RAF Grangemouth RAF Grangemouth is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Falkirk , Stirlingshire , Scotland . It was opened as the Central Scotland Airport in May 1939 and operated as a Civilian Air Navigation School ( CANS ) until early September 1939 . Second World War . From September 1939 - March 1941 it was used by 602 Squadron flying Supermarine Spitfire s , 141 Squadron flying Bristol Blenheim s and Gloster Gladiator s and 263 Squadron flying Westland Lysander s . In December 1940 it was used by No . 58 Operational Training Unit ( later renamed No . 2 Tactical Exercise Unit ) . The air traffice control tower ( watch tower ) was of a pre - war civilian type . There were 10 Hangars , two were of a civil type and the other eight were of the Blister type . In an attempt to reduce the number of crashes caused by over - shooting , the east / west runway was extended by about 300 yards in the summer of 1942 . Post war . After the war , it was used as a gliding school and by No . 13 Refresher Flying School , then by RAF Maintenance Command until closure in 1955 . Unfortunately at 0200 one Sunday in 1952 a fire started & some of the buildings were destroyed . Present day . Today the site is now part of Grangemouth oil refinery , and a housing estate . The shorter runway is now Inchyra Road , Grangemouth . Some of the hangars still remain intact at Latitude , Longitude 56 . 013348N , 3 . 707562W . In 2008 a memorial garden was unveiled , to commorate those who died , planted on ground granted for the purpose and located on the perimeter of the original airfield . Within the garden , a wall features the names of each of the Polish fighter pilots who died at Grangemouth . The memorial remembers the contribution of hundreds of Polish pilots who developed their skills at the airfield as members of No . 58 Operational Training Unit during the Second World War . On Thursday 9 May 2013 a full size replica of a mk2 Spitfire was unveiled in the memorial garden Other Units / Wings . No . 52 ( Army Co - operation ) Wing . 1 November 1939 – 14 July 1940 . Further History Unknown at this time . No . 58 Operational Training Unit . No . 58 Operational Training Unit was planned to form at RAF Grangemouth in October 1940 within No . 10 Group to train night fighter crews . This was changed in early December when it actually formed as a day fighter pilot training unit , using Spitfires and Masters . It was transferred to No . 81 Group at the end of December 1940 and disbanded in early October 1943 when it was redesignated No . 2 Combat Training Wing ( changed again to No . 2 Tactical Exercise Unit at a later date ) . In the event of a German invasion the OTU would have become No . 558 Squadron ( and later also as No . 563 Squadron ) to operate from RAF Turnhouse . The unit reformed on 15 March 1945 , at RAF Poulton in No . 12 Group , as half an Operational Training Unit equipped with Spitfires from the day fighter element of No . 41 Operational Training Unit until it was disbanded on 20 July 1945 . Codes used : - No . 4 Aircraft Delivery Flight . Commanding Officer Squadron Leader Eric Valentine Hulbert appointed 16 April 1943 . No . 2 Combat Training Wing . See No . 58 Operational Training Unit Above . No . 2 Tactical Exercise Unit . See No . 58 Operational Training Unit Above . No . 14 Maintenance Unit . History unknown at this time .