RAF Kirkistown

Royal Air Force Kirkistown or more simply RAF Kirkistown is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located of Ballyhalbert, County Down, Northern Ireland.
It was a satellite to the RAF Fighter Command airfield at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula.

History

RAF Ballyhalbert opened officially on 28 June 1941 and the Kirkistown satellite airfield opened in July 1941. On 22 January 1942, No. 504 Squadron RAF moved to Kirkistown. In 1945, Ballyhalbert Airfield was designated a Royal Naval Air Station as "H.M.S. Corncrake", and Kirkistown Airfield was known as "H.M.S. Corncrake II".
The following units were here at some point:

No. 485 Squadron RNZAF
No. 1493 (Target Towing) Flight RAF became No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF
No. 2898 Squadron RAF Regiment
No. 4117 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment

; Naval Units

Current use

Today the site is home to Kirkistown Circuit, a regular venue for car and motorcycle races. The circuit utilises the northern parts of the former air base's runways and perimeter roadways.