Departure
84%
vs 95% ▼ 11
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Rufforth is a former Royal Air Force bomber station just west of York, its wartime concrete runways now shared between two separate civilian airfields: a gliding centre to the west and a microlight, autogyro and fixed-wing operation to the east. For the VFR pilot it offers a slice of Bomber Command history alongside modern light-aviation activity, all within easy reach of York.
Rufforth lies on the site of a purpose-built Class A bomber airfield constructed for RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. Today the old station is divided into two distinct civilian flying sites sharing the historic runway pattern: Rufforth West, home to the York Gliding Centre, and Rufforth East, used by microlights, autogyros and fixed-wing light aircraft. The mix of wartime heritage and present-day gliding and microlight activity makes it an interesting destination for a simulator pilot exploring general aviation fields around York.
The airfield sits in uncontrolled airspace a few miles west of York, near the village of Rufforth in the City of York unitary authority area, North Yorkshire. It lies close to the Wetherby road out of York, with the village of Rufforth itself immediately to the north of the airfield boundary.
The wartime layout provided three hard runways, now shared between the two present-day operators. The main runway, 05/23, is the longest, with recorded lengths of 4714 ft on the 05 approach and 5402 ft on the 23 approach, both hard-surfaced. A second runway, 10/28, is hard-surfaced and 3732 ft in length in each direction. The shortest, 17/35, is also hard-surfaced, at 3448 ft on the 17 approach and 2737 ft on the 35 approach. None of the runways is lit, and there is no ILS.
No radio frequency or callsign details are available for Rufforth in the sources consulted. There is no published instrument approach, and pilots wishing to visit Rufforth West must obtain prior permission from the York Gliding Centre before arrival.
Visiting pilots to Rufforth West must not overfly Rufforth East or the village of Rufforth, which lies immediately to the north of the airfield, reflecting the need to keep clear of the neighbouring fixed-wing and microlight operation and the built-up area beyond it.
The village of Rufforth, immediately north of the airfield, is the principal visual reference, with the city of York some four miles to the east providing a broader landmark for orientation. The Wetherby road running past the village and airfield is a further useful feature for locating the site from the air.
The airfield was surveyed by the Air Ministry in 1940 and built by John Laing & Son Ltd for the RAF, opening at the start of November 1942 on the south side of Rufforth village. It had one B1 and two T2 hangars and accommodation for over 1,500 personnel. No. 158 Squadron arrived from RAF East Moor flying Halifax bombers and used Rufforth for long-range missions to Italy, notably against Genoa, suffering heavy losses before moving to RAF Lissett in February 1943. From March 1943 No. 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit operated Halifaxes and later Lancasters from the station, which functioned for most of the war as a sub-station of nearby RAF Marston Moor. After VE Day the station switched to lighter training aircraft, hosting No. 23 Gliding School and No. 64 Group Communications Flight, and for a time No. 8 Air Crew Holding Unit. Various maintenance and bomb disposal units were also based there into the 1950s. The RAF finally left in 1974, and the Ministry of Defence disposed of the site in 1981, after which it passed into civilian use for gliding and light aircraft flying.
The former station is now split into two civilian airfields. Rufforth East operates fixed-wing aircraft, microlights and autogyros off the 05/23 runway, linked to the apron by a north-south taxiway; autogyros, which can land and stop in as little as 0 to 20 metres, sometimes use the taxiway itself when the wind favours a north-south landing. Flight training is provided by resident instructors and LAA coaches, and there is an on-site café with an outdoor terrace. The other hard runway at Rufforth East, 10/28, is used for stunt riding courses and by the police for advanced and tactical driving training, while the perimeter track hosts a motorcycle training academy. Rufforth West is owned and operated by the York Gliding Centre, a Community Amateur Sports Club, which flies a small fleet of single- and two-seat gliders from runway 17/35 and the western end of 05/23. Pilots wishing to visit Rufforth West require prior permission from the gliding club before arrival.