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RAF CRANWELL

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This page last updated on 10th November 2005

[Description] [Attractions] [Viewing] [Other Info]

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Located in Lincolnshire on the South-West edge of Cranwell village, immediately North of the A17 and West of the A15, around 5 miles West of Sleaford. Only around half an hour's drive from RAF Waddington and RAF Coningsby. Cranwell is one of the RAF's primary training stations.

ICAO	Telephone	Web sites
EGYD	01400 261201	RAF Cranwell
		Cranwell Gliding Club (RAFGSA)
		Aerial view

Frequencies
Frequency	Description	Last heard
119.375	Zone
135.675	ATIS
247.175	ATIS
250.050	Zone
275.550	Duty Instructor
282.000	Director
285.150	PAR Secondary
297.900	Ground
340.475	Approach
356.925	PAR
379.525	Tower

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE

Hawks, King Airs (Serco - replacements for 45 Sqn's Jetstreams as of the end of March 2004), Dominies (3 FTS/55(R) Sqn), Tutors (3 FTS and RAFCAS) plus gliders (RAFGSA) at weekends on the small strip North of Cranwell.

Activity is constant and varied, kicking off with a few departures after 08:00 but not really ramping up until after 09:00 on most days. From then on you'll be lucky to get 10 minutes' peace and quiet until the station closes for the night at around 17:00. Dominies and King Airs are pretty unpredictable but often return within an hour of departure; similarly the Tutors do their own thing but sometimes bumble around in the circuit instead of going elsewhere. Occasional graduation ceremonies are held that involve flypasts or displays from visiting types - more info here and here. At weekends the main airfield is closed, but the smaller grass strip North of the B1429 is open for gliders.

VIEWING

Assuming you're arriving from the A17 in either direction, your first stopping point is near the end of runway 09. There's a small turn off here towards Caythorpe (note it is not the B6403) and there is enough room on the East side of the road at the corner here for several cars to park (A), and if it's full there's plenty of places further along the road. From here, without straying more than a few feet from your car you have some good photo opportunities and a good scope or pair of binoculars should enable you to log many of the aircraft parked in front of the hangars visible across the road. When 09 is in use you will have fine shots of aircraft on approach and landing, good until late afternoon. When 27 is in use you can get good shots of the jet types climbing out - not quite side-on but near enough; prop jobs are usually much higher so the best you'll get of them is an underside shot. Lighter types such as Tutors have often begun a turn to the South before they get this far, and distance and the sun will make photos pointless.

King Air (taken from point A); author

A quick run across the road to the crash gate (B) may get a few more serials as will a walk further East along the A17 verge, though as the A17 can get very busy, this is one of those unpleasant experiences you may wish to avoid! Occasionally visiting helicopters land at the Westernmost end of the apron and you can get nice shots of them until they touch down, when the lie of the land means their wheels or lower fuselage will become obscured.

Dominie landing (taken from point C); author

Back in the car and drive along the A17. There are three spots of dubious usefulness for a variety of reasons. First off there's a layby on the South side of the road (C). While there is a clear view of the airfield, the main runway is rather far away and you'd need a 600mm lens for half-decent shots. Lorries thundering past make life unpleasant once more, and hanging around for long may get you moved on by the police. Next up there's the access track to the radar tower (D), which might get you marginally closer to the runway, and gets you clear of the road, but I suspect the MoD police would soon move you on from this spot - besides, do you want your gonads to glow in the dark? Finally there's another layby, this time on the North side of the road (E) with the same problems as the previous one.

So, continue on the A17 until you get a chance to turn left towards Cranwell village. Incidentally, if you turn right here you'll shortly come to a right turn into the Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre. Open in the summer months, this small museum has a Jet Provost on display inside. From the car park there you'll occasionally get a King Air or Dominie fly overhead too - but I wouldn't recommend it as somewhere to spot from!

Travelling up the road towards Cranwell, there's a track going off into the fields on your right (F), with enough room for a car or two to park in the entrance without blocking it. From here you can cross the road to look at any aircraft on the apron here, though some are bound to be obscured by buildings. A little further up the road is one of the station entrances, but nothing is visible from there. Continue walking though and you may get an extra serial or two. Photography wise, a 300mm lens can get a half-decent line-up shot, but for individual aircraft you'd need something significantly larger.

Bulldogs (taken from across the road from point F); author

Jetstream departing (taken from point G); author

Back to the car and drive further up the road. On the right again there's a private road leading East, with room for a car or two to park by the entrance (G). From here you can cross the road for views of the Tutors on the apron nearby; again buildings can obscure some of them so a bit more hiking up and down the road may be necessary to log them all.

Walk a little bit North and you'll be near the end of the runway 27 (H); pictures of anything departing are so-so as they tend to be quite high by this point; jets are lower though. Aircraft on approach are easy to take shots of, as the landscape is flat and you have plenty of warning that they're coming in. The sun makes life difficult from North of the centreline in the morning, but later in the day the situation improves. Back into your car and continue driving North. Shortly past the stop lights there's a rather muddy and uneven layby on the right (I), room for one or two cars maximum, offering no advantage over the previous spot unless that's already full up!

King Air landing (taken from point H); author

Dominie taxiing (taken from point J); author

Continuing up the road, turn left at the junction and you'll see a nicely kept area of grass with a few trees on your left. There is a spot where you can pull over off the road (J). Go up to the hedge and you can get fairly distant views of the airfield from here; aircraft landing on 09 taxi in front of you, round the corner and past the tower, disappearing out of sight behind the trees to the North of the station (and of course in the reverse route if departing from 27). I didn't want to walk any closer here, as there appears to be no fence whatsoever on this side of the airfield and with discretion being the better part of valour, I decided to go no further.

Trees and buildings further West from this spot block other views of the airfield, so that's it for Cranwell, apart from a brief mention of Cranwell North, which is a small grass strip North of the B1429. Apparently a minor road goes to the East if you're particularly interested in watching the gliders (which limit their activities to when RAF Cranwell itself is closed), but I missed it last time I went by so it must be very small! If you keep driving to the West here you can rejoin the A17, passing through the middle of the station. The main guardroom is on your left, if you want a picture of the Jet Provost gate guard, pop in here and ask permission, they normally don't mind. The JP itself is further along, easily visible from the road on your left (K). The famous RAF college, an impressive looking building, is further along on your right.

Jet Provost gate guard (taken from point K); author

OTHER INFORMATION

Petrol and shops available in Sleaford.

RAF Waddington is about 20 minutes away to the North via the A15, RAF Coningsby is about 30 minutes away to the East via the A17 and A153 and RAF Barkston Heath is about 20 minutes away to the South via the B6403.

Contributors: author, Phil Carlton.

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