Boroughbridge Road, Dishforth, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3EZ, United Kingdom
Royal Air Force (RAF) Dishforth is a former airbase facility to the east of the North Yorkshire town of Ripon, England. This airfield is now known as Dishforth Airfield as it is now under the control of 6 Force Logistic Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps (RLC), which is part of the British Army. Dishforth Airfield is located beside the A1(M) dual carriageway and was built over part of the Great North Road, itself part of the old A1 Road.
The RAF base was opened in 1936 and at the commencement of the second world war it was used by bomber command for recruit training, as well as for night bomber operations. In the last few years of the war, whilst continuing as a bomber command station, RAF Dishforth was a substitute station for nearby RAF Topcliffe a few miles to the north.
Immediately following the World War II, the station was used as a site to ‘convert’ aircrew from flying military bombers to transport aircraft. Into the late fifties, RAF Transport Command squadrons flew a number of different transport aircraft types from Dishforth. In the sixties the airfield was the location for the Leeds University Air Squadron as well as finding use as a maintenance facility. The runways were available as a relief landing ground for the Jet Provost aircraft then being flown from RAF Leeming and personnel were deployed from Leeming on a day-to-day basis.
During the cold war Dishforth was included in the exercises conducted to disperse bombers (with nuclear cargo possibilities) and was earmarked as a dispersal location for the aircraft squadrons from RAF Scampton.
Through the seventies and eighties, the base was used as a northern ‘central’ police force dog training facility. In the early nineties the RAF handed the whole facility over to the Army, which coincided with the name change to Dishforth Airfield. With the Army in control the facility received both Apache and Lynx helicopter squadrons. Within the last five years the expansion of site operations took place as Regiments of the RLC were consolidated from Germany.
Straightliners and UK&ITA were able to negotiate use of the main runway for a combined drag sprint and top speed half mile event, which took place after the UK lockdown was lifted but during the on-going HMG COVID19 restrictions, in late July 2021.
Open 8.30am – 5pm each day
Racing 10.30am – 5pm each day
Race Dates:
April 9/10th
June 18/19th
September 10th/11th
Currently no events for this venue.
