RAF Cranwell

Template:Infobox military installation

**Royal Air Force Cranwell** or more simply **RAF Cranwell** (Airport code EGYD) is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trains the RAF's new officers and Aircrew. The motto, *Altium Altrix*, meaning "Nurture the highest" appears above the main doors of the Officers Mess. RAF Cranwell is currently commanded by Air Commodore Suraya Marshall

## History

The history of military aviation at Cranwell goes back to November 1915, when the Admiralty requisitioned 2,500 acres (10 km²) of land from the Marquess of Bristol's estate. And on 1 April 1916, the "Royal Naval Air Service Training Establishment, Cranwell" was officially born.

In 1917 a dedicated railway station was established for RAF Cranwell on a new single track branch line from Sleaford, the train being known as The Cranwell Flyer.

With the establishment of the Royal Air Force as an independent service in 1918, the RNAS Training Establishment became RAF Cranwell. The Royal Air Force College Cranwell was formed on 1 November 1919 as the RAF (Cadet) College.

## Role and operations

### Royal Air Force College

Cranwell is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trains the RAFs new officers on a 24-week initial course, after which they are dispersed to their Phase II training for specific branch instruction. It is thus the RAF equivalent of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst or the Britannia Royal Naval College.

### RAF Recruitment

The station is home to the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC), where all applicants to the RAF as Officers or non-commissioned aircrew, are put through a 4-day rigorous selection process.

### Headquarters Central Flying School

HQ CFS has been located at RAF Cranwell since 1995 when it moved from RAF Scampton. The Central Flying School currently trains all RAF QFI flying instructors.

### No. 3 Flying Training School

Cranwell is home to the headquarters of No. 3 Flying Training School RAF (No. 3 FTS). The school provides elementary flying training for fixed wing and multi-engine student pilots from the RAF, Fleet Air Arm and Army Air Corps through No. 57 (Reserve) Squadron, No. 703 Naval Air Squadron and No. 674 Squadron Army Air Corps. The UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) operates the Grob Prefect T1 in this role. Although nominally based at Cranwell, elementary training largely takes place at nearby RAF Barkston Heath. After elementary training, aircrews streamed to fly multi-engine aircraft and rear-seat roles are trained by No. 45(R) Squadron, which operate five Embraer Phenom 100.

On 16 January 2018, the Skyes Building was opened at Cranwell by Air Marshal Sean Reynolds, the Deputy Commander Capability and Senior Responsible Owner of the UKMFTS. The building acts as a UKMFTS operational support building and is used to train new RAF pilots. It was named after Air-Vice Marshal Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes, a British military officer and politician who served during the First World War.

### Air Cadets

Since the mid-1990s, Cranwell has been home to Headquarters, Air Cadets, and the Air Cadet Organisation's Adult Training Facility.

## Based units

 File:45 (R) Squadron, Embraer Phenom 100 MOD 45164824.jpg
The following notable flying and non-flying units are based at RAF Cranwell.

### Royal Air Force

* No. 22 Group (Training) RAF
	+ RAF College Cranwell
		- Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit (OACTU)
		- Recruiting and Selection
		- Tedder Academy
	+ Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering (DCAE)
		- Officer Training
	+ Central Flying School
		- Central Flying School Headquarters
	+ No. 3 Flying Training School
		- No. 3 Flying Training School Headquarters
		- No. 45 Squadron – Embraer Phenom T1
		- No. 57 Squadron – Grob Prefect T1
	+ No. 6 Flying Training School
		- No. 6 Flying Training School Headquarters
		- East Midlands Universities Air Squadron – Grob Tutor T1
		- No. 7 Air Experience Flight – Grob Tutor T1
* Air Training Corps Headquarters
* No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF
	+ No. 8 RAF Force Protection Wing]]
		- No. 5 RAF Police Squadron
		- RAF Police Specialist Investigations Branch (North)
* No. 38 Group (Air Combat Service Support) RAF
	+ RAF Music Services
		- The Band of the Royal Air Force College
		- The Band of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force
* RAF Air Warfare Centre
	+ Air Warfare School
* Other RAF Units
	+ RAF Disclosures

### Civilian

* RAF Cranwell Flying Club
* Cranwell Gliding Club

## Sources

1. ↑ Ridges and Furrows, Page 30
2. ↑ Royal Air Force website
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Halpenny (1981), p.74
4. ↑ A J Ludlam, *The RAF Cranwell Railway*, Oakwood Press, Headington, 1988, ISBN 0 85361 379 6
5. ↑ Halpenny (1981), p.75
6. ↑ Phillips-Evans, J. *The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family* (Amazon, 2012)
7. ↑ OACTU
8. ↑ Hansard - Questions to Secretary of State on move to RAF Cranwell from RAF Biggin Hill
9. ↑ Central Flying School
10. ↑ 120TP Prefect
11. ↑ Royal Air Force
12. ↑ Cutting-edge milestone for UKMFTS programme (Ministry of Defence / Defence Equipment & Support) Volume 115 (February 2018) Page 12
13. ↑ HQ Air Cadets (Ministry of Defence)
14. ↑ RAF College Cranwell - Who's Based Here (en-gb).