Kirkbymoorside Airfield

Primarily economic and change of land use. The airfield was intrinsically linked to the Slingsby Aviation factory located on the same site. After aircraft manufacturing ceased at the Kirkbymoorside factory, the land, including the airfield, was deemed more valuable for other purposes. It was sold for redevelopment into a solar farm, marking the end of its aviation role.

The site is no longer recognizable as an airfield. The entire area of the former runways and taxiways has been completely redeveloped and is now the 'Kirkbymoorside Solar Farm', a large photovoltaic power station that generates electricity for the national grid. The adjacent factory buildings that once housed Slingsby Aviation are now part of the Kirkbymoorside Business Park, hosting various non-aviation businesses.

The airfield's history is tied directly to the British aircraft manufacturer, Slingsby Aviation (later Slingsby Advanced Composites). Unlike many airfields in Yorkshire, it was not a former WWII RAF base but a post-war private, industrial airfield. Its primary and most significant function was serving as the factory airfield for Slingsby. It was used for crucial flight testing, demonstrations, and delivery flights of the aircraft built there. The most famous aircraft associated with the airfield is the Slingsby T67 Firefly, a two-seat aerobatic training aircraft used by several air forces, including the UK and the US, for basic pilot training. The airfield was therefore a key part of the UK's aviation manufacturing industry for decades. It also supported some local general aviation activity.

None. The site has been permanently and irreversibly redeveloped. The installation of the solar farm infrastructure means the land cannot be returned to aviation use without a complete and prohibitively expensive removal of the current facility. There are no known plans or prospects for the site to ever reopen as an airfield.