RAF Northolt
Station Crest
Role	Communications Flying
Location	Ruislip, England
Date Founded	May 1915

RAF Northolt (IATA: NHT, ICAO: EGWU) is a Royal Air Force station in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in North West Greater London, England. Approximately 10 kilometres (6 miles) north of London Heathrow Airport, it also handles a large number of civilian flights. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ruislip (pronounced rice-lip [raɪslɪp]) is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in northwest London, England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO airport code (IPA pronunciation: ) is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in London, England and forms part of Outer London. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... km redirects here. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... London Heathrow Airport (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL), often referred to as Heathrow, is one of the busiest airports in the world. ...

RAF Northolt is not named after the town of Northolt, it is situated in neighbouring Ruislip; most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station, in this case Northolt Junction (now South Ruislip). Northolt is a suburb in the London Borough of Ealing, west of London. ... Ruislip (pronounced rice-lip [raɪslɪp]) is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in northwest London, England. ... South Ruislip is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon, situated very close to RAF Northolt. ...

Opened in May 1915 for aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps, it was an active base for RAF and Polish Air Force squadrons during World War II, became a significant civilian airport soon afterwards, and subsequently reverted to military use upon the opening of Heathrow. Communications aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the United States Air Forces in Europe, the United States Navy, and the Armée de l'Air were based there in the 1950–1980 period. Today, it is an important RAF airfield and the home of 32 (The Royal) Squadron. Since about 1980 movements of privately-owned aircraft, mainly corporate jets, have outnumbered military aircraft. 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Polish Air Forces (Polskie SiÅ‚y Powietrzne) was a name of Polish Air Forces formed in the United Kingdom and France during World War II. Banner of the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain Monument to fallen Polish airmen; Warsaw, Pole Mokotowskie After the collapse of France in 1940... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces. ... Categories: Stub | Commands of the U.S. Air Force ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The familiar French military aviation roundel gave rise to similar roundels for air forces all over the world, including that of the United Kingdom (RAF), which reversed the colors on the French roundel. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

When Fairey Aviation had a factory in Hayes, Hillingdon, some of the company's products—such as the Lysander monoplane — flew first from Northolt Aerodrome. The Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Heyes (Middlesex) and Heaton Chapel/Ringway in Greater Manchester. ... Hayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. ... Hillingdon is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon. ...

A memorial to Polish airmen who lost their lives in the Second World War can be seen near the southeastern corner of the airfield; its presence is remembered by the name - "Polish War Memorial" - of the adjacent junction on Western Avenue. The Polish War Memorial is a memorial erected to remember the contribution of soldiers from Poland who helped the Allied cause during World War II. It is situated beside the A40 between Ruislip and Northolt, Middlesex, England, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. ...

The urban setting of the airfield came to prominence in August 1996, when a Spanish Learjet 25 overran runway 25 to collide with a van heading eastward on the busy adjacent A40 Western Avenue; the aircraft was carrying an actress needing to reach Pinewood Studios, in Buckinghamshire. Presumably because of its proximity to Pinewood, the airfield has been used to represent several more-exotic locations in feature films, such as in the pre-title sequence of the James Bond film Octopussy, in which it represented a Cuban-style airfield. Media attention was also high when a seriously ill fugitive, Ronald Biggs, was flown here and arrested, and when the body of Diana, Princess of Wales, was flown here from Villacoublay airfield, in Paris, France, after her death in that city. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Learjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. ... The A40 is a trunk road in England and Wales, connecting London to Fishguard. ... The entrance to Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated approximately 20 miles west of London among the pine trees on what was the estate of Heatherden Hall, near the village of Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. ... Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent[1] created in 1952 by writer Ian Fleming, featured in several novels and short stories. ... Octopussy is the thirteenth James Bond film made by EON Productions. ... Ronald Arthur Biggs (born August 8, 1929 in Londons tough East End), known commonly as Ronnie Biggs, is a British prisoner who is known for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. ... Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor; née Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of Elizabeth II. Her two sons, Princes William and Harry, are second and third, respectively, in line to the... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ...

RAF Northolt is operationally constrained by its proximity to the much larger civilian airport at Heathrow. In one such incident in October 1960, a Pan American Boeing 707 cargo aircraft heading for London Airport, mistakenly landed at Northolt ^{[1] [2]}. An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO airport code (IPA pronunciation: ) is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Ruislip (pronounced rice-lip [raɪslɪp]) is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in northwest London, England. ... The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Runway 13R/31L of El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... Base layer of asphalt concrete in a road under construction. ... Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991. ... View of the port (left) number 1 & 2 Pratt & Whitney JT3D jet engines of a British Caledonian Boeing 707 showing the peculiarity of the number 1 engine mount which is different from the other three. ... London Heathrow Airport (IATA airport code: LHR, ICAO airport code: EGLL, and often simply Heathrow) is the United Kingdoms busiest and best-connected airport. ...

In days before such navigational aides as instrument landing system (ILS) and the global positioning system (GPS), the letters NO (for Northolt) and HR (for Heathrow) were painted on two gasometers situated on the approach to each airfield, one at Southall for the approach into Heathrow and one at South Harrow for the approach to Northolt in an effort to prevent recurrence of such errors. The Localizer station at Hanover/Langenhagen International Airport in Hanover, Germany. ... The Global Positioning System (GPS), is currently the only fully-functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). ... Gasometer at West Ham. ...

After some 30 years of protracted consideration, an ILS was eventually fitted to Northolt's runway 25, and aggregate-filled safety pits were installed at each end of that runway to protect road users in the event of another bizjet's or military transport's failure to stop or ascend before the runway's end. Business jet (slang, Bizjet) is a term for a jet aircraft, usually of modest size, designed for transporting small groups of business people for commercial reasons at a time convenient to their business needs. ...

References

• United Kingdom AIP

1. ^ Pan Am 707 taking off from Northolt: http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1001607
2. ^ List of 'wrong way' landings: http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html

Listen to this article · (info)

This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2006-03-31, and may not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)

More spoken articles