RAF Predannack

Specially constructed for curved approaches and take offs!
Well spotted Baz, 14-32 it was!:o

The only extension it had was the main 14-42 runway being extended to the N.W. by mid ’44.

That runway was particularly difficult to land on as it had a ‘kink’ in the middle …

Baz

Thanks yet again Pagen. I was 6 feet short. Not bad for a guesstimate I suppose.

I must admit I don’t!

Edit, 60ft according to this video shot from the top, http://vimeo.com/31255399
Must admit I thought it was taller than that, apparently the original tower which collapsed was 60ft as well, http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~treevecwll/steval.htm

St Eval church

Ok here’s another request. Does anyone know the hieght of St Eval church tower excluding pinnacles?

This would seem to be the right thread to ask, Like my dad, how many trainees would be receiving their training at Predannack at one go?
Could I take it there would be intakes at various stages through their training, say half a dozen or so?

The other thing is I know my dad trained on Ansons, but I would imagine other training aircraft would be utilised, so what would the likely number according to aircraft type be on station charge.

I know this is quite a sizeable question, but it’s something i never asked him.

From the forum you love to hate!

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=66725

Yeah pretty much, Trebelzue existed as a civil landing ground known as Trebelzue Big Field, actually two landing fields seperated by a main Newquay road.
The RAF requisitioned the land in late 1939 and built a small two runway (third runway was planned, and a threshold actually laid down – still visible) airfield there, by late 1941 it was deemed unfit for purpose by 2OADU/ 44 Group Ferry Command, and so the construction of a new three runway airfield was commenced in Autumn 1942 just to the east.
RAF Trebelzue became RAF St Mawgan even before the new St Mawgan airfield was completed by mid 1943.
The original airfield did provide a substantial parking area for both St Mawgan and St Eval, it also provided a base for Halifax, Whitley & Horsa combinations.
The main 14-32 runway was designed to be extended in the way that it was to the NW, the smaller NE-SW runway was at one time envisaged to extend across Trebelzue and one of its runways, which if carried out would have provided another 9,000+ft runway.

The complex of runways and taxiways now seen to the west was the original Trebelzue (renamed St Mawgan early ’43) airfield, which when St Mawgan became operational in mid ’43 was converted to a large aircraft dispersal area.

Ahh, now that is interesting.
So looking at it now, do I take it that the original airfield consisted of only two runways, whilst The ‘new’ St Mawgan was being built?
I can’t see where the third one could have been?
I also take it then that, knowing the area reasonable well, the reason they did not just extend this earlier Trebelzue airfield is because the ground conditions (topography) did not really allow for it, so it was just easier to build a new airfield.
Then in some ways as with Luqa and Safi in Malta, the two became one big airfield?

St Mawgan seems to have a strange arrangement for which I know no reason, but it seemed to get ‘extra bits’ added further and further to the west which in one way could almost look like runways in their own right, but then clearly are for parked areas?

St Mawgan was a fairly standard layout, but much larger and built to VHT spec, it was laid out in a similar fashion to which the other VHT airfield, Heathrow, would be.
The only extension it had was the main 14-42 runway being extended to the N.W. by mid ’44.
The complex of runways and taxiways now seen to the west was the original Trebelzue (renamed St Mawgan early ’43) airfield, which when St Mawgan became operational in mid ’43 was converted to a large aircraft dispersal area.

I think it can be easy to forget now how many airfields were under constant change and reconstruction over a short time span.

The excellent P.London Aviation In Cornwall book, mentions runway extensions carried out in late1943.

It seems that both Preddanack and Portreath were devised to similar schemes and time scales, Portreath was built with four runways, so would guess Predannack was as well, interestingly the runway headings are very similar.
Don’t forget the headings were a digit out during war period, ie 13-31 was 14-32.

I don’t think I’ve got more plans than Hendon, but certainly possess some that they don’t!:)

My dad did his gunnery training at Predannack in 44.
I had previously that Portreath has 4 runways too.
St Mawgan seems to have a strange arrangement for which I know no reason, but it seemed to get ‘extra bits’ added further and further to the west which in one way could almost look like runways in their own right, but then clearly are for parked areas?

Thanks for the good info. Makes my task much easier. If anyone is interested in Flightsim addons Team SDB has a facebook page. 🙂 http://www.facebook.com/#!/TeamSDB.scenery

Military Airfields – Willis & Holliss gives

Exact runway heading at the then current magnetic variation

315 – 1360 yards x 50 yards. Ext to 2700 yards
238 – 1701 yards x 50 yards. Ext to 2500 yards
282 – 1441 yards x 50 yards. Ext to 2300 yards
322 – 1005 yards x 50 yards. Ext to 2700 yards

Now I think, but don’t know, that “Ext to” in this case means the potential for extension at the time they were built.

However Action Stations 5 does say that runways were extended in 1943

My best guess is that up to 1943 the runways fell within the confines of the inner taxiway. They were extended in 1943 and the new outer taxiway laid to save backtracking.

The odd runway out from the normal ‘A’ pattern, now labelled 31 – 13 never appears to have been longer than about 950 yards and does not seem to have been extended at all. This doesn’t tie up with the 1360 yards given above.

I prefer the evidence of my own eyes and Google Earth to Willis & Hollis in this case.

Moggy

Try http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/Predannack.html

Brian

Thanks Pagen I get the same dimensions and headings as you did. Sometimes runways were lengthened at an advanced construction stage and as it was started in 1940 that may be the case here. That’s how I’ll do it anyway sometimes a little license is acceptable.
Don’t know if it will ever get finished many simply languish on my HDD when I run out of inspiration. St Mawgan is an example although once the Enterprise is put to bed you never know……………..;)

PS. You must have more plans than Hendon. 🙂

The site plan I have for RAF Predannack Down dates from May 1944, the runways, taxiways, & all other tracks are exactly how they now appear on Google Earth.
The layout of a shorter peri track within a larger one suggests (i.e. might not necessarily be the case) that initially three of the runways were slightly shorter when first built.

Unusually the plans don’t annotate the runway headings, but using the GE ruler tool, gives these results,
Runway N-S, 01-19 4,600ft (4,100ft)
Runway E-W, 10-28 4,300ft (3,700ft)
Runway NE-SW, 05-23 6,000ft (5,400ft)
Runway NW-SE, 13-31 3,000ft
The distance in brackets is the distance to the inner peri track, also the GE ruler tool will give you the heading in precise degree.
I didn’t spend that long checking these, so advise a recheck!

RAF Predannack was fairly unusual for an RAF station in having four runways built (more usual on FAA stations), nearby RAF Portreath is another, and there is another example that escapes me right now.
I have a copy of the original c.44 plans (RSPs) for Predannack, and pretty sure it shows the four runways, I will dig out later.