RAF Upper Heyford

RAF Upper Heyford is a former Royal Air Force station in Oxfordshire, England. It lies five miles north-west of Bicester, close to the village of Upper Heyford. The airfield opened in 1918 and served as a bomber base in the Second World War. During the Cold War it became a United States Air Force site for nuclear-capable bombers on temporary duty. Later it housed reconnaissance and strike aircraft for American units until the base closed.

The station played a key part in Britain’s early air force history. In 1928 No. 99 Squadron arrived with Handley Page Heyford bombers, and in 1931 No. 18 Squadron reformed with Hawker Hart light bombers. By 1938 both squadrons flew Bristol Blenheim monoplanes. In the Second World War crews trained on Handley Page Hampdens and Vickers Wellingtons. After the war the airfield supported parachute and glider training before becoming a major American base.

Visitors today see the long runways and dispersed hardstands built for heavy bombers. The technical site still shows wartime hangars and control towers. Nearby buildings once housed American squadrons like the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing with its RF-101 Voodoos. The surrounding Oxfordshire countryside stretches away from the old airfield gates, giving a sense of the wide spaces once filled by aircraft.