RNAS St. Merryn

The closure was a result of the post-World War II military drawdown and strategic realignment of the UK's armed forces. With the end of the war, the massive requirement for training naval aircrew diminished significantly. The base was deemed surplus to the requirements of the smaller, modernizing Fleet Air Arm, leading to its decommissioning as part of broader defence budget cuts and consolidation of military facilities.

The former airfield site is now a mixed-use area. A large portion has been redeveloped into the St Merryn Park holiday village, featuring lodges and leisure facilities. Another section is used as the St Merryn Business Park. The St. Eval Kart Circuit operates on part of the old perimeter track and taxiways. Much of the remaining land has reverted to agricultural use. While some of the original runways and taxiways are still visible from the air, they are in a state of disrepair and are not used for aviation. Until late 2022, a private company, HeliOperations, used a portion of the site to provide search and rescue (SAR) training for the German Navy using Sea King helicopters, but this activity has since ceased.

RNAS St. Merryn, commissioned as HMS Vulture on August 1, 1940, was one of the most important and largest Fleet Air Arm training establishments in the United Kingdom during World War II. Its primary role was to train naval aviators, observers, and telegraphist air gunners. It was home to the Naval Air Fighter School and the School of Naval Air Warfare. A vast array of aircraft operated from the base, including Fairey Swordfish, Supermarine Seafires, Fairey Barracudas, Grumman Avengers, and Fairey Fireflies. Post-war, it saw the transition to jet aircraft, operating types like the Supermarine Attacker and Hawker Sea Hawk. The station's intensive training programs were crucial in supplying qualified aircrew to the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers, making a significant contribution to the Allied war effort, particularly in the Battle of the Atlantic and other naval theatres.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening RNAS St. Merryn as a full-scale public or military airport. The extensive redevelopment for commercial, residential (holiday lodges), and recreational purposes, combined with the degradation of the original aviation infrastructure, makes a return to significant aviation operations highly improbable and economically unviable. The cessation of the limited helicopter training activities further diminishes any prospect of future aviation use.