Royal Air Force Wye or more RAF Wye was temporary

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

training airfield at Wye,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England.

History

Wye aerodrome was opened in May 1916 by the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

as a training airfield, it had a grass landing field and was located on of low-lying meadow between the main Canterbury to Ashford road and the

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

. No. 20 Reserve Squadron moved from nearby Dover on 1 June 1916, it operated the

Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...

biplane trainer, the Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8 a two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber and the

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

reconnaissance biplane. In January 1917 No. 51 Reserve Squadron arrived as the demand for aircrew for the Western Front increased and in May 1917 a third squadron (No. 66 Reserve Squadron) was formed from personnel and equipment from the two squadrons. At the end of May the Reserve Squadrons (now renamed Training Squadrons) moved out of Wye when the aerodrome was allocated for use as an Anglo-American training airfield. Three metal-clad aeroplane sheds were erected to join the original portable

Bessonneau hangar The Bessonneau hangar was a portable timber and canvas aircraft hangar used by the French ''Aéronautique Militaire'' and subsequently adopted by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during the First World War. M ...

and in May 1917 65 Squadron was based with

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

s for four months before it moved to France. No. 86 Squadron moved in from Dover with

Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristi ...

and

biplane fighters to train at the end of 1917. In December 1917 No. 42 Training Squadron arrived and continued to train British pilots which were joined in the mid-1918 by Americans trainees. Following the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

the Americans departed but the training carried on, albeit not at the same pace until the training squadron was disbanded on 1 February 1919. Between February and May 1919 the aerodrome was used by 3 Squadron when it returned from France. RAF Wye was declared surplus to requirements in October 1919 and was restored to agricultural use.

Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force units and aircraft

Accidents and incidents

On 15 March 1917 Captain Oliver Bryson was awarded the Albert Medal for his rescue of his passenger following a crash at Wye Aerodrome:

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wye Royal Air Force stations in Kent Royal Flying Corps airfields Royal Flying Corps airfields in Kent Borough of Ashford