BOURNEMOUTH HURN
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GDCA,later GAUA, later(1960) EGHH.
Lat/Long 50 47 00N/ 01 50 18W .
Grid ref SU 115980.
34 feet ASL.
Ident(RAF Hurn)"KU"(Red).Ident "HR".
4 miles NNE of Bournemouth.
USAAF Station #492.(1944 RT Callsign "Rumpus",later"Fullstop",HF/DF LO6)

RUNWAYS(1941):Concrete:26/08 2000x50 yds extended to total length of 2211 metres by 1996:
17/35 1600x50 yds(Out of use July 2003):
13/31 1130x50 yds:(abandoned after WW2).

hrn72

Maps show Hurn in 1972(left) and in 1996(right)after runway extention

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Known by various names over the past 60 years ,the airfield at Hurn has had a varied history.Opening as RAF Hurn on 1/8/41 the airfield accommodated a wide variety of RAF units between that date and 3/8/44 ,at which time the airfield passed into USAAF hands for a short period.On 18/10/44 Hurn was returned to RAF control,but only for 13 days.On 31/10/44 the airfield was handed over to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.Already there had been a BOAC development unit at Hurn since January 44,and until 1948 Hurn was the main terminal for international airline flights into the UK.However by 1949 ,Heathrow was open for business ,and airline operations moved there.BOAC,who had a maintenance base at Hurn ,also departed.
British South American Airways York C.1 G-AHFD at Hurn in June 1950

BOAC York C.1 G-AGOC at Hurn in 1948.

Dakota G-AGKG at Hurn in 1948.

Scandinavian Airlines Dc-4 at Hurn in 1947.

In 1950 Vickers Armstrong moved into the hangars vacated by BOAC and started production of Varsities.This was followed by Viscounts,and later,as the British Aircraft Corporation,production of the BAC-111.

The Viscount production line at Hurn ,November 1954.
Postcards showing V745D Viscounts of Capital Airlines.Lower aircraft is N7403.
Postcards showing(Left) Prototype BAC111 G-ASHG on it's First Flight 20th August 1963,and BAC111 N1544 of Braniff.

Airline services continued but only at a low level,mainly to the Channel Islands .Other companies arrived,such as De Havillands ,to use the vacant hangars,and Airwork started operating the FLEET REQUIREMENTS UNIT in 1952.

Photo below shows Sea Hawk XE334 after a wheels up landing at Hurn on 24 Sept 1963 (photo Geoff Kingman-Sugar).

Another arrival was INDEPENDENT AIR TRANSPORT,later known as BLUE-AIR,a charter airline which closed in 1959.A short history of Blue-Air may be found by following the preceding link.In spite of economic ups and downs, Hurn Airport continued to survive throughout the following decades.On 1/4/69 the airport was purchased by the Bournemouth Corporation and Dorset County Council.This partnership continued to run the airport as "Bournemouth Airport"(later Bournemouth International Airport) until 1995,when it was sold to National Express.The intervening 25 years saw many changes,perhaps the most important being the final departure of BAC in the 80s,On the plus side,the arrival of Flight Refuelling (FR aviation) and of Jet heritage, served to keep Hurn very much "on the map". In March 2001 ownership passed to the Manchester Airports Group .Airline services continue to be part of the business with a increasing number of charter flights in addition to a number of UK and European scheduled destinations.

This brief summary can be only that,and if you really want to get a detailed history of Hurn,I recommend the book"A History of Hurn Airport,by Mike Phipp,published by the RAeS in 1991.

Those with an interest in the Vickers Viscount should visit the Vickers Viscount Network Virtual Museum.

For a detailed look at the BAC-111 production click on this link. For details of other aircraft production at Hurn ,please visit my other website"Aviation in Hampshire UK 1900 to 2000",a link is at the bottom of this page.There you can link to downloads of Vickers/BAC production lists,as well as production lists for other Hampshire based aircraft manufacturers.

The Bournemouth(Hurn) Airport Then and Now Facebook group provides very up-to-the-minute information on current and historical movements etc. at Bournemouth.

When visiting Hurn try to allow time to visit the Bournemouth Aviation Museum which has a collection of approx 20 aircraft on show - many of them in flyable condition.BAM re-opens its gates to the public on Saturday,the 18th October 2008 ,at a NEW SITE adjacent to the Wonderland Family Adventure Park directly opposite Bournemouth Airport.Wonderland is well sign posted from all major routes heading towards Bournemouth and is situated halfway along the main Christchurch to Parley road which passes alongside the airport perimeter.

air shot
Hurn as seen from the air in 1947.
air shot
And in the 90s after runway extension.
gcivx
Shaun Churchill sent this shot of Bournemouth-based Sea Vixen G-CIVX in the new Red Bull colour scheme(June 2003)

RAF UNITS
88 Sq.Boston III,detachment arr 29/9/42,dep 30/3/43
125 Sq,Mosquito XVII,arr 25/3/44,dep 31/7/44
164 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 22/6/66,dep 17/7/44
170 Sq,Mustang I,arr 17/6/42,dep 10/10/42
181 Sq,typhoon IB.arr 1/4/44,dep 20/6/44.
182 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 1/4/44,dep 20/6/44.
183 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 1/7/44,dep 14/7/44.
193 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 3/7/44,dep 11/7/44
197 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 3/7/44,dep 20/7/44.
198 Sq,Typhoon IB,asrr 22/6/44,dep 1/7/44.
239 Sq,Mustang I,arr 6/12/42,dep 25/1/43.
247 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 24/4/44,dep 20/6/44.
257 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 2/7/44,dep 8/7/44.
263 Sq,Whirlwind,detachment 1/8/41)(unconfirmed)
263 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 10/7/44,dep 23/7/44.
266 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 13/7/44,dep 20/7/44.
277 Sq,,Walrus/Spitfire,detachment 18/8/44.dep29/8/44
295 Sq,Halifax V/Albemarle I/II,arr 30/6/43,dep 16/3/44.
296 Sq,Whitley V,arr 25/7/42,dep m25/10/42.
296 Sq,Whitley V/Albemarle I/II,arr 19/12/42,dep 3/6/43.
296 Sq,Albemarle II,arr 15/10/43,dep 14/3/44.
297 SQ,Whitley V,arr 5/6/42,dep 24/10/42.
298 Sq,Whitley V,arr 24/8/42,disbanded 19/10/42.
412 Sq,Spitfire VB,arr 1/3/43,dep 6/3/43.
418 Sq,Mosquito II,arr 14/7/44,dep 29/7/44.
438 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 18/3/44,dep 3/4/44.
438 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 19/4/44,dep 27/6/44.
439 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 18/3/44,dep 2/4/44.
439 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 19/4/44,dep 11/5/44.
439 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 20/5/44,dep 27/6/44.
440 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 18/3/44,dep 3/4/44,
440 Sq,Typhoon IB,arr 20/4/44,dep 28/6/44.
570 Sq,Albemarle I/II,Formed 15/11/43,dep 14/3/44
604 Sq,Mosquito XIII,arr 3/5/44,dep 13/7/44.
609 Sq,Typhoon IB,Detachment 1/7/44 dep 9/7/44
620 Sq Stirling III,detachment 22/11/43.dep 18/3/44
1425 Flt ,Liberator,arr 12/41,dep by 5/42
Telecommunications Flying Unit,various types ,arr 13/8/41.dep 25/5/42
Special Duties Flt,various types,arr 10/11/41 absorbed by Telecommunications Flying Unit,dep 25/5/42.
Airwork Services Fleet Requirements Unit("776 FRU"), Sea Mosquito TR33,Sea Hornet NF21,Sea Fury FB11,Attacker FB2,Seahawk,Firefly TT4,Scimitar,Hunter,Canberra,formed 1951,dep 12/72
No.1 Heavy Glider MU; formed 43,dep 6/5/43.
No.3 Overseas Aircraft Despatch Unit,,Formed 1/43.
3 CAACU,Balliol T2,detachment arr 6/57
No 2 Air Experience Flt,Chipmunk,arr 1978,dep 1/4/96
Southampton University Air Sq,Bulldog,arr late 78.
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USAAF UNITS
397BG/596-597-598-599 Sqs,B-26,(Aircraft codes X2/9F/U2/6B)arr 4/8/44 ,dep 31/8/44
597th Bomb Squadron & 599th Bomb Squadron
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71 FW/422 NFS P-61,detachment arr 28/6/44,dep 31/8/44.
422 Night Fighter Sq.
(left)422NFS P-61 42-5535 .
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