| Wisley Airfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| View along the former runway | |||
| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |||
| Summary | |||
| Location | Wisley | ||
| Built | 1944 | ||
| In use | Vickers Armstrong flight testing | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Map | |||
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Wisley Airfield
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| E/W | 6,200 | 190 | |
| Runway Details: Airfields & Aviation Memorials by Richard Flagg | |||
Wisley Airfield is a disused airfield located near Wisley in Surrey.
Built in 1944, the airfield was built for the flight testing of aircraft built at Vickers aircraft factory at the nearby Brooklands. New aircraft types making their first flights from Wisley included the Vickers VC.1 Viking, Valetta, Varsity, Viscount and Valiant. The airfield saw an extended use with the development of military aircraft during the Cold War, before it closed in 1972.
Although the runway, taxiways and large areas of hardstanding survive, most of the buildings - including the unique control tower converted from an old timber-framed cottage - were demolished around 1980. The site houses the Ockham VOR/DME.
In March 2010, the then-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham, gave permission to Wharf Land Investments to build a composting facility on the airfield. The plant would be capable of processing 30,000 tonnes of waste per year, and take up 17 hectares (42 acres) of the airfield. A new road linking from the A3 Ockham roundabout would also be created to enable access. The Government took the step of approving the proposal after Surrey County Council did not record a decision within the required time. Local residents and nearby visitor attractions including RHS Garden, Wisley had raised concerns over the daily level of traffic that would visit the plant.[1]
Filming of the Steven Spielberg film War Horse began at the airfield in October 2010.[2]