| RAF Findo Gask | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||
| Location | Perth, Perth & Kinross, Scotland | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 363 ft / 110 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Map | |||
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RAF Findo Gask
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 07/25 | 5,852 | 1,784 | Sommerfeld Tracking |
| 11/29 | 3,750 | 1,143 | Sommerfeld Tracking |
| 01/19 | 3,300 | 1,005 | Sommerfeld Tracking |
RAF Findo Gask was a Royal Air Force airfield located 7 mi (11 km) west of Perth, Scotland used during the Second World War
Contents |
It was opened on 14 June 1941 as a Flying Training Airfield. It would appear that it had 3 runways made of Sommerfeld Track (a form of wire netting based surface). The Tower is of the "Watch Office for All Commands" (12779/41) type, with an extra floor and reduced size front windows. There were 8 hangars, One T2 hangar (415 × 117 ft (126 × 36 m)), 3 Blisters (85 × 85 × 20 ft (26 × 26 × 6.1 m) in height), 4 Dorman Long Blisters (90 × 90 × 20 ft (27 × 27 × 6.1 m) in height).
There seems to have been a flooding problem at the airfield due poor drainage; the airfield was often waterlogged and muddy and continued flooding led to the eventual abandonment of the airfield in 1944, when all training moved to RAF Tealing. The airfield also proved to be to unsuitable for the North American Mustang.
In late 1944 the airfield was used by units from the Polish Army for training purposes.[1]
After the war ended the airfield was designated as Camp 233, and the accommodation was used to house German prisoners-of-war, who worked the land in the area.[2]
The airfield was then home to a maintenance unit, No. 260 Maintenance Unit, and used for storage until 1948. There are no signs of the airfield runways today and the area is mainly used for agriculture, although one area of the airfield near the Tower does appear to have had housing built on it. The tower still survives (it was reported that it had been demolished in 2006) in a derelict state.
| Unit | Period | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron 'A' & 'C' Flights | 26 October 1942 to 8 March 1943 | Westland Lysander |
| No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron 'B' Flight | 15 December 1942 to 10 January 1943 | North American Mustang Mk. I |
It was also used as a "Satellite Landing Ground" from 28 March 1943 to 12 September 1944 for No. 9 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit based at RAF Errol with Miles Masters.