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during World War II. The most suitable site comprised a portion of
Thornhill farm and an adjacent farm, Glengarry. This land was commandeered for the duration of the War and finally purchased in 1947. The first buildings were constructed in 1941 and official use and the beginning of training began in
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The town of Gwelo and the air station grew during World War II, with a total of 1810 pilots trained during this time. At the end of WWII, the Royal Air Force retained its
Rhodesian Air Training Group (RATG) at RAF Thornhill. The airfield remained an active Royal Air Force (training) base until their
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of 6 September 2006, a US$ 41.5m simulation center was being established. A range of amenities and services, which include workshops, transport fleets, equipment depots, and accommodation, sporting and entertainment facilities, support the base.
455:(RRAF), as Zimbabwe was then known as Rhodesia. Tarmac runways and concrete hard standings were added in 1956/57, allowing jet aircraft to operate from Thornhill AB.
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The airbase is home to air force fighter squadrons and the Pilot
Training School. According to
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March 1942. Some of the original buildings of this time are still in use at
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No. 2 Squadron (Cobra) - for advanced jet training and close air support. Operates 12
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responsible for training aircrews for the defence of the
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No. 5 Squadron (Arrow) - interceptor/fighter role with
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48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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451:withdrawal in 1953, when it was taken over by the
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871:This article about an airport in Zimbabwe is a
400:No. 4 Squadron (Hornet) - equipped with Cessna
629:Rhodesian Air Force: A Brief History 1947–1980
937:Buildings and structures in Midlands Province
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370:) is one of the two main air bases of the
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947:Zimbabwean building and structure stubs
631:. Kwambonambi: Freeworld Publications.
534:McCrea, Barbara; Tony Pinchuck (2000).
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599:"Rhodesian Air Force: A brief history"
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258:Location of the airport in Zimbabwe
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374:located near the central city of
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490:"Airport information for FVTL"
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421:No. 6 Squadron (Tiger) - with
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658:SkyVector Aeronautical Charts
653:OurAirports - Gweru-Thornhill
540:. Rough Guides. p. 106.
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875:. You can help Knowledge by
522:Airport information for FVTL
470:List of airports in Zimbabwe
344:Sources: World Aero Data GCM
182:4,680 ft / 1,426 m
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537:The Rough Guide to Zimbabwe
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440:Commonwealth Training Group
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57:"Gweru-Thornhill Air Base"
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524:at Great Circle Mapper.
352:Gweru-Thornhill Air Base
127:Gweru-Thornhill Air Base
425:, SF-260TP and SF-260W
416:Chengdu FT-7BZ Trainer
922:Air Force of Zimbabwe
789:Harare-Charles Prince
627:Brent, W. A. (1987).
465:Transport in Zimbabwe
372:Air Force of Zimbabwe
210:19.43639°S 29.86194°E
927:Airports in Zimbabwe
758:Hwange National Park
735:Harare-Robert Mugabe
716:Airports in Zimbabwe
383:Janes Defence Weekly
42:improve this article
932:Zimbabwean airbases
603:rhodesianforces.org
578:rhodesianforces.org
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31:This article
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877:expanding it
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606:. Retrieved
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581:. Retrieved
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168:Airport type
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40:Please help
35:verification
32:
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772:Unscheduled
414:II/IIN and
412:Chengdu F-7
213: /
188:Coordinates
916:Categories
819:Zvishavane
561:Brent 1987
476:References
201:29°51′43″E
198:19°26′11″S
98:March 2008
68:newspapers
779:Centenary
281:Direction
828:Military
804:Mhangura
799:Masvingo
784:Chiredzi
750:Domestic
730:Bulawayo
679:Aviation
502:cite web
459:See also
323:13L/31R
288:Surface
171:Military
423:SF-260M
402:FTB337G
333:Asphalt
317:Asphalt
302:13R/31L
285:Length
269:Runways
163:Summary
120:Airport
82:scholar
814:Mutoko
809:Mutare
763:Kariba
665:Portal
635:
608:28 May
583:28 May
544:
444:Empire
329:8,766
326:2,672
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794:Kotwa
436:Gweru
376:Gweru
312:7,826
307:2,385
89:JSTOR
75:books
873:stub
633:ISBN
610:2024
585:2024
542:ISBN
508:link
406:O-2A
404:and
395:K-8s
368:FVTL
364:ICAO
356:IATA
178:AMSL
153:FVTL
149:ICAO
138:IATA
61:news
360:GWE
296:ft
251:GWE
226:Map
142:GWE
44:by
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