From September 1939 - March 1941 it was used by 602 Squadron flying Supermarine Spitfires, 141 Squadron flying Bristol Blenheims and Gloster Gladiators and 263 Squadron flying Westland Lysanders. In December 1940 it was used by No. 58 Operational Training Unit. The air traffic control tower was of a pre-war civilian type. There were 10 Hangars, two were of a civil type and the other eight were of the Blister type. In an attempt to reduce the number of crashes caused by over-shooting, the east/west runway was extended by about 300 yards in the summer of 1942. This runway intersected with the Inchyra Road runway and extended west to where Candie Crescent now starts off Overton Road. The Charlotte Dundas Shopping Centre was built over part of the remains of this runway in 1960-1961.
Post war
After the war, it was used as a gliding school and by No. 13 Refresher Flying School RAF, then by RAF Maintenance Command until closure in 1955. Unfortunately at 0200 one Sunday in 1952 a fire started & some of the buildings were destroyed.
Timeline
01/05/1939: Opened as Central Scotland Airport.
01/05/1939 - 09/39: No. 35 E&RFTS with Hawker Harts and de Havilland Tiger Moths and No. 10 Civilian Air Navigation School with Avro Ansons.
09/39 - 03/41: Airfield used by 602 Sqn Spitfires, 141 Sqn Blenheims and Gladiators and 263 Sqn Hurricanes and 614 Sqn Lysanders.
12/40 - 06/44: No. 58 Operational Training Unit with Spitfires, from 1942 satellite airfield at RAF Balado Bridge.
10/43: No. 58 Operational Training Unit renamed No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit.
1945-46: Used as a Gliding School.
1948-49: 13 Refresher Flying School with de Havilland Tiger Moths, then used by RAF Maintenance Command until closure.
Operational units and aircraft
Other Units/Wings
; No. 52 Wing RAF 1 November 1939 – 14 July 1940. Further History Unknown at this time. ; No. 58 Operational Training Unit No. 58 Operational Training Unit was planned to form at RAF Grangemouth in October 1940 within No. 10 Group to train night fighter crews. This was changed in early December when it actually formed as a day fighter pilot training unit, using Spitfires and Masters. It was transferred to No. 81 Group at the end of December 1940 and disbanded in early October 1943 when it was redesignated No. 2 Combat Training Wing. In the event of a German invasion the OTU would have become No. 558 Squadron to operate from RAF Turnhouse. The unit reformed on 15 March 1945, at RAF Poulton in No. 12 Group, as half an Operational Training Unit equipped with Spitfires from the day fighter element of No. 41 Operational Training Unit until it was disbanded on 20 July 1945. Codes used: -
PQ Dec 1940 - Oct 1943
P9 Mar 1945 - Jul 1945
; No. 4 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF Commanding Officer Squadron Leader Eric Valentine Hulbert appointed 16 April 1943. ; No. 2 Combat Training Wing RAF See No. 58 Operational Training Unit Above. ; No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit RAF See No. 58 Operational Training Unit Above. ; No. 14 Maintenance Unit RAF History unknown at this time. No1 GRSS Burned down moved to Bishopbriggs
Present day
Today the site is now part of Inchyra Park, a light industrial area, the Charlotte Dundas Shopping Centre, and a housing estate. The shorter runway is now Inchyra Road, Grangemouth. Contrary to many reports, the vast majority of the site is NOT now covered by petrochemicals industry. Only a relatively small area east of Inchyra Road has such industry on it and which was only built on during the 1970s and thereafter. Some of the hangars still remain intact at Latitude, Longitude 56.013348N, 3.707562W. In 2008, a memorial garden was unveiled, to commemorate those who died, planted on ground granted for the purpose and located on the perimeter of the original airfield. Within the garden, a wall features the names of 71 trainee pilots from 11 countries who died whilst in training. On Thursday 9 May 2013, a full size replica of a Mk1 Spitfire was unveiled in the memorial garden. The memorial remembers the contribution of hundreds of Polish and other international pilots who developed their skills at the airfield as members of No. 58 Operational Training Unit during the Second World War.
