RAF Weston-on-the-Green


RAF Weston-on-the-Green is a former Royal Flying Corps station that was redeveloped after the Great War period. Much demolition took place. The former RFC Officers and Sergeant's messes are located on the opposite side of the road, and are now in commercial use. The station is located near the village of Weston-on-the-Green in Oxfordshire, England.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green is one of the few remaining active RAF bases with some original pre-RAF buildings.

History

The airfield was used for the launch of the first modern hot air balloon in the UK in 1967, called the Bristol Belle.

Current use

The station comes under the control of the nearby RAF Brize Norton, home of No.1 Parachute Training School RAF. The grass airfield at Weston is used regularly as a drop zone for military static line and freefall parachute training for the UK military, using C-130 Hercules aircraft based at RAF Brize Norton. No military aircraft are based at RAF Weston-on-the-Green and the airfield is manned only part-time by RAF personnel.
Sport skydiving also takes place at RAF Weston-on-the-Green under the auspices of the Royal Air Force Sports Parachute Association using civilian aircraft based on the airfield.
There was, until 2011, a commercial parachute club, Skydive Weston, based at the field. However that was forced to move its base of operations away from Weston by MoD cuts. Some of the original buildings still stand, and the Skyvan aircraft originally used is now used during weekdays.

Oxford Gliding Club

Among the various organisations that use the airfield, Oxford Gliding Club use it now. They operate on the weekends with various club gliders, and about 30 private gliders. The club owns one Schleicher ASK 13, one Schleicher ASK 21, 2 K 8s, 2 Grob Astir, one DG-505 and a Slingsby T.21. The club uses the hangar in the northern side of the airfield, however the launch point varies according to the wind. The club celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2012. It is one of the oldest gliding clubs in the country.

Current aircraft based at WOTG

Aircraft typeUse/organizationRegistration
DG-505Oxford Gliding ClubG-CJSX
Schleicher ASK 21Oxford Gliding ClubG-DEGZ
Grob AstirOxford Gliding ClubG-DDMH G-DDKR
Schleicher ASK 13Oxford Gliding ClubG-DCGO
Schleicher K 8Oxford Gliding ClubG-DCYZ, G-DHFW
Slingsby T.21Oxford Gliding ClubWJ306

RAF units and aircraft

UnitDatesAircraftVariantNotes
No. 2 Squadron RAF1919–1920Armstrong Whitworth FK.8
No. 18 Squadron RAF1919-Cadre only.
No. 90 Squadron RAF1939Bristol BlenheimI
No. 20 Advanced Flying Unit RAF1943–1945Based at RAF Kidlington used Weston-on-the-Green as a Relief Landing Ground
No. 15 Flying Training School RAF1940–1941Based at RAF Kidlington used Weston-on-the-Green as a Relief Landing Ground
No. 130 Gliding School RAF1951–1955Slingsby CadetI, II and TX3
No. 13 Operational Training Unit RAF1940Bristol BlenheimBased at RAF Bicester used Weston-on-the-Green as a Relief Landing Ground
No. 28 Training Depot Station RAF1918–1919

Citations