RAF Silverstone

---

title: "RAF Silverstone" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["royal-air-force-stations-in-northamptonshire", "royal-air-force-stations-of-world-war-ii-in-the-united-kingdom", "military-airbases-established-in-1943", "military-airbases-closed-in-1947"] description: "Airfield near Silverstone, Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Silverstone" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Airfield near Silverstone, Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox military installation"]

Field	Value
name	RAF Silverstone
ensign	Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
ensign_size	90px
partof
location	Silverstone, Northamptonshire
country	England
image	[[File:RAF Silverstone 1945.png
caption	RAF Silverstone in 1945.
image2
type	Royal Air Force station
coordinates
pushpin_map	Northamptonshire#UK
pushpin_map_caption	Shown within Northamptonshire
pushpin_label	RAF Silverstone
ownership	Air Ministry
operator	Royal Air Force
controlledby	RAF Bomber Command
open_to_public
site_other_label
site_other
site_area
code
built
used	1943-
battles	European theatre of World War II
past_commanders
garrison
occupants
footnotes
elevation	156 m
r1-number	02/20
r1-length	1672 m
r1-surface	Asphalt
r2-number	06/24
r2-length	1170 m
r2-surface	Asphalt
r3-number	14/32
r3-length	1087 m
r3-surface	Asphalt
h1-length
airfield_other_label
airfield_other
::

| name = RAF Silverstone | ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg | ensign_size = 90px | native_name = | partof = | location = Silverstone, Northamptonshire | country = England | image = [[File:RAF Silverstone 1945.png|250px]] | caption = RAF Silverstone in 1945. | image2 = | alt2 = | caption2 = | type = Royal Air Force station | coordinates = | gridref = | pushpin_map = Northamptonshire#UK | pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Northamptonshire | pushpin_label = RAF Silverstone | pushpin_label_position = | ownership = Air Ministry | operator = Royal Air Force | controlledby = RAF Bomber Command | open_to_public = | site_other_label = | site_other = | site_area = | code = | built = | used = 1943- | builder = | fate = | condition = | battles = European theatre of World War II | events = | past_commanders = | garrison = | occupants = | designations = | website = | footnotes = | IATA = | ICAO = | LID = | GPS = | WMO = | elevation = 156 m | r1-number = 02/20 | r1-length = 1672 m | r1-surface = Asphalt | r2-number = 06/24 | r2-length = 1170 m | r2-surface = Asphalt | r3-number = 14/32 | r3-length = 1087 m | r3-surface = Asphalt | h1-number = | h1-length = | h1-surface = | airfield_other_label = | airfield_other = Royal Air Force Silverstone or more simply RAF Silverstone is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station, built during the Second World War, and used by the RAF from 1943 until 1947. It straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border 10 mi south west of Northampton, and is named after the nearby village of Silverstone.

In 1948, the Royal Automobile Club hosted the first British Grand Prix at this location, and the site is now Silverstone Circuit.

RAF use 1943–1947

The station was the base for No. 17 Operational Training Unit RAF operating the Vickers Wellington bomber.

Since 1948

Today the airfield is a major racing circuit known as Silverstone. Private aircraft and helicopters have continued to use this location, particularly in 2009 for the World Aerobatic Championships, but mostly it is now helicopters in connection with motor racing events. The airfield's three runways, in a standard World War II era triangle, lie within the outline of the classic racetrack, but have either been removed, or re-purposed and are no longer available as dedicated runways. In 2010 the main straight between turn 5 and turn 6, following the line of one of the runways, was renamed the 'Wellington Straight'.

The circuit is also home to the Silverstone Heliport.

References

References

1. Sturtivant 2007, pp. 198-206
2. "Silverstone". [[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]].
3. "Our History".
4. "World Aerobatic Championship Concludes In Great Britain".
5. "25th FAI World Aerobatic Championships 2009, Silverstone (Final Day)".
6. (29 April 2010). "Silverstone unveils new GP layout".
7. "What’s in a name? The history behind Silverstone’s iconic corners".
8. "Silverstone Circuit: Guide to F1 track - including corner names and history".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::