RAF Heathfield, sometimes known as RAF Ayr/Heathfield due to its proximity to

Glasgow Prestwick Airport Glasgow Prestwick Airport () is an international airport serving the west of Scotland, situated northeast of the town of Prestwick in South Ayrshire and southwest of Glasgow. It is the less busy of the two airports serving the western part of ...

, which was also used by military flights, is a former

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

station. Like many other wartime airfields, its runways were of the triangular layout.

History

Royal Air Force use

The following units were posted here at some point: ;Units:

Royal Navy use

On 6 September 1944 Heathfield was handed over to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and was designated as HMS ''Wagtail''. One runway was redesigned and used by the Royal Navy's

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

to practice

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

landings. The following units were posted here at some point: The site was used by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

between 1951 and 1957 for storage.

Current use

The site is now a mixture of housing, farmland and a golf club.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Berry, P (2005) ''Prestwick Airport and Scottish Aviation'' * * * *
RAF Ayr entry at Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heathfield (Ayr) Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom Royal Air Force stations in Scotland Royal Air Force stations in Ayrshire Buildings and structures in South Ayrshire Defunct airports in Scotland