A Gloucestershire airfield steeped in history, Kemble is now home to ex military jets, a growing general aviation community and a host of successful businesses.

 

Best known to many people as the former base of the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team this Gloucestershire airfield still reverberates to the sound of classic British jets, albeit they are now privately owned. After the departure of the United States Air Force in 1993 Kemble faced a bleak future and looked destined to go the way of so many ex military airfields – back to agriculture or an industrial estate. However, in recent years local businesses have occupied most of the buildings and aviation has returned to this airfield, largely due to the successful acquisition of the airfield from the Ministry of Defence by Ronan Harvey and a consortium of local businesses in March 2001.

 

The resurgence of energy that Ronan put back into Kemble Airfield had started several years before he bought the site. He had relocated his own business “Polydron” from Northampton into one of the hangars and as a keen aviator took out a ten year lease on other hangars. This has now grown to such an extent that Kemble is a thriving business park for both aviation and non-aviation companies. Ronan’s company Kemble Air Services operate the airfield and manage the whole site, now that it has been granted a licence by the Civil Aviation Authority. This now means that it can handle and accept all types of business and charter flights from all over the UK and Europe as well as catering for the casual visitor.

 

The brand new AV8 restaurant that opened to the general public last year is another quality feature in an outstanding success story and is open all year round for all to enjoy. At AV8 you will be able to watch the world fly by in a classy atmosphere with a distinctly Mediterranean feel, something that you do not come across very often in the UK.

 

Kemble Airfield now hosts a prestigious air show that started in 1996 as a bi-annual show and is now so popular that it is now held every year and in 2001 was voted the best in the country! It has grown into a nationally recognised show that attracts visitors and display teams from Europe as well as great support from the British Armed Forces. In 2004 the Kemble Air Day was given the honour of helping the Red Arrows celebrate their 40^th Display Season, considering that Kemble was their home for nearly 20years, where else could they hold it!