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Situated within the beautiful Suffolkcountryside is Beccles Airfield - or Beccles Aerodrome, as it is also known as in the area - which offers flying enthusiasts in East Anglia the opportunity to go airborne with a great value and exciting flying experience. Situated just outside Lowestoft on the East Anglian Coast, Beccles Aerodrome can be accessed from the A146 or A12.
In 1942, the United States Army Air Force began operations in the British Isles against Germany, so several airfields had to be built in the East of England. In 1943, work to build the Airfield began. Identified as station 132, it was completed in 1994 in the then-usual ‘A’ styled layout. The Airfield was the last to be completed in Suffolk during the war, and the USAAF had no use for the Airfield, so it passed briefly to RAF Bomber Command before being operated by No.16 Group RAF, RAF Coastal Command from August 1944.
The field was used as an air-sea rescue post until closure in 1945 and saw various RAF and FAA squadrons operating multiple aircraft such as the Vickers Warwick, Supermarine Sea Otter and Fairey Swordfish. Being very close to the coast, Beccles became a natural first landing destination for damaged aircraft returning from their flight.
In 1943, the Airfield was used by de Havilland Mosquitos of 618 Squadron - RAF squadron during WWII to carry off various bouncing bombs. To practise dropping spinning bombs called ‘Highball’, which were a part of the bouncing bombs used by the 617 Dambuster Squadron to breach damns in Germany in 1943. The bouncing bombs were designed to intelligently bounce to a target across the water to avoid obstacles like torpedo nets.
As the war in Europe saw the finishing line, the necessity for Air Sea Rescue diminished, and the 208 squadron was relocated to Langham. For a while, the buildings on the Airfield were used to house German prisoners of war.
Today, Beccles Airfield offers a variety of Flying Experiences for you to be a part of.
Please remember that Flying Experiences are dependent on weather conditions, so at times may need to be rescheduled.