Bovingdon was a London airport of some importance and used as an alternate by (at least) BOAC and Pan Am after the Second World War, partly because its elevation of just over 500 feet made it less subject to poor visibility than London Heathrow. It had been built for RAF four-engined bombers near the village of Bovingdon in Hertfordshire and was used by Bomber Command from June 1942 but transferred to the US Eighth Air Force in August. They only flew operational missions with B-17s for a brief period and after that it was employed for crew training until September 1944 when it became the base for the European Air Transport Service. It was returned to the RAF in 1947 but handed over for use by civilian airlines while retaining significant military roles. The RAF Fighter Command Communication Squadron was based there and in 1951 the USAF assigned the C-47s of the 7531st Air Base Squadron to it, though other USAF types visited in large numbers on a transitory but routine basis. The USAF left in October 1962 but the RAF remained there until the airfield was closed in 1972. This scenery recreates Bovingdon, with period traffic, as it was in 1955.
By CalClassic, Ken Lawson, Al Von Pingel.
