Also known as Hylton · RAF Sunderland · Sunderland Airport
The story of RAF Usworth
It was reactivated in March 1930 for a squadron of the expanding Auxiliary Air Force. No. 607 Squadron formed in 1932 under Leslie Runciman, with local part-time airmen. It flew Wapitis from December 1932, and Hinds of the regular No. 103 Squadron joined in 1937. Concrete runways were laid from September 1939, and Usworth became a No. 13 Group sector station. No. 607 Squadron returned from France in June 1940 with Hurricanes. On 15 August 1940 it attacked a big German raid over Whitley Bay, destroying at least two Heinkel He 111s.
Later in the war Usworth hosted a gliding school and an aircrew disposal unit. From 1952 Airwork ran flying training here for reserve units. The station closed in 1958. Sunderland Corporation bought it for £27,000 in 1962 and reopened it as Sunderland Airport. The airport closed in 1984. Most of the site is now the Nissan car plant, with the museum immediately to the north.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 36 (Home Defence) Squadron, 'B' Flight | 1916–1918 | BE2c, BE12 |
| No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force | 1932–1940 | Westland Wapiti, Hawker Demon, Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane |
| No. 103 Squadron | 1937 | Hawker Hind |
| No. 23 Reserve Flying School | 1952 | DHC-1 Chipmunk |
What survives
- The North East Land, Sea and Air Museums, on the northern edge of the old airfield
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East Land, Sea and Air MuseumsSunderland, Tyne and Wear | £7.50 | 46 | NELSAM in Sunderland mixes Vulcan XL319 (flew in when the airport still existed), a Pucará from the Falklands, trams, buses and a… |