Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose : introduction
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, also known as HMS Seahawk, is open to military air traffic.
Located in the county of Cornwall, 2.8 km 2.7 km from Helston, it can accommodate helicopters of all types, light jets, midsize, long-range and turboprop aircraft. It is one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe.
AEROAFFAIRES tells you everything you need to know about organising your flight from RNAS Culdrose.
History of RNAS Culdrose
- 1942 : Admiralty surveyors begin preliminary land surveys.
- 1947 : RNAS Culdrose is built by John Laing & Son[ and commissioned as HMS Seahawk five years after these initial surveys. The station was originally designed to be a wartime airfield for about ten years. Plans called for Culdrose to be used as a naval combat school, but it quickly developed other roles. These varied roles included testing of the Navy’s first jets, training of airborne early warning teams and a home base for carrier-based aircraft.
- 1958 : HMS Seahawk is awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Helston, a parade thanking the town is held and still takes place today.
- 1968 : It is designated for the PYTHON plan, the government’s continuity plan in the event of nuclear war.
- 2012 : The British Airways flight BAW2012 carrying the Olympic flame from Athens International Airport landed at RNAS Culdrose.
