Finningley is known for its airport, formerly RAF Finningley. The base housed a 'V' force of Vulcan bombers during the Cold War, and for 35 years it hosted a regular air show which by the 1990s was the largest one-day military air show in the country. However, the end of the Cold War led to the base being closed in April1996, with the air show dying with it.
The 2741 metre long runway, currently the second longest in the north of England, was sufficiently large to take even Concorde, and in the period after the closure of the RAF base there were several campaigns to turn Finningley into a commercial airport for the underserved South Yorkshire region (as well as the neighbouring counties of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire).
Plans for the conversion were finally approved in 2003, with the first flights expected in late 2004. It is anticipated that the airport, renamed Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, will reach maximum capacity by 2014.
Leon Motors, bus company based in Finningley, operates buses in Doncaster. Formed in 1922, it was taken over by MASS of North Anston during 2004.
External link
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (http://www.robinhoodairport.com/)
Finningley is located to the South of Doncaster and during 1915 was located close to the Royal Flying Corps Station Doncaster (RFC Doncaster) which later became RAFDoncaster and is also located on the same principal highway.
Finningley was to continue in a training role for No.106 Squadron, which brought its Hampdens in from Cottesmore in October.
The reason was that Finningley was about to be given a new lease of life as a V-bomber station and during the next two years work was carried out to relay and extend the main runway to approximately 3,000 yards (2.7 km).
"AUCKLEY, a hamlet in the township of Blaxton, and parish of Finningley, (Notts.) upper-division of Strafforth and Tickhill, soke of Doncaster; 6 miles ESE.
"BLAXTON, in the parish of Finningley, (Notts.) and soke of Doncaster, lower division of Strafforth and Tickhill; 5 miles N. of Bawtry, 7½ from Doncaster.
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