Royal Air Force Station Brize Norton

RAF Brize Norton stands in Oxfordshire, twelve kilometres west of Witney, near the village of Brize Norton. Built on land bought in 1935, the station opened in August 1937 and became the largest Royal Air Force base in the country. Its three runways stretch across flat Oxfordshire farmland, close to the River Evenlode. The base houses the RAF’s main air transport fleet, the air-to-air refuelling fleet and the parachuting unit. Three types of aircraft operate from here every day: the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, the Airbus A400M Atlas and the Airbus Voyager. The station’s value lies in its role as the sole air point of embarkation for British troops leaving the United Kingdom. After the closure of nearby RAF Lyneham in 2012, all troop movements by air were centralised here. The base also supports global operations, including humanitarian missions and rapid deployment exercises. During the Falklands War the RAF reformed No. 216 Squadron at Brize Norton to fly long-range transport missions. The station’s history includes service with the United States Air Force during the Cold War, when it hosted B-47 Stratojets and B-52 Stratofortress bombers. Visitors cannot enter the hangars or aprons, but the perimeter road offers views of the runway and taxiways. The station’s museum displays uniforms, photographs and aircraft parts from every era. A memorial garden honours aircrew lost on operations, including those from the 1944 D-Day flights flown by No. 296 and No. 297 Squadrons. The surrounding countryside of rolling fields and wooded valleys provides a quiet contrast to the constant activity on the airfield.