Satellite and aerial maps of St Merryn with nearby locations
| Nearby locations | Km | Bearing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Eval , Cornwall | 3.2 | 202 | |
| Newquay / St Mawgan , Cornwall | 7.0 | 190 | EGHQ |
| RCS Wadebridge , Cornwall | 7.9 | 082 | GBWAB |
| Polzeath Airstrip , Cornwall | 8.5 | 041 | |
| Penhale Camp , Cornwall | 18.1 | 222 | |
| Bodmin Airfield , Cornwall | 22.1 | 091 | EGLA |
St Merryn |
1937 to 1956 | ||
| 50° 30' 14.75'' N 4° 58' 41.75'' W | ||
| St Merryn, Padstow, Cornwall, Cornwall | ||
| ICAO: | IATA: | |
| Elevation: 260 feet | ||
Built as a civil airfield in 1937, it was partly re-built with 4 hard (but short) runways by the Royal Navy in 1940 as HMS Vulture to be a training base for carrier-borne fixed wing fighters. After WWII, the carrier fleet began to shrink rapidly and the site recommissioned as HMS Curlew in 1952 as a location for ground training. It was closed for most flying operations in Dec 1953. All flying had ceased by Jan 1956 and it was sold off in 1959.
A two aircraft SAR Flt with Dragonfly was based here between Jun 1953 and c Apr 1954. The base tail code changed from MF to SR around Oct 1953.
A two aircraft SAR Flt with Dragonfly was based here between Jun 1953 and c Apr 1954. The base tail code changed from MF to SR around Oct 1953.
Southampton University began flight tests of its Ultrav UAV drones here in Nov 2019 and is now a recognised UAV flight test base.
List of aircraft and events at St Merryn |
| Dates | Org/Type | Unit | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-jun | SAR Flt | RN | HR.3 | WP494 | |||
| 1953-jul | SAR Flt | RN | HR.3 | WH992 | |||
| 2021-dec-18 | Overflight | SA341G | YU-HWF | ||||
