RAF West Malling
Royal Air Force West Malling or more simply RAF West Malling is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south of West Malling, Kent and 5.2 miles (8.4 km) west of Maidstone, Kent, England. Originally used as a landing area during the First World War, the site opened as a private landing ground and in 1930, then known as Kings Hill, home to the Maidstone School of Flying, before being renamed West Malling Airfield, and, in 1932, Maidstone Airport.During the 1930s many airshows and displays were held by aviators such as Amy Johnson and Alan Cobham, flying from a grass runway. As war approached, the airfield was taken over by the military, to become RAF West Malling in 1940, serving in the front line against the Luftwaffe. The station saw further service after the war, first with some of the RAFs first jet squadrons, and later as a US Naval Air Station. After closure as an operational air station in the 1960s, West Malling acquired a more civilian guise, hosting several major Great Warbirds Air Displays during the 70s and 80s, until eventually closing completely as an airfield. The site is now occupied by Kings Hill, a community of mixed residential, commercial, and civic amenities, but still retains several features of its military aviation heritage.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia article RAF West Malling (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).RAF West Malling
Ames Way, Tonbridge and Malling Kings Hill
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Geographical coordinates (GPS)
Latitude | Longitude |
---|---|
N 51.271111111111 ° | E 0.4025 ° |
Address
Ames Way
Ames Way
ME19 4HU Tonbridge and Malling, Kings Hill
England, United Kingdom
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