RNAS Lee - on - Solent ( HMS Daedalus ) Royal Naval Air Station Lee - on - Solent ( HMS " Daedalus " ) was one of the primary shore airfields of the Fleet Air Arm . First established as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War , it later became the main training establishment and administrative centre of the Fleet Air Arm . Situated near Lee - on - the - Solent in Hampshire , approximately four miles west of Portsmouth on the coast of the Solent at , the establishment has now been closed down . History . Naval aviation began at Lee - on - Solent on 30 July 1917 when the Royal Naval Air Service ( RNAS ) opened the Naval Seaplane Training School as an extension to the seaplane training station at nearby Calshot . The school ' s first commander was Squadron Commander Douglas Evill . Initially , aircraft had to be transported from their temporary hangars to the top of the nearby cliff , then lowered by crane onto a trolley which ran on rails into the sea . Permanent hangars , workshops , accommodation and a new double slipway were soon constructed , however . RAF Base . On 1 April 1918 , the RNAS combined with the Royal Flying Corps ( RFC ) to form the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) and the Lee - on - Solent Naval Seaplane Training School became an RAF station . Naval aviation training continued throughout the 1920s under the RAF with both Calshot and Lee - on - Solent providing training in operating seaplanes - initially using the wartime Short Type 184 s and , from late 1921 , the new Fairey IIID . On 1 April 1924 , the " Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force " was formed , encompassing those RAF units that normally embarked on aircraft carriers and fighting ships ( including those at shore bases such as Lee - on - Solent ) . In 1931 the first grass airstrip at Lee was constructed to the west of the town , Lee - on - Solent became " HQ RAF Coastal Area " , and a major rebuilding programme ensued . On 14 July 1936 , an expanded RAF Coastal Area became RAF Coastal Command , with the HQ remaining at Lee - on - Solent . RN use . With the expansion of the RAF during the 1930s , however , Parliament decided that the Fleet Air Arm should transfer to the Admiralty . As a consequence , on 24 May 1939 , HQ RAF Coastal Command moved to Northwood and Lee - on - Solent was commissioned as HMS " Daedalus " , becoming Headquarters of Flag Officer Air ( Home ) . Post war she continued to play a significant role , being renamed HMS Ariel on 31 October 1959 to reflect her electrical , radar and ground training emphasis , and in 1962 the joint Service Hovercraft Unit was formed with the aim of testing hovercraft in an operational military environment , and soon after the Air Station reverted to the name HMS Daedalus on 5 October 1965 . Post RN use . In 2003 it was the subject of much controversy over the proposal to use a small part of it as a refuge for asylum - seekers . In March 2006 the site was split , with ownership of the central area including the runways transferred to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency ( MCA ) who have continued to use it as a base for their air sea rescue helicopters . Hampshire Constabulary ' s fixed wing aircraft have also continued to use the airfield . The outlying areas , including the former accommodation and technical area and surrounding land , hangars , and dispersals , were transferred to the In April 2006 , Gosport and Fareham Borough Councils issued a stating that " There should be provision of leisure and community facilities which could complement existing facilities to the benefit of local residents " and " Future development should seek to maximise the benefit of the existing runways for general and private aviation use . " . In April / May 2006 , whilst conducting repairs to the runway , building crews discovered an unexploded pipe bomb , of over 60 feet long , placed underneath the runway by the military , designed to cripple the airfield ' s operational capabilities in the event of a German invasion . The bomb ( along with 19 others subsequently discovered ) was scheduled to be removed in September 2006 . The work was completed on 24 October 2006 . During its RN ownership the airfield had been used for a variety of groups , including the The Lee Bees Model Flying Club , The Tigers Children ' s Motorcycle Display Team and two flying schools , and a number of privately owned aircraft were based at the airfield . When the RN moved out in 1996 , operational management of the airfield was taken over by Hampshire Police Air Support Unit ( HPASU ) . This management has continued to the present day , with HPASU being tenants of the MCA , which is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport . On acquiring their land SEEDA stated “ The lack of availability of serviced employment land and new business space has been identified as an important requirement in South Hampshire . Our intention is that development of the site will focus on new aviation and marine related businesses , exploiting access to the existing runways and the Solent . Plans are to create a quality business location that will attract inward investment and provide accommodation for start - up , growing and established businesses . ” Aviation - related businesses , including an aircraft maintenance organisation , a microlight aircraft manufacturer and a flying school , became tenants of SEEDA in 2006 , as did the owners of around 50 aircraft based on the site . The aerodrome is strategically important . The growth of commercial air transport at Southampton Airport some years ago left it with no capacity for general aviation ( GA ) aircraft . This leaves Lee - on - Solent as the only airfield in southern Hampshire with a hard runway available for general aviation ; the nearest alternative in Hampshire being Farnborough Airfield . On 18 October 2007 , users were given 30 days notice by the Airfield Manager that the aerodrome would be closed to all existing users except MCA , HPASU and PNGC from 16 November 2007 . The closure was successfully challenged by Lee Flying Association which worked with other agencies such as the Civil Aviation Authority and AOPA to develop new operating procedures , an Airfield Manual and an air - to - ground service and the airfield is now operating as an unlicensed general aviation airfield . From 1 April 2011 , the airfield was leased to the British aircraft manufacturer , Britten - Norman under its airfield operations subsidiary , Fly BN . Britten - Norman has now established corporate offices at the Daedalus Airfield site as well as establishing a manufacturing base for its subsidiary Britten - Norman Aircraft and MRO facilities for two other subsidiaries , BN Defence and BN Aviation . Now managed by Fly BN on behalf of the airfield ' s new owner , the Homes and Communities Agency , the airfield is in the process of being prepared for licensed operations . Fixed Based Operators . Current FBOs include BN Aviation , Phoenix Aviation , Solent Microlight Flying Group , Atlas Helicopters , Hampshire Aeroplane Club and Sapphire Aviation .