Swingate Airfield

Post-war military drawdown and technological obsolescence. As a grass airfield, it was unsuitable for the heavier and faster jet aircraft that became standard after World War II. Its strategic role as a forward fighter base diminished with the end of the war, and the site was repurposed by the military for new technological needs, primarily radar and communications.

The site is no longer recognizable as an airfield. The original grass runways have been removed and the land is now primarily used for two purposes: agriculture and telecommunications. A significant portion of the former airfield is occupied by the Swingate transmitting station, a major broadcasting and telecommunications facility featuring several large radio masts that are a prominent local landmark. A granite memorial, shaped like the outline of a Blériot XI aircraft, was erected to commemorate the historic 1909 landing of Louis Blériot. The unofficial ICAO code 'GB-1016' is likely a modern designation used in flight simulator databases or private aviation guides to mark the historical location.

Swingate Airfield, also known as RAF Dover, holds significant importance in British aviation history. Its most famous claim to fame predates the airfield itself: on July 25, 1909, French aviator Louis Blériot landed in Northfall Meadow after completing the first-ever flight across the English Channel, a site later incorporated into the airfield.

Established as a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) station in 1913, it was one of Britain's earliest military airfields. During World War I, it was a crucial front-line base for defending the Strait of Dover, launching reconnaissance missions, and countering German Gotha bomber raids on London. In 1917, it was officially named RAF Station Dover.

During World War II, its strategic location made it a vital Sector Station within RAF Fighter Command's No. 11 Group during the Battle of Britain. Squadrons of Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires operated from Swingate, flying countless sorties to intercept Luftwaffe formations. The airfield was heavily and frequently bombed due to its proximity to the front line.

None. There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Swingate Airfield. The site is occupied by critical national telecommunications infrastructure and is surrounded by agricultural land, making any redevelopment for modern aviation purposes infeasible.