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The Great Britain Guide

Islands · Scottish Islands

RAF Sumburgh

Free admission

RAF Sumburgh in Orkney + Shetland, United Kingdom.

AW139 PH-SHQ (8425042142)

Ronnie Robertson — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
4 h–12 h
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

RAF Sumburgh is a place of interest in Orkney + Shetland, United Kingdom — drawn from open-data sources for visitor reference. See the linked Wikipedia article for the full description.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

Royal Air Force Sumburgh or more simply RAF Sumburgh is a former Royal Air Force satellite station that was located on the southern tip of the mainland island of the Shetland Islands, and was home to half of No. 404 Squadron RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force). At the outbreak of the Second World War the airstrip at the Sumburgh Links was taken over by the Air Ministry. By 1941 there were three operational runways at RAF Sumburgh from which a variety of RAF aircraft operated.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

Sumburgh Links was surveyed and the grass strips laid out by Captain E. E. Fresson in 1936, and the airport was opened on 3 June of that year with the inaugural flight from Aberdeen (Kintore) by de Havilland Dragon Rapide G-ACPN piloted by Captain Fresson himself. It was also one of the first airfields to have RDF facilities, due to the frequency of low cloud and fog and the proximity of Sumburgh Head. The building of runways was at the instigation of Capt Fresson, who had proved to the Royal Navy at Hatston (Orkney) that it was essential to maintain all-round landing facilities over the winter months. This was taken up by the air force after the obvious success of the Hatston experiment.…

Visiting

The airfield, now called Sumburgh Airport, is owned by the Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, and commercial flights are provided by Loganair and Highland Airways.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
59.8786, -1.2911
Postcode
ZE3 9JP
Parliamentary constituency
Orkney and Shetland
Established
1940

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is RAF Sumburgh?
RAF Sumburgh is in the Scottish Islands, United Kingdom (postcode ZE3 9JP).
What is RAF Sumburgh?
RAF Sumburgh in Orkney + Shetland, United Kingdom.
How do I get to RAF Sumburgh?
Drivers can use postcode ZE3 9JP.
When was RAF Sumburgh built?
Built or established in 1940.
Who owns RAF Sumburgh?
RAF Sumburgh is owned by Royal Air Force.
Is RAF Sumburgh free to visit?
Yes, RAF Sumburgh is free to enter.
How do I get to RAF Sumburgh?
Drivers can navigate to postcode ZE3 9JP. It sits within the Orkney and Shetland parliamentary constituency.