 Newquay Cornwall Airport (RAF St Mawgan)
| |
1933 to present | | Location: | 50 26 33.15 secs N - 4 59 48.03 secs W | | 3.5 nm ENE of Newquay | | ICAO: EGHQ | IATA: NQY | Elevation: 390 feet |
|
| History of this Base/Heliport: | Help Us | |
Opened as a grass strip in Aug 1933 at Trebelzue Big Field, near Newquay. At the outbreak of WWII, it was requistioned as RAF Trebelzue and all civilian flying was stopped. It initially served as a satellite of nearby RAF St. Eval but was expanded with twin concrete runways by Dec 1941. In Feb 1943 it was re-named RAF St. Mawgan. In Jun 1943, the USAAF arrived and carried out a number of major improvements, including a new control tower and a further extension of the main runway. On 1 Jul 1947, the base was put under maintenance. 
In Apr 1951 the station's 41 year Maritime Reconnaisance story began with the Lancaster MR.3, followed in Dec 1956 by the Shackelton MR.3s from RAF St. Eval, just up the road. In Mar 1965, Shackelton T.4s arrived from RAF Kinloss. During Oct 1969, the first Nimrod MR.1s arrived with 236 OCU. The last Shackelton with 42 Squadron left RAF St. Mawgan on 23 Sep 1971. Nimrod MR.2s began to appear from 1977 but with a further HM Treasury-led rationalisation, the last Nimrod (again with 42 Squadron) departed for RAF Kinloss in 1992.
SAR operations have been conducted by 22 Squadron A Flight between Apr 1956 and Nov 1958 with the Whirlwind HAR.2. 1360 Flight formed in Jan 1958 with the Whirlwind HAR.4 and was renumbered 217 Squadron in Feb 1958 before it detatched to Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean. 22 Squadron HQ remained here until Apr 1974 when it transferred to RAF Thorney Island but returned from RAF Finningley in Dec 1992 before departing to RMB Chivenor in Sep 1997. RAF St. Mawgan has been home to the Sea King OCU, now known as 203(R) Squadron since Oct 1996.
As well as supporting a number of commercial airlines, St. Mawgan remains a Military Emergency Diversion Airfield with its 2745m main runway (12/30).
The RAF base is to the south west of the main runway, the civil terminal to the north east.
It was announced by the Ministry of Defence that ownership of the airfield facilities would pass to Cornwall County Council on 1 April 2007, following the end of the SERCO contract for the base. The RAF would continue to own the military buildings on the south of the site and would provide operational support until 1 Dec 2007, which was subsequently extended to 1 Dec 2008. The RAF met all its obligations but the transition into civilian operation was not smooth and there was a period of almost 3 weeks when flying had to cease in Dec 2008 until CAA certification was granted. Cornwall Council was in command, but not in control: on 20 Dec the airport re-opened as Newquay Cornwall Airport with the old ICAO code of EGDG being replaced by EGHQ. |