My impression of long lost RFC Lake Down aerodrome; one of the 3 'lost airfields of Stonehenge'; made using Ez Scenery and AFCAD.
In 1917, six new training airfields opened around Salisbury Plain, they were Red House Farm (now known as Boscombe Down), Old Ford Farm (now Old Sarum), Yatesbury, Andover, (now houses HQ Land and Joint Helicopter Command), Lake Down, and Stonehenge. These last two airfields the sites of which sit within the hinterland of Britain's most famous prehistoric monument, The ancient stone circle of Stonehenge.
They were Training Depot Stations, the result of a major review in training policy within the RFC and RNAS in the latter part of WWI. Having suffered massive losses and facing an increasing demand for aircrews, the RFC restructured its training system. No.1 School of Bomb Dropping & Aerial Navigation opened in 1917 on a site a few meters away from the ancient monument, (as RFC Stonehenge) and by the end of the year had been joined by the Handley Page 0/400 Training Squadron from RNAS Manston. No 2 TDS opened at Lake Down training light bomber crews. The 33rd (Training) Wing RFC was created in 1917, with the intention it would be responsible for training airfields at Stonehenge and Red House Farm (later Boscombe Down); and here, Lake Down, on an area of 160 acres of chalk pastureland on an area then known as Horse Down. The house at Druid’s Lodge was requisitioned as the Wing Headquarters and construction of the airfield commenced on 15 August. By the summer of 1920, just three years after Lake Down opened, the majority of buildings on site had been removed. The western end of the LMLR line was decommissioned and the track removed by 1923. The cut chalk aerodrome name letters remained until World War 2 when they were ploughed up so as not to help enemy bombers navigate.
The site was named after the nearest settlement, the village of Lake nestling in the Avon valley a mile and a half to the east. It was one of several under the command of the Southern Training Brigade, its task being to train day bomber crews who could be sent to front line squadrons based in Europe in the latter years of WWI.
Location: 2 nautical miles SW of Stonehenge. (GR: 184/SU099390) Lake down is split by the current A360 road; if you're heading north out of Salisbury towards Stonehenge, the road crests by 'Druid's Lodge,' and the water tower and engine shed for the light railway that linked Larkhill with Stonehenge and Lake Down are all that is extant these days.
You'll need the ACG Duxford scenery libraries (not included here) and Stow Maries sceneries as I've borrowed objects from both of those in your static objects folder for buildings to show.
Typical of the time it was just a landing field with landings performed in whatever direction was most suitable. The center of the landing field is roughly where the name Lake Down is displayed if you install Sid Schwarz VFR 2D letters (included) and a rudimentary 'control stand' as it was called utilizing one of Al Simms Vietnam scenery objects.
In 1917, six new training airfields opened around Salisbury Plain, they were Red House Farm (now known as Boscombe Down), Old Ford Farm (now Old Sarum), Yatesbury, Andover, (now houses HQ Land and Joint Helicopter Command), Lake Down, and Stonehenge. These last two airfields the sites of which sit within the hinterland of Britain's most famous prehistoric monument, The ancient stone circle of Stonehenge.
They were Training Depot Stations, the result of a major review in training policy within the RFC and RNAS in the latter part of WWI. Having suffered massive losses and facing an increasing demand for aircrews, the RFC restructured its training system. No.1 School of Bomb Dropping & Aerial Navigation opened in 1917 on a site a few meters away from the ancient monument, (as RFC Stonehenge) and by the end of the year had been joined by the Handley Page 0/400 Training Squadron from RNAS Manston. No 2 TDS opened at Lake Down training light bomber crews. The 33rd (Training) Wing RFC was created in 1917, with the intention it would be responsible for training airfields at Stonehenge and Red House Farm (later Boscombe Down); and here, Lake Down, on an area of 160 acres of chalk pastureland on an area then known as Horse Down. The house at Druid’s Lodge was requisitioned as the Wing Headquarters and construction of the airfield commenced on 15 August. By the summer of 1920, just three years after Lake Down opened, the majority of buildings on site had been removed. The western end of the LMLR line was decommissioned and the track removed by 1923. The cut chalk aerodrome name letters remained until World War 2 when they were ploughed up so as not to help enemy bombers navigate.
The site was named after the nearest settlement, the village of Lake nestling in the Avon valley a mile and a half to the east. It was one of several under the command of the Southern Training Brigade, its task being to train day bomber crews who could be sent to front line squadrons based in Europe in the latter years of WWI.
Location: 2 nautical miles SW of Stonehenge. (GR: 184/SU099390) Lake down is split by the current A360 road; if you're heading north out of Salisbury towards Stonehenge, the road crests by 'Druid's Lodge,' and the water tower and engine shed for the light railway that linked Larkhill with Stonehenge and Lake Down are all that is extant these days.
You'll need the ACG Duxford scenery libraries (not included here) and Stow Maries sceneries as I've borrowed objects from both of those in your static objects folder for buildings to show.
Typical of the time it was just a landing field with landings performed in whatever direction was most suitable. The center of the landing field is roughly where the name Lake Down is displayed if you install Sid Schwarz VFR 2D letters (included) and a rudimentary 'control stand' as it was called utilizing one of Al Simms Vietnam scenery objects.
