RAF Heathfield

{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force station in South Ayrshire, Scotland}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Use British English|date=May 2013}} {{Infobox military installation | name = RAF Heathfield RNAS Ayr HMS ''Wagtail'' USAAF Station 570 | ensign= [[File:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|90px]] [[File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|90px]] | native_name = | partof = | nearest_town = [[Prestwick]], South Ayrshire | country = Scotland | image = | caption = | coordinates = {{Coord|55|29|10|N|004|35|56|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}} | type = [[Royal Air Force station]] | pushpin_map = Scotland South Ayrshire#UK | pushpin_label = RAF Heathfield | pushpin_map_caption = Shown within South Ayrshire | ownership = [[Air Ministry]] | operator = [[Royal Air Force]] [[Royal Navy]] [[United States Air Force]] | controlledby = [[RAF Fighter Command]] 1941-44 * [[No. 13 Group RAF]] [[Fleet Air Arm]] 1944-46 | site_area = | code = AR{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=38}} | built = {{Start date|1940}} | builder = | used = April 1941-{{End date|1946}} | height = | materials = | condition = Disused | fate = Farmland / Housing / Industry / Leisure | battles = [[European theatre of World War II]] | events = | past_commanders=  | garrison = | occupants = | open_to_public = | website = | IATA = | ICAO = | LID = | GPS = | WMO = | elevation = {{Convert|50|ft|0}}{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=38}} | r1-number = 01/19 | r1-length = {{Convert|1261|m|0}} | r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Tarmac/Asphalt]] | r2-number = 06/24 | r2-length = {{Convert|1463|m|0}} | r2-surface = Tarmac/Asphalt | r3-number = 13/31 | r3-length = {{Convert|1097|m|0}} | r3-surface = Tarmac/Asphalt }}

'''Royal Air Force Heathfield''', or more commonly '''RAF Heathfield''', sometimes known as '''RAF Ayr/Heathfield''' due to its proximity to [[Glasgow Prestwick Airport]], which was also used by military flights, is a former [[Royal Air Force station]]. The airfield was situated {{convert|0.75|mile|0}} from the coastline, on the periphery of the towns of [[Prestwick]] and [[Ayr]], and is located {{convert|4|mile|0}} away from the town and port of [[Troon]].

It opened in April 1941 as an [[airbase]] for Royal Air Force day and night fighter squadrons. In September 1944 it was transferred to the [[Royal Navy]]. Known as Royal Naval Air Station Ayr (RNAS Ayr) and was commissioned as HMS ''Wagtail''. It was 'paid off' in March 1946 and reduced to care and maintenance. The [[United States Air Force]] used it for storage between 1951 and 1957.

Like many other wartime airfields, its runways were of the [[Class A airfield|triangular layout]].

== History ==

=== Royal Air Force use ===

The following units were posted here at some point: {{columns-list|colwidth=30em| * [[No. 1 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT">{{cite web|url=http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/ayr-ii-heathfield |title=Ayr II (Heathfield) |publisher=[[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]]|accessdate=23 November 2014}}</ref> * [[No. 3 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 18 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 26 Squadron RAF|No. 26 (South African) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 56 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 64 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 72 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 81 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 130 Squadron RAF|No. 130 (Punjab) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 141 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 165 Squadron RAF|No. 165 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 169 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 186 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 219 Squadron RAF|No. 219 (Mysore) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 222 Squadron RAF|No. 222 (Natal) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 232 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 239 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 241 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 278 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 281 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 282 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 289 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 322 (Dutch) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 329 Squadron RAF|No. 329 (GC I/2 'Cicognes') Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 340 Squadron RAF|No. 340 (GC IV/2 Île-de-France) Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 345 Squadron RAF|No. 345 (GC II/2 'Berry') Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[402 Squadron|No. 402 Squadron RCAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[406 Maritime Operational Training Squadron|No. 406 Squadron RCAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron|No. 410 Squadron RCAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron|No. 438 Squadron RCAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[439 Combat Support Squadron|No. 439 (Fighter Bomber) Squadron RCAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[440 Transport Squadron|No. 440 (Fighter Bomber) Squadron RCAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 485 Squadron RNZAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 486 Squadron RNZAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 488 Squadron RNZAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 516 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 602 Squadron RAuxAF|No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron AAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 611 Squadron RAuxAF|No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron AAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 651 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> * [[No. 652 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/> }}

;Units: {{columns-list|colwidth=40em| * [[No. 8 Gliding School RAF]] (May 1944 – June 1945){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=163}} * Detachment from No. 13 Group Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight (1941){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=179}} * [[No. 22 Wing RAF|No. 22 (RCAF) (Fighter) Wing RAF]] (January – February 1944){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=314}} * Detachment from [[No. 58 OTU|No. 58 Operational Training Unit RAF]] (October 1942){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=242}} * [[No. 143 Wing RAF|No. 143 (RCAF) Airfield Headquarters RAF]] (January – March 1944){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=54}} * 415th Night Fighter Squadron, with the USAAF regarding the location as USAAF Station 570<ref name="ABCT"/> * No. 1490 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight (April – October 1943){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=136}} then [[List of Royal Air Force units & establishments#Armament practice and training units|No. 14 Armament Practice Camp]] (October 1943 – September 1944){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=74}} * No. 1497 (Target Towing) Flight (June – July 1943){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=137}} }}

== Royal Navy ==

=== HMS ''Wagtail'' (1944-1946) ===

The airbase was transferred on loan from [[No. 13 Group RAF]] to the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]] on 6 September 1944, when the [[Royal Navy]] assumed control under [[Commander (Royal Navy)|Commander]](A) H. L. McCullock. Renamed Royal Naval Air Station Ayr (RNAS Ayr), the station was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] shortly afterwards, on 20 October 1944, as HMS ''Wagtail''. One of the runways was redesigned for use by the [[Fleet Air Arm]], enabling pilots to practise [[aircraft carrier]] landing techniques. During its period of naval control, HMS ''Wagtail'' supported a range of Fleet Air Arm activities. The station provided facilities for disembarked fighter squadrons and hosted a Bombardment Spotting School, No. 3 Barracuda Servicing Unit, and the Flag Officer Carrier Training Squadron. It also offered accommodation for two RAF squadrons. HMS ''Wagtail'' was '[[Ship commissioning#Decommissioning|paid off]]' on 10 March 1946, after which the station was placed on Care and Maintenance Status under the administration of [[RNAS Abbotsinch]].<ref name="rnra-ayr">{{Cite web |title=Ayr |url= https://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/FAA-Bases/Ayr.htm |work=Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day |access-date=2 April 2026}}</ref>

=== Squadrons at HMS ''Wagtail'' ===

A list of Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm aviation squadrons that were either stationed at or deployed to HMS ''Wagtail'':<ref name="ABCT"/>

{{columns-list|colwidth=18em| * [[730 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[740 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[768 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[770 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[772 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[800 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[802 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[808 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[812 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[815 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[819 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[821 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[824 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[825 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[835 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[837 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[846 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[848 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[853 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[860 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[882 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[885 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[886 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[889 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[896 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[899 Naval Air Squadron]] * [[1770 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=338}} * [[1771 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=339}} * [[1840 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=352}} * [[1841 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=353}} * [[1843 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=355}} * [[1845 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=357}} * [[1846 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=357}} * [[1850 Naval Air Squadron]]{{sfn|Sturtivant|Ballance|1994|p=359}} }}

== United States Air Force ==

The site was used by the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) between 1951 and 1957 for aircraft storage use. From then on the USAF decided to solely use the adjacent [[Glasgow Prestwick Airport|Prestwick]].<ref name="ABCT"/>

==Current use==

The site is now a mixture of housing, farmland and a golf club.<ref name="ABCT"/>

==See also== * [[List of former Royal Air Force stations]]

==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}}

===Bibliography=== * Berry, P (2005) ''Prestwick Airport and Scottish Aviation'' *{{cite book |last1=Falconer|first1=Jonathan|title=RAF Airfields of World War 2 |year=2012 |publisher= Ian Allan Publishing|location= UK|isbn=978-1-85780-349-5}} *{{cite book |last1=Sturtivant |first1=R |last2=Ballance |first2=T |title=The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm |year=1994 |publisher=Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd |location=[[Tonbridge]], [[Kent]], UK |isbn=0-85130-223-8 }} *{{cite book |last1=Sturtivant|first1=R|last2=Hamlin|first2=J|last3=Halley|first3=J|title=Royal Air Force flying training and support units |year=1997 |publisher= Air-Britain (Historians)|location= UK|isbn=0-85130-252-1}}

==External links== *{{cite web |url=http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-A.htm#Ayr |title=RAF Ayr |date=15 July 2023 |website=Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation}} *{{cite web |url=http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Airstations/FAAAirStationsHomepage.htm#U |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017180110/http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Airstations/FAAAirStationsHomepage.htm#UK |archive-date=2008-10-17 |title=Ayr (HMS Wagtail) |url-status=usurped |website=Fleet Air Arm Archive }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heathfield (Ayr)}} [[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Ayrshire]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in South Ayrshire]] [[Category:Defunct airports in Scotland]] [[Category:Military airbases established in 1941]] [[Category:Military airbases closed in 1957]]