RAF Burn (Known now as Burn Gliding Club) | Education Video by World of Military

<p>Burn was opened in 1942 as part of the rapid expansion of airfields that took place across the Britain at that time. The village of a Burn, then as now a small farming community, became a construction site during the winter of 1941/42. Farmland was taken over as the airfield was built, landowners being compensated to the tune of £200 per acre. The plan on the right shows the airfield as it was in 1945. The modern route of the TPT is shown running north to south along the eastern side. The first occupant of RAF Burn, in June 1942, was 1653 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) These Units trained aircrew to fly large aircraft such as the US-made Consolidated Liberator. The Unit was disbanded in October 1942. At least one Liberator crew is known to have been lost during their stay at RAF Burn.The first operational heavy bomber squadron was The Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) 431 (Iroquois) Squadron. The squadron was formed at RAF Burn in November 1942 leaving in July 1943 for RAF Tholthorpe near Boroughbridge with their Vickers Wellington X twin-engined bombers. 431 Squadron RCAF still exists today as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, the “Snowbirds”. They are the Canadian equivalent of the