RAF Cranwell

History

Main article: Royal Air Force College Cranwell

The history of military aviation at Cranwell goes back to November 1915, when the Admiralty requisitioned 2,500 acres (10 km2) of land from the Marquess of Bristol's estate. On 1 April 1916, the "Royal Naval Air Service Training Establishment, Cranwell" was officially born.

In 1917 a dedicated railway station was established for the RNAS establishment on a new single track branch line from Sleaford, the train being known as The Cranwell Flyer.

With the establishment of the Royal Air Force as an independent service in 1918, the RNAS Training Establishment became RAF Cranwell. The Royal Air Force College Cranwell was formed on 1 November 1919 as the RAF (Cadet) College.

Role and operations

Royal Air Force College

Cranwell is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which oversees all RAF phase 1 Training. The RAF Officer Training Academy (RAFOTA) is the sub organisation of the RAFC which trains the RAFs new officers on a 24-week Modular Initial Officer Training Course (MIOTC), after which they are dispersed to their Phase II training for specific branch instruction. It is thus the RAF equivalent of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst or the Britannia Royal Naval College.

RAF Recruitment

The station is home to the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC), where all applicants to the RAF as officers or non-commissioned aircrew, are put through a rigorous selection process.

Headquarters Central Flying School

HQ CFS has been located at RAF Cranwell since 1995 when it moved from RAF Scampton. The Central Flying School currently trains all RAF QFI flying instructors.

No. 3 Flying Training School

Cranwell is home to the headquarters of No. 3 Flying Training School (No. 3 FTS). The school provides elementary flying training for fixed wing and multi-engine student pilots from the RAF and Fleet Air Arm through No. 57 (Reserve) Squadron and No. 703 Naval Air Squadron. The UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) operates the Grob Prefect T1 in this role. Although nominally based at Cranwell, elementary training largely takes place at nearby RAF Barkston Heath. After elementary training, aircrews streamed to fly multi-engine aircraft and rear-seat roles are trained by No. 45(R) Squadron, which operate five Embraer Phenom 100.

On 16 January 2018, the Sykes Building was opened at Cranwell by Air Marshal Sean Reynolds, the Deputy Commander Capability and Senior Responsible Owner of the UKMFTS. The building acts as a UKMFTS operational support building and is used to train new RAF pilots. It was named after Air-Vice Marshal Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes, a British military officer and politician who served during the First World War.

Air Cadets

Since the mid-1990s, Cranwell has been home to Headquarters, Air Cadets, and the Air Cadet Organisation's Adult Training Facility.

Based units

The following notable flying and non-flying units are based at RAF Cranwell.

Royal Air Force

No. 22 Group (Training) RAF

• RAF College Cranwell
  • RAF Officer Training Academy
  • Recruitment and Selection
  • Tedder Academy of Leadership
• Directorate of Flying Training
  • Central Flying School
    • Central Flying School Headquarters
  • No. 3 Flying Training School
    • No. 3 Flying Training School Headquarters
    • No. 45 Squadron – Embraer Phenom T1
    • No. 57 Squadron – Grob Prefect T1
  • No. 6 Flying Training School
    • No. 6 Flying Training School Headquarters
    • East Midlands Universities Air Squadron – Grob Tutor T1
    • No. 7 Air Experience Flight – Grob Tutor T1
• Robson Academy of Resilience
  • Robson Academy of Resilience Headquarters
  • Aircrew SERE Training Centre
  • Defence Aviation Human Factors Training School
  • Stress Management and Resilience Team
• RAF Air Cadets
  • RAF Air Cadets Headquarters No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF
• Air Security Force
  • No. 1 RAF Police & Security Wing
    • Defence Serious Crime Unit
      • Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team
      • Engagement Team
      • Serious Crime Flight (B Flight)
  • No. 2 RAF Police & Security Wing
    • No. 1 Tactical Police Squadron (No. 22 Group Security Squadron)
  • RAF Music Services
    • Band of the RAF College & the RAF Swing Wing (RAF College Cranwell)
    • The Band of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre
• Air Warfare School Other RAF Units
• RAF Disclosures

Civilian

• RAF Cranwell Flying Club
• Cranwell Gliding Club

Future

The RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine, which consists of three wings: Aviation Medicine Wing, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Wing, and Support Wing, will re-locate from RAF Henlow to RAF Cranwell by 2026. The equipment being relocated includes: "aircraft cockpit rigs; hypobaric chambers, which simulate the effect of high altitude on the body; hypoxia training rigs; and helmet-testing gear."

The Recruit Training Squadron, which delivers the Basic Recruit Training Course (Phase 1) to all Royal Air Force recruits, is planned to relocate from RAF Halton, which is due to close in 2027, to RAF Cranwell in December 2025.

List of station commanders

Wing Commander Matthew Thornton January 2025–present

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore. 1981. Action Stations Vol.2: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands

References

1. (1983). "A dictionary of mottoes". Routledge & Kegan Paul.
2. (3 July 2009). "Defence Estates Development Plan 2009 – Annex A". Ministry of Defence.
3. "New Station Commander RAF Cranwell".
4. (28 March 2019). "Cranwell AD 2 - EGYD - 1 - 1".
5. "Ridges and Furrows".
6. "Station Commander".
7. Halpenny (1981), p.74
8. A J Ludlam, ''The RAF Cranwell Railway'', Oakwood Press, Headington, 1988, {{ISBN. 0 85361 379 6
9. Halpenny (1981), p.75
10. Phillips-Evans, J. ''The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family'' (Amazon, 2012)
11. "Officer Training".
12. "OACTU". Ministry of Defence.
13. "Questions to Secretary of State on move to RAF Cranwell from RAF Biggin Hill". Hansard.
14. "Central Flying School". Ministry of Defence.
15. (September 2025). "120TP Prefect".
16. "Royal Air Force".
17. (February 2018). "Cutting-edge milestone for UKMFTS programme". Ministry of Defence / Defence Equipment & Support.
18. "HQ Air Cadets". Ministry of Defence.
19. "RAF College Cranwell - Who's Based Here".
20. "No 22 Group".
21. Dunton, Jim. (2021-10-05). "RAF readies £45m medicine centre plans for take-off".
22. (11 December 2021). "20220330 FOI2021 14852 15250 Response.pdf".
23. "RAF Cranwell". RAF.