshire border and approximately two miles east of the market town of Brackley. Today it is a privately operated aerodrome used for general aviation, flying activities, aviation-related businesses and leisure. Its modern identity, however, is closely connected to its origins as RAF Turweston, a Second World War Bomber Command training station.

The aerodrome occupies land to the east of Turweston village and near the parish boundary with Biddlesden. Its location places it within a predominantly rural landscape of agricultural fields, woodland and historic settlements. The site is particularly interesting because the modern civilian aerodrome occupies part of a much larger wartime airfield whose original runways, perimeter track, dispersal areas, camps and other military infrastructure covered a substantial area.

The present aerodrome is operated by Turweston Flight Centre Ltd, which describes the site as a general aviation aerodrome with aviation facilities and the Flight Deck Café. The operator states that the airfield has been associated with aviation since its wartime establishment in 1942 and was revived for general aviation after permissions were obtained in 1993.

The aerodrome's current main runway is an asphalt runway designated 09/27, approximately 1,256 metres long. Grass surfaces are also used for aviation and taxiing purposes. The current layout is considerably smaller than the wartime airfield, whose three concrete runways formed a characteristic triangular arrangement.

The aerodrome is therefore more than simply a place where aircraft land and take off. It is a surviving part of Buckinghamshire's twentieth-century military landscape and an important example of how a wartime airfield can be adapted for civilian aviation.

Its current postal address is Biddlesden Road, Brackley, NN13 5YD. The NN13 postcode reflects its proximity to Brackley, even though the aerodrome itself is in Buckinghamshire.

History & Formation

The history of Turweston Aerodrome begins during the Second World War, when Britain required a large network of airfields to train bomber crews and support military aviation. RAF Turweston was constructed on approximately 220 acres of land and opened in November 1942 as a Bomber Command Operational Training Unit station. Buckinghamshire's Heritage Portal records its opening date as 23 November 1942 and its closure as 23 September 1945.

The wartime airfield was built to a substantial standard. It had three concrete runways, two aircraft hangars and extensive supporting infrastructure. These facilities were accompanied by technical buildings, workshops, fuel installations, accommodation, administrative buildings, air-raid shelters, dispersal areas, perimeter tracks and other military structures. The site had temporary accommodation for more than 1,200 personnel, including approximately 1,027 men and 182 women.

Turweston initially hosted No. 12 Operational Training Unit, which operated Vickers Wellington bombers and Avro Ansons. In 1943, the station became associated with No. 13 Operational Training Unit, which used North American Mitchell bombers. No. 307 Ferry Training Unit also operated Douglas Bostons from the airfield, while No. 17 OTU later used Wellingtons and Miles Martinets. Other aircraft associated with the station included Mosquitoes, Hurricanes, Lysanders and Oxford trainers.

The principal purpose of these units was training. Crews needed extensive preparation before being sent into operational service, and airfields such as Turweston provided the space required for pilots, navigators, wireless operators, gunners and other aircrew to practise their duties.

The airfield also experienced wartime accidents. One documented incident occurred on 19 May 1943, when Wellington bomber HZ437 crashed after an engine failure during an attempted go-around. All five members of the crew were killed.

When the war ended, RAF Turweston was no longer required as a major bomber-training station. Military operations ceased and the airfield closed on 23 September 1945, although the Air Ministry retained the site. Agricultural use was permitted, and the former military facilities gradually declined.

During the 1950s, the former airfield was used by the British Army as a depot known as MTSSD Turweston, where Bren Gun Carriers were stored. Later, the site was increasingly used for agriculture, while limited recreational flying and gliding took place.

A major transformation began in the late twentieth century. David Owen acquired a substantial part of the aerodrome in 1989, when the site was largely a disused wartime airfield with a small gliding club. After obtaining the necessary permissions in 1993, the site was re-established as a general aviation aerodrome.

This process turned a largely abandoned military site into the modern Turweston Aerodrome. The aerodrome has subsequently developed aviation, business and leisure facilities, while parts of the original wartime landscape remain visible.

Popular & Notable Places

Turweston Flight Centre

The central modern facility at the aerodrome is Turweston Flight Centre. It provides the operational base for aviation activities at the site and has developed the former military airfield into a functioning general aviation community.

The centre welcomes fixed-wing and rotary aircraft and provides aviation-related services. It also operates the Flight Deck Café, giving visitors a reason to visit the aerodrome even when they are not flying.

The Main Runway

The current main runway, 09/27, is an asphalt runway approximately 1,256 metres long. It is substantially smaller than the principal wartime runway but incorporates part of the historic airfield footprint. A parallel grass runway and another grass surface are also used for taxiing and aviation purposes.

The runway is one of the clearest physical links between the modern aerodrome and RAF Turweston. The surrounding landscape still contains traces of the much larger Second World War layout.

The Second World War Airfield

The surviving wartime landscape is one of Turweston's greatest historical assets. Buckinghamshire's Heritage Portal records surviving portions of the runways, perimeter track and seven dispersal areas. Other surviving features include an air-raid shelter, latrine and store building, station headquarters, three barrack huts, the motor transport building, a fuel compound and sections of the former road network.

The bomb-storage area to the south-east is also significant. Concrete building bases, access roads and earth banks survive within woodland, providing archaeological evidence of how wartime aviation infrastructure was organised.

Former RAF Camps

The wartime airfield was supported by several satellite camps. Buckinghamshire's Heritage Portal identifies eight satellite camps associated with RAF Turweston. These accommodated personnel and provided specialist functions such as instruction, healthcare, sanitation and other services needed to operate a major military station.

Although many buildings have disappeared, aerial photographs and archaeological investigation have helped preserve knowledge of the original arrangement.

Flight Deck Café

The Flight Deck Café is one of the aerodrome's visitor-oriented facilities. It forms part of the modern Flight Centre and provides a place for pilots, aviation enthusiasts and visitors to meet while aircraft operate from the airfield.

Light Aircraft Association

Turweston is also associated with the Light Aircraft Association (LAA), an organisation representing recreational and amateur-built aviation in the United Kingdom. The aerodrome has consequently developed a strong connection with the UK's general aviation community.

Aviation and Events

Over the years the aerodrome has hosted aviation-related activities as well as other events. Its facilities have included space for business, conferences, motoring activities and leisure events. Historically, the site hosted the Wings & Wheels event and has also been associated with rallying and other forms of motorsport.

This mixture of aviation heritage and modern leisure activity is an important part of Turweston's contemporary character.

Nearby Places & Postcodes

Turweston — NN13: The village of Turweston is the settlement most directly associated with the aerodrome. It contains St Mary's Church, Turweston Manor, Turweston House and other historic buildings. The aerodrome lies east of the village.

Brackley — NN13: Brackley is the nearest major town, approximately two miles west of the aerodrome. It provides the principal shops, services and accommodation for the surrounding area. Turweston Aerodrome itself uses the Brackley post town.

Biddlesden — NN13: Biddlesden lies close to the aerodrome and shares part of the wider historic landscape. It is famous for the former Biddlesden Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in the twelfth century.

Westbury — NN13: Westbury lies south-east of Turweston and is a small historic Buckinghamshire village. Its principal landmark is the Grade II* listed St Augustine's Church, which contains important medieval fabric.

Shalstone — MK18: Shalstone lies farther south-east and is another historic village associated with the Great Ouse valley. It contains historic houses, archaeological remains and the Grade II* listed Church of St Edward the Confessor.

Barton Hartshorn — MK18: This historic village lies south of Turweston and has medieval origins, a historic church and surviving archaeological evidence of an earlier settlement.

Chetwode — MK18: Chetwode is known for its Grade I-listed Church of St Mary and St Nicholas, formerly connected with an Augustinian priory.

Buckingham — MK18: Buckingham is approximately 10 miles south-east of the aerodrome and is the principal historic town in this part of Buckinghamshire. It contains Buckingham Old Gaol and numerous historic buildings.

Stowe — MK18: Stowe lies south-east of Turweston and is internationally recognised for Stowe Gardens and Stowe House, an important eighteenth-century landscape and architectural complex.

For navigation and postal purposes, the principal address for the aerodrome is:

Turweston Aerodrome
Biddlesden Road
Brackley
NN13 5YD

The aerodrome itself therefore uses the NN13 postcode district, despite being located in Buckinghamshire.

Conclusion

Turweston Aerodrome is one of the most distinctive aviation sites in Buckinghamshire because it combines a functioning modern general aviation facility with a substantial Second World War archaeological landscape.

Its origins as RAF Turweston in 1942 placed it within Britain's extensive Bomber Command training network. Wellingtons, Ansons, Mitchells, Bostons and other aircraft operated from the station, while more than a thousand personnel were accommodated across the airfield and its satellite camps. The station closed in 1945, but significant physical evidence of its wartime existence survives.

The site's later history is equally interesting. After periods of agricultural use, military storage and limited gliding, it was acquired by David Owen in 1989 and successfully redeveloped as a general aviation aerodrome in the early 1990s.

Today, Turweston Aerodrome remains an active aviation site, while its surviving wartime runways, dispersals, shelters, buildings and bomb-store remains provide an important historical record of twentieth-century military aviation.

Turweston Aerodrome is therefore significant on two levels: it is both a working general aviation centre and a surviving Second World War airfield landscape. Its combination of aviation, archaeology, military history and rural setting makes it one of the more unusual historic places in the Turweston–Brackley area.