RAF Oulton

RAF Oulton version 2 for CFS2, FS2002, FS2004

UPGRADED 21/1/2004!!!!!!

Available for download from www.simviation.com As well as the British Airfield Buildings Version 1 pack.

The new version is visibly identical to version 1 but all of my buildings have been upgraded so that they are now in library format. This means that I can create more buildings in the future and just release a new library file plus the new textures. The building pack must be installed in CFS2 before Oulton can be used otherwise when Oulton is loaded in the simulator it will look for the buildings and they won't be there!

The airfield looking East showing the runways taxiways and in the foreground the main operations area.

RAF Oulton opened as a grass airfield on the 31st July 1940 as a satellite for Horsham St. Faith (now Norwich Airport). During the first few years of its life it was used by a variety of light bombers including the Blenheim, Hudson and Ventura. Like many of the airfields in East Anglia, Oulton used a stately house as the station headquarters. Oultons headquarters was the Jacobean Mansion, Blickling Hall (those in the UK will have seen it as Sandringham in the BBC's All the Kings Men starring David Jason). The station commander reputedly slept in the same bed that Anne Boleyn used when she lived there in the 16th Century.
Between September 1943 and May 1944 Oulton underwent a major refit and returned to the war when the black B17 Fortresses of 214 Squadron began operating from there on special electronic countermeasures missions as part of the secret new 100 Group Bomber Command. In their early days they were accompanied by a detachment of the Eigth Air Force, 803 Squadron, also operating the special B17's. These eventually left to be replaced by 223 Squadron RAF equipped with B24 Liberators for electronic countermeasure duties. The last mission flown from Oulton was on the night of 2/3rd May when elements of both squadrons joined a raid on Keil.
By August 1945 the airfield was dormant and after being used as a storage ground for Mosquitos it closed in late 1947.
Flying over Oulton today the main runway can still be seen although it has buildings on it, so to can some of the perimeter road and other runways. The control tower was demolished within the last 10 years and the odd building still remains on the farm that now occupies the site.
There is a superb little exhibition about the airfield in the barn next to the car park for Blickling Hall. This is where I got my inspiration to do the airfield from and how I got the aerial pictures and map of the site. I only which I had a better digital camera than the one I had so that the map was a bit clearer!
Blickling Hall is now owned by the National Trust and is open in the Summer for public viewing.

My version of Oulton has been in development for over a year, and I have now finally got around to complete it over the Christmas break. I was inspired to do it by the exhibition on the airfield at Blickling Hall, especially because there was an official Air Ministry map of the airfield. The buildings are all authentic and although I have used a little artisitic licence in there placement I feel I have created an airfield which looks 95% right.
I have recreated Blickling Hall in its correct position complete with Church, front drive and woodland. This took over 7 days work to complete!
There is a NDB to help with navigation, it is 210 KHz and its ID is OU1 and is called Oulton NDB.
The site also has all over refueling. Just land, switch off your engine and let your tanks fill up.
The default runway to take off from is the East West one with your aircraft facing East. Take off down this runway and you will see Blickling Hall to the left.

Blickling Hall and the surrounding grounds. The Hall itself is if I may say so very detailed. There is even a bell in the clock/bell tower!

An aerial view taken in May 1944 just after the airfield had reopened after a major refit to accommodate the clandestine Group.

The Oulton control tower a few years ago in a dilapidated condition. (this is taken off a website whose name I forget but featured all the former airfields in Norfolk )

The map of the airfield that I am using in Airport as a template (though it is a bit smaller than the one I am using because I do not want anybody to copy the idea!).

Last revised: January 21, 2004.