Read the forum code of contact
By: - 16th July 2011 at 00:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A quick Google brought up the following-
UK Active & Disused Airports, Airfields, Heliports & Landing Sites
http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/Hawley.html
Airfields of Britain Consevation Trust
http://www.abct.org.uk/feedback
Some way down the fornt page "Was there ever an airfield at Hawley in Hampshire? One source has stated either military and/or civil activity may have happened in the past but details are extremely vague"
pprune from 2002
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/67529-re-hawley-starve-acre.html
Hope this of some use.
RMR
By: - 16th July 2011 at 23:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Up on the heathland between the A30 and Hawley Lake (used as the Royal Engineers training ground) there is a large area of gravel roughly rectangular in shape. Nowadays it's about 80 x 600 metres.
In the past week two different people have mentioned "it's where the runway used to be"
I'm aware of the two disused railway lines that the army used but a runway is news to meGiven that it's pretty much under the approach for Blackbushe(Hartford Bridge as was) I find it hard to believe.
My only thought is if it was for army observation aircraft - I vaguely recall a thread about those some time ago but don't recall mention of any in this area.
Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks
Bazza
From John Bagley's 'Gazetteer of Hampshire Aerodromes'
Hawley SU842586
The official name of this airfield is uncertain , but two short concrete runways were built here about 1960 as a training exercise by the Royal Engineers, and have been used occasionally by the Army Air Corps
By: - 17th July 2011 at 09:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
RMR/Philip, thanks for the info.
Google Earth clearly shows the old layout and there may well have been a second runway judging by the different vegetation.
Found this on Airfield Information Exchange....
STARVE ACRE: N51.19.19/W00.47.25. A strip here was used from circa 1964 by the AAC to teach Tactical Field landings etc( using Beavers ). and for AOP9 ops.Other aircraft seen to land there were Army helicopters including Allouettes. Harriers were reported to have also used the strip on rare occasions.Sources state that no use was reported after circa 1998.Runways (two ) are believed to have been gravel covered with tarmac. The tarmac has now been removed.
Bazza
By: - 17th July 2011 at 10:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This is very close to where I live its officially know as Starve Acre. Not been in use for some time( I have lived here 6 years and seen nothing). As others have said was regularly used in the 60's and 70's for AAC Beavers and Austers for off airfield training. I have been told by locals that it was used twice in the 70's for Harrier deployments 'for a couple of days each'. Although the area is Army land it is open to the public just watch out for squadies on exercise.
By: - 17th July 2011 at 11:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
As a former trainee sapper I can vouch for its use during the late 1970s.
In summer 1976 we seemed to spend rather a lot of our time either "guarding" or "attacking" it. It used occasionally by AAC Beavers and on one memorable occasion Doug Arnold's Ju-52 made a dummy approach and flyby!
Posts: 158
By: Bazza333 - 15th July 2011 at 23:30
Up on the heathland between the A30 and Hawley Lake (used as the Royal Engineers training ground) there is a large area of gravel roughly rectangular in shape. Nowadays it's about 80 x 600 metres.
In the past week two different people have mentioned "it's where the runway used to be"
I'm aware of the two disused railway lines that the army used but a runway is news to me
Given that it's pretty much under the approach for Blackbushe(Hartford Bridge as was) I find it hard to believe.
My only thought is if it was for army observation aircraft - I vaguely recall a thread about those some time ago but don't recall mention of any in this area.
Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks
Bazza