RAF Prestwick
| RAF Prestwick | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prestwick, South Ayrshire in Scotland | |||||||||
RAF Prestwick on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1941 | |||||||||
Faire Agus Gliocas (Scottish Gaelic: Watchfulness and Wisdom) | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Military air traffic control centre | ||||||||
| Code | PW | ||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||
| Condition | Closed | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 55°29′48″N 004°35′33″W / 55.49667°N 4.59250°W | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1936 | ||||||||
| In use | February 1936 – 2013 | ||||||||
| Fate | Operations transferred to RAF (U) Swanwick. | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II Cold War | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Past commanders | Wing Commander Bruce Duncan (final station commander) | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Elevation | 11 metres (36 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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Royal Air Force Prestwick or simply known as RAF Prestwick, is a former Royal Air Force station based at the NATS air traffic control centre, adjacent to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, South Ayrshire, in south west Scotland. The unit was home to the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (Military) which provided an air traffic control service to military aircraft operating within its area of responsibility. Prestwick was also home to a Distress and Diversion (D&D) Cell which provided assistance to both military and civil aircraft in an emergency.
RAF Prestwick was established during the Second World War for the reception of aircraft coming across the Atlantic from North America.
The unit closed in December 2013 with operations transferring to the RAF unit at London Area Control Centre in Swanwick, Hampshire.