RAF Cranwell
NearCranwell, Lincolnshire in England
College Hall atRoyal Air Force College Cranwell
Alitum Altrix (Latin for 'Nurture the Winged')[1]
Site information
Type	Training station
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	No. 22 Group (Training)
Condition	Operational
Website	Official website
Location
RAF Cranwell Shown within Lincolnshire
Coordinates	53°01′49″N000°29′00″W / 53.03028°N 0.48333°W /53.03028; -0.48333
Area	700 hectares (1,700 acres)[2]
Site history
Built	1916 (1916)
In use	1916–1918 (Royal Naval Air Service) 1918 – present (Royal Air Force)
Garrison information
Current commander	Wing Commander Matthew "Chocka" Thornton[3]
Occupants	RAF College Cranwell Central Flying School HQ No. 3 Flying Training School No. 45 Squadron No. 57 Squadron No. 703 Naval Air Squadron (operates from RAF Barkston Heath) HQ No. 6 Flying Training School East Midlands Universities Air Squadron No. 7 Air Experience Flight SeeBased units section for full list.
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: EGYD,WMO: 03379
Elevation	67.7 metres (222 ft)AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 08/26 2,082 metres (6,831 ft) asphalt/concrete 01/19 1,462 metres (4,797 ft) asphalt/concrete 08N/26N 761 metres (2,497 ft) grass 08S/26S 761 metres (2,497 ft) grass
Source: UK MIL AIP Cranwell[4]

Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simplyRAF Cranwell (ICAO:EGYD) is aRoyal Air Force station inLincolnshire, England, close to the village ofCranwell, nearSleaford. Among other functions, it is home to theRoyal Air Force College (RAFC), which trains the RAF's newofficers and aircrew. The motto,Altium Altrix, meaning "Nurture the highest" appears above the main doors of the Officers Mess.^[5] Since January 2025, RAF Cranwell has been commanded byWing Commander Matthew "Chocka" Thornton.^[6]

The history of military aviation at Cranwell goes back to November 1915,^[7] when theAdmiralty requisitioned 2,500 acres (10 km²) of land from theMarquess of Bristol's estate.^[7] On 1 April 1916, the "Royal Naval Air Service Training Establishment, Cranwell" was officially born.^[7]

In 1917 a dedicated railway station was established for the RNAS establishment on anew single track branch line from Sleaford, the train being known as The Cranwell Flyer.^[8]

With the establishment of the Royal Air Force as an independent service in 1918, the RNAS Training Establishment became RAF Cranwell.^[9] TheRoyal Air Force College Cranwell was formed on 1 November 1919 as the RAF (Cadet) College.^[10]

Cranwell is home to theRoyal Air Force College (RAFC), which oversees all RAF phase 1 Training. The RAF Officer Training Academy (RAFOTA) is the sub organisation of the RAFC which trains the RAFs newofficers on a 24-weekModular Initial Officer Training Course (MIOTC), after which they are dispersed to their Phase II training for specific branch instruction.^[11] It is thus the RAF equivalent of theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst or theBritannia Royal Naval College.^[12]

The station is home to theOfficer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC), where all applicants to the RAF as officers ornon-commissionedaircrew, are put through a rigorous selection process.^[13]

HQ CFS has been located at RAF Cranwell since 1995 when it moved fromRAF Scampton. The Central Flying School currently trains all RAFQFI flying instructors.^[14]

Cranwell is home to the headquarters ofNo. 3 Flying Training School (No. 3 FTS). The school provides elementary flying training for fixed wing and multi-engine student pilots from the RAF andFleet Air Arm throughNo. 57 (Reserve) Squadron andNo. 703 Naval Air Squadron. TheUK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) operates theGrob Prefect T1 in this role. Although nominally based at Cranwell, elementary training largely takes place at nearbyRAF Barkston Heath.^[15] After elementary training, aircrews streamed to fly multi-engine aircraft and rear-seat roles are trained byNo. 45(R) Squadron, which operate fiveEmbraer Phenom 100.^[16]

On 16 January 2018, the Sykes Building was opened at Cranwell byAir Marshal Sean Reynolds, the Deputy Commander Capability andSenior Responsible Owner of the UKMFTS. The building acts as a UKMFTS operational support building and is used to train new RAF pilots. It was named afterAir-Vice Marshal Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes, a British military officer and politician who served during theFirst World War.^[17]

Since the mid-1990s, Cranwell has been home to Headquarters,Air Cadets, and theAir Cadet Organisation's Adult Training Facility.^[18]

The following notable flying and non-flying units are based at RAF Cranwell.^[19][20]

No. 22 Group (Training) RAF

• RAF College Cranwell
  • RAF Officer Training Academy
  • Recruitment and Selection
  • Tedder Academy of Leadership
• Directorate of Flying Training
  • Central Flying School
    • Central Flying School Headquarters
  • No. 3 Flying Training School
    • No. 3 Flying Training School Headquarters
    • No. 45 Squadron –Embraer Phenom T1
    • No. 57 Squadron –Grob Prefect T1
  • No. 6 Flying Training School
    • No. 6 Flying Training School Headquarters
    • East Midlands Universities Air Squadron – Grob Tutor T1
    • No. 7 Air Experience Flight – Grob Tutor T1
• Robson Academy of Resilience
  • Robson Academy of Resilience Headquarters
  • Aircrew SERE Training Centre
  • Defence Aviation Human Factors Training School
  • Stress Management and Resilience Team
• RAF Air Cadets
  • RAF Air Cadets Headquarters

No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF

• Air Security Force
  • No. 1 RAF Police & Security Wing
    • Defence Serious Crime Unit
      • Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team
      • Engagement Team
      • Serious Crime Flight (B Flight)
  • No. 2 RAF Police & Security Wing
    • No. 1 Tactical Police Squadron (No. 22 Group Security Squadron)
  • RAF Music Services
    • Band of the RAF College & the RAF Swing Wing (RAF College Cranwell)
    • The Band of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force

RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre

• Air Warfare School

Other RAF Units

• RAF Disclosures

• RAF Cranwell Flying Club
• Cranwell Gliding Club

TheRAF Centre of Aviation Medicine, which consists of three wings: Aviation Medicine Wing, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Wing, and Support Wing, will re-locate fromRAF Henlow to RAF Cranwell by 2026. The equipment being relocated includes: "aircraft cockpit rigs; hypobaric chambers, which simulate the effect of high altitude on the body; hypoxia training rigs; and helmet-testing gear."^[21]

The Recruit Training Squadron, which delivers the Basic Recruit Training Course (Phase 1) to all Royal Air Force recruits, is planned to relocate from RAF Halton, which is due to close in 2027, to RAF Cranwell in December 2025.^[22]

Wing Commander Matthew Thornton January 2025–present^[23]

• List of Royal Air Force stations
• Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club
• RAF Harlaxton – satellite airfield of Cranwell during the 1940s and 1950s

• Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore. 1981. Action Stations Vol.2: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East MidlandsISBN 978-1-85260-405-9

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRAF Cranwell.

• Official website
• Cranwell Gliding Club
• UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Cranwell (EGYD)

• Royal Air Force stations in Lincolnshire
• Airports in Lincolnshire
• Military airbases established in 1916

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