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In 1933, Western
Airways launched the service to Weston-super-Mare, with 13 flights each way daily at a charge of 6 shillings and 6 pence (thirty two and a half pence – or £16.70 in today's terms), only later extending to Bournemouth and France. Railway Air Services resumed peacetime flights in early
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flew from
Cardiff to London on 6 August 1910. The flight established Willows as the first person to fly across the Bristol Channel and was the longest flight achieved in Britain at the time. He immediately followed this with a flight from London to Paris establishing the first airship flight across
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and light bombers were flown into Pengam Moors from factories all over the UK. The staff at 43 MU dismantled the aircraft and crated them ready for loading onto freighters at
Cardiff Docks, where they sailed to restock squadrons in Gibraltar, Malta and North Africa and other far flung theatres of
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purchased from Lord
Tredegar, was opened for private club and leisure flying in September 1931, only later changing its name from Splott Aerodrome to Cardiff Municipal Airport when scheduled passenger flights began. The early accommodation was limited to wooden hutting and hangars. The aerodrome
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torpedo bombers on anti-submarine patrols in the
Bristol Channel and English Channel. Their role was to locate German submarines and either sink them or prevent them from surfacing and attacking the large number of convoys arriving at Cardiff and Bristol with supplies from America and Canada.
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station at Pengam Moors was made. Additional land was requisitioned to extend the length of the existing runway and provide space for a technical site. The buildings works were completed in 1938, with the provision of several brick built offices, hangars and with most accommodation housed in
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In
January 1946 RAF Pengam Moors was closed as a military establishment. The facility was handed back to Cardiff City Council and civilian flying recommenced from the airfield with the principal operator being
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394:. The runway has since been removed and the site has been covered with industrial units, private housing and a school, with the names of many roads reflecting the previous history as an airfield.
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hutting. The headquarters site was in the north-west corner of the station and the technical site in the south-west corner located on the requisitioned former vegetable allotments.
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At various times a range of commercial service flights were introduced. In 1932 British Air
Navigation Co Ltd offered twice daily return flights between Cardiff and
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was formed and took up residence at RAF Pengam Moors. Established as an army co-operation squadron on target spotting and range finding duties it was equipped with
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runs a dedicated 11 service that operates between the city centre and Pengam Green, terminating at the Tesco Extra supermarket. Due to its close proximity to the
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In 1939, the UK's Air
Transport Licensing Authority came into being and gave Western Airways the monopoly for all airline flights into and out of Cardiff.
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717:. The longer runways at Rhoose were more suitable for jet passenger aircraft and its remote location meant less noise problems over built up city areas.
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The Pengam Moors airfield site (now more commonly known as 'Pengam Green') has largely been turned over to residential and business uses including a
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576:(MU) at RAF Pengam Moors. The unit was tasked principally with dismantling, packing and despatching fighter aircraft to overseas locations. The
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Throughout the Second World War RAF Pengam Moors was used as an emergency landing field for
Spitfires, Hurricanes and other aircraft from
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The airfield became redundant when all civilian flying was transferred on 1 April 1954 to the expanding facility at the new
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the airfield reverted to private commercial flying until closure in 1954 when all services were transferred to the larger
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aircraft. In 1934, Great
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war. The 43 MU facility remained in operation throughout the remainder of the war and was closed in October 1945.
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fronted on the Severn Estuary and to protect the single grassed runway from flooding, a sea wall was constructed.
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target tugs, to provide towed airborne targets for anti-aircraft gunnery training. The unit was amalgamated into
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perimeter trackway. In 1942 the grassed strip was replaced with an 853 m (2,800 ft) concrete runway.
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795:"Coastal Risk Management Programme. Coastal Defence Scheme – Rover Way to Lamby Way Tip. Audit Committee"
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damaged in air battles over the Bristol Channel ports during nightly air raids by German raiders.
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have started to produce plans to improve the river's defences to prevent the area from flooding.
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The site was surveyed by War Department engineers and in August 1936 a decision to build a
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RAF Pengam Moors from the air. The two Bellman hangars can be seen at top left of picture.
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549:. No. 614 Squadron remained at Pengam Moors until June 1940 when it was redeployed to
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History at The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
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in December 1943 and remained at Pengam Moors until the station closed in 1946.
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helicopter used on the 1950 service via Wrexham to Liverpool Speke Airport
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Prior to RAF service the site served as a private aerodrome later called
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station and maintenance unit (MU), located on the Pengam Moors area of
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The site had been associated with flying since as early as 1905 when
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were built on the site, together with additional hardstanding and a
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British Air Navigation Co Ltd initially operated its services using
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Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom
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operated an experimental helicopter scheduled service via
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Western Airways Brochure and Cardiff – Weston timetable
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until July 1939 when the squadron was re-equipped with
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Cambrian Air Services (later renamed Cambrian Airways)
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in Scotland and retasked onto coastal patrol duties.
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The original privately operated airfield, on land in
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built his first airship at Pengam. His third airship
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Military units and formations disestablished in 1946
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637:The following units were also here at some point:
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16:Former Royal Air Force station in Cardiff, Wales
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594:No. 8 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF
71:Learn how and when to remove this message
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667:No. 1952 Air Observation Post Flight RAF
342:853 metres (2,799 ft) Concrete
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34:This article includes a list of general
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774:Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust
750:List of former Royal Air Force stations
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1291:Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment
572:In February 1940, the RAF established
1214:List of equipment of the RAF Regiment
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185:RAF Pengam Moors (the United Kingdom)
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770:"Cardiff II (Pengam Moors) (Splott)"
481:; while Western Airways operated to
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1115:Princess Mary's RAF Nursing Service
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858:Seabrook, Alex (9 September 2021).
832:Hayward, Will (28 September 2021).
813:from the original on 25 August 2022
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560:relocated to RAF Pengam Moors from
487:Christchurch Aerodrome, Bournemouth
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1355:Combined Cadet Force (RAF section)
535:No 614 (Glamorgan) Squadron RAuxAF
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40:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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1271:Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
439:, Plymouth and Birmingham using
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1365:RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine
1245:List of serving senior officers
642:No. 3 Reserve Flying School RAF
413:Willows No. 3 – City of Cardiff
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188:Show map of the United Kingdom
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475:Whitchurch Aerodrome, Bristol
1464:1905 establishments in Wales
1454:Airports established in 1905
491:Elmdon Aerodrome, Birmingham
353:Royal Air Force Pengam Moors
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1135:RAF Search and Rescue Force
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264:RAF Maintenance Command
55:more precise citations.
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429:de Havilland Fox Moths
1176:RAF Volunteer Reserve
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578:Supermarine Spitfires
1209:List of RAF missiles
1192:List of RAF aircraft
1110:RAF Medical Services
1095:RAF Chaplains Branch
662:No. 663 Squadron RAF
657:No. 286 Squadron RAF
602:No. 577 Squadron RAF
507:Le Bourget Aerodrome
445:Railway Air Services
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433:de Havilland Dragons
403:Pre Second World War
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315:Airfield information
219:51.48556°N 3.13222°W
152:Shown within Cardiff
1370:RAF Benevolent Fund
1305:symbols and uniform
938:Ministry of Defence
726:Willows High School
624:RAF Fairwood Common
495:Roborough Aerodrome
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155:Show map of Cardiff
88:RAF Cardiff – 43 MU
1459:History of Cardiff
1350:Air Training Corps
1266:Chief of Air Staff
1130:RAF Music Services
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592:In November 1940,
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547:Westland Lysanders
503:Le Touquet Airport
334:Length and surface
260:Controlled by
224:51.48556; -3.13222
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867:. Retrieved
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305:Battles/wars
270:Site history
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1235:Other ranks
1001:Ferry units
864:WalesOnline
838:WalesOnline
730:Cardiff Bus
632:RAF Pembrey
620:RAF Colerne
613:Sommerfield
463:and ex-RAF
461:Avro Ansons
361:RAF Cardiff
290:In use
222: /
198:Coordinates
53:introducing
1428:Categories
1380:RAF Museum
1155:Operations
1120:RAF Police
1078:components
1011:Misc units
945:formations
756:References
715:RAF Rhoose
628:RAF Filton
522:temporary
509:in Paris.
210:03°07′56″W
207:51°29′08″N
36:references
1223:personnel
1185:equipment
1058:Squadrons
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947:and units
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330:Direction
293:1938-1946
1398:timeline
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