RAF Church Fenton has closed – last flying was 16th/17th December.

The blast pens are sort of still there although they were reduced in size many years ago (rumoured to be as a result of damage by rabbits!), the brickwork was also removed if I remember correctly.

There are currently two housing projects about to be, or have already been, given the go-ahead although neither are on the airfield itself.

YUAS hosted a ball to mark the closure, no formal parade took place (despite being ‘advertised’) and there were no official flypasts or anything of a ceremonial nature (although one of the privately owned JP’s performed a low pass before leaving for Linton and a Red Arrows schemed Hawk and a Tornado ‘beat-up’ the runway).

One gets the impression the RAF are somewhat relieved to have wiped Church Fenton from the soles of their shoes at long last… 🙁