RAF Castle Combe

Military downsizing and declared surplus to requirements following the end of World War II. Like many other wartime airfields, it was no longer needed by the peacetime Royal Air Force.

The site is now the world-famous Castle Combe Circuit. Shortly after the RAF vacated the site, it was acquired for motorsport use. The first race was held in 1950. The circuit layout largely follows the original perimeter track and runways of the airfield. It is a very active motorsport venue, hosting a wide range of events including car and motorcycle races, track days for the public, driving experiences, and car shows. The original airfield infrastructure is almost entirely gone, replaced by racetrack facilities such as pit lanes, grandstands, and safety barriers.

RAF Castle Combe was a wartime airfield that opened in May 1941. It was not a front-line combat base but served a crucial role as a practice landing ground and satellite airfield for the nearby RAF Hullavington. Its primary purpose was for training pilots. From 1942 to 1945, it was home to No. 9 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit, which used aircraft like the Miles Master and Airspeed Oxford to train pilots for the war effort. After the war, it was briefly used by No. 525 Squadron for transport operations before being decommissioned.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airport. The location is firmly established as one of the UK's premier motorsport circuits with significant infrastructure dedicated to that purpose. Converting it back to an airfield would be logistically and financially unfeasible and would mean the closure of a historic and popular racetrack.