Gravesend Airport Gravesend Airport , located south - east of Gravesend town centre , Kent and west of Gillingham , Kent . It was operated from 1932 until 1956 . It was initially a civil airfield , and became a Royal Air Force station known as RAF Gravesend during the Second World War , when it was under the control of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain . It was the first RAF station to operate the P - 51 Mustang III . Civil operation . The airport was operated by Gravesend Aviation Ltd served Gravesend and has a significant place in the history of British aviation . From 1933 to 1936 it was home to Percival Aircraft , building the famous Mew Gull racing aircraft among others , before the company moved to Luton . After 1936 Essex Aero was based on the site , and maintained the airfield ' s link with racing aeroplanes by preparing the de Havilland DH . 88 Comet s and Alex Henshaw ' s Percival Mew Gull that set the record for a flight from England to South Africa . The airfield received Customs facilities in December 1933 and many European airlines made use of Gravesend as a diversionary airport when Croydon was fogged - in . These airlines included Imperial Airways , KLM , Sabena and Deutsche Luft Hansa . Royal Air Force . The Royal Air Force moved into Gravesend in 1937 when a Flying Training School began operating Tiger Moth s and Hawker Hart s at the airfield . In 1942 , the RAF greatly enlarged the airfield , which included major extensions to both runways - albeit still formed of grass . Throughout World War II , Essex Aero continued to manufacture aircraft parts at the site . Accommodation for personnel was provided nearby at Ashenbank Wood . The company also drew up major plans for the airfield , including concreting the runways ( the longest one being just over 5600 ft after the RAF extensions ) , a new terminal and cargo centre west of the Thong Lane side and their aircraft parts main plant to the east of Thong Lane . When the RAF requisitioned the entire aerodrome in 1939 at the beginning of the war they made it a sector airfield for Biggin Hill , as one of the airfields of 11 Group . The first squadron to occupy Gravesend was 32 Squadron , arriving on 3 January 1940 with their Hawker Hurricane fighters , being replaced by 610 Squadron on 27 May . These were followed by another Auxiliary Squadron , 604 , who operated Bristol Blenheim s as night fighters from 3 July . 501 and 66 Squadrons also flew from here during the 1940 Battle of Britain , arriving on 25 July and 10 September respectively . Many other units also occupied the station during the war years , such as 71 Squadron , who arrived 14 August 1942 for the Dieppe Raid , 92 Squadron ( 24 September 1941 ) . 306 ( Polish ) Squadron , arriving 11 August 1943 and 65 Squadron , who arrived 29 July 1943 , and were the first Squadron to be issued with the North American Mustang III in December - making Gravesend the first RAF base to operate it . Accommodation was split between Cobham Hall ( officers mess ) , the control tower ( some pilots ) , and the ' Laughing Waters ' restaurant ( groundcrews ) , while aircraft were dispersed around the perimeter . Air defence was supplied by the army , and the airfield was only attacked a few times - on 2 September 1940 two soldiers were killed when a pair of bombs were dropped , and on the 4th an attack was mounted by a force of Heinkel He 111 s , but was aborted . Two more attacks came , but neither managed to hit the airfield itself . The airfield was extended later in the war to accommodate three squadrons of American fighters , and it was also used as an emergency runway for bomber aircraft returning from sorties over the continent . After the war , Gravesend Aerodrome largely returned to civilian use , with the RAF finally leaving in 1956 , whereupon Gravesend airfield became a housing estate . All that there is to see now is a plaque in a local sports centre - listing the names of fifteen pilots killed in action whilst flying from this small field . Squadrons . The first squadron to occupy Gravesend was 32 Squadron , arriving on 3 January 1940 with their Hawker Hurricane fighters , being replaced by 610 Squadron on 27 May . These were followed by another Auxiliary Squadron , 604 , who operated Bristol Blenheim s as night fighters from 3 July . 501 and 66 Squadrons also flew from here during the 1940 Battle of Britain , arriving on 25 July and 10 September respectively . Many other units also occupied the station during the war years , such as 71 Squadron , who arrived 14 August 1942 for the Dieppe Raid , 92 Squadron ( 24 September 1941 ) . 306 ( Polish ) Squadron , arriving 11 August 1943 and 65 Squadron , who arrived 29 July 1943 , and were the first Squadron to be issued with the P - 51 Mustang III in December - making Gravesend the first RAF base to operate it . Accommodation . Accommodation was split between Cobham Hall ( officers mess ) , the control tower ( some pilots ) , and the ' Laughing Waters ' restaurant ( groundcrews ) , while aircraft were dispersed around the perimeter . Air defence was supplied by the army , and the airfield was only attacked a few times - on 2 September 1940 two soldiers were killed when a pair of bombs were dropped , and on the 4th an attack was mounted by a force of Heinkels , but was aborted . Two more attacks came , but neither managed to hit the airfield itself . The airfield was extended later in the war to accommodate three squadrons of American Fighters , and it was also used as an emergency runway for bomber aircraft returning from sorties over the continent . After the war , Gravesend Aerodrome largely returned to civilian use , with the RAF finally leaving in 1956 , whereupon Gravesend airfield became a housing estate . All that there is to see now is a plaque in a local sports centre - listing the names of fifteen pilots killed in action whilst flying from this small field . Approval for civilian use . After the war the then Gravesend Municipal Council gave planning permission to Essex Aero to take over the airport , but with severe ( and unworkable ) conditions . The main conditions were that the RAF extensions must be ripped up , thereby reducing the airport size by 40 % ; that the two runway lengths cut back to just 3000 ft ; and finally , provisions that a school and associated housing should be built on parts of the airfield . Under those circumstances , Essex Aero did not continue with their scheme . Site today . The airfield site today has become a housing estate called Riverview Park ; little can be identified of the original use . Leander Drive & Vigilant Way were built quite a distance in - field from the former perimeter track , which ran eat - west , almost where Astra Drive now runs to the southern edge of Riverview Park . To the west and north it followed a line almost where the existing boundary of Riverview Park Estate now stands and to the east , it ran almost adjacent to Thong Lane . The main entrance to the airport , leading to the control tower & hangars was roughly where the existing mini - roundabout in Thong Lane now is . On the eastern side of Thong Lane , where the leisure centre & golf club now occupy the site was the eastern wartime extension to the airfield . The peri track ran east from Thong Lane from a point roughly opposite Vigilant Way to the south , extended towards Shorne for about half a mile , before looping northwards and then north - east towards what is now the Leisure Centre , before finally crossing Thong Lane to link up with the peri track on the west of Thong Lane roughly where Leander Drive now is situated . The current approach road to the leisure centre does follow the line of the peri track . " Cascades " Leisure Centre in Thong Lane has a plaque dedicated to the airmen of World War II who served at Gravesend Airport . The Control Tower from the Airport was located across the road from the grounds . The Stand By Set House ( Emergency Generator Building ) stands in the field immediately to the north of Cascades surrounded by two modern day barns whilst there is a small piece of the tarmac outer perimeter - track left in the fields behind Astra Drive . But this has fallen into disrepair . These are all that remain of the entire airfield . In addition , two buildings in Stacey Close off Valley Drive ( The Stork at Rest Pub and the building opposite ) housed the airfield ' s sick quarters .