#Afee plus#
Types tested included gliders AW.52, GAL.55, GAL.56, GAL.61, Waco CG-13, plus helicopters Bristol 171, Cierva W.14 Skeeter, Cierva Air Horse, Sikorsky Hoverfly.
Activities included specialist training of pilots for helicopters and gliders. The adjacent former airfield at East Boldre was used as a dropping zone. It joined an existing detachment there of its A Flight, and AFEE came under control of RAF No. On 4 January 1945, the whole of the AFEE was relocated to RAF Beaulieu, that had been vacated by USAAF bomber units. AFEE also conducted testing of captured rotary wing aircraft, such as examples of the Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 'kite' autogiro. Gliders tested included Baynes Bat, Hamilcar, Hengist, Horsa, Hotspur and Twin Hotspur. Those included examples of Bombay, Dakota, Halifax, Hector, Heyford, Hudson, Lysander, Manchester, Martinet, Master, Mitchell, Mosquito, Overstrand, Spitfire, Stirling, Tiger Moth, Warwick, Wellington, Whitley, Wildcat. A large and varied fleet of powered support aircraft was used, mostly for parachute-dropping and glider-towing. In the period 1942–1944, trials of rotary wing and parachute developments were conducted at Ringway, Sherburn-in-Elmet and during detachments to various other airfields, such as RAF Snaith, RAF Chelveston, RAF Newmarket, RAF Riccall, RAF Burn, RAF Hartford Bridge, RAF Farnborough and RAF Beaulieu. Development of the Rotabuggy took place mostly in 1943, but its planned role was taken over by the development of heavy gliders. On 1 July 1942, because of intensive activity at Ringway, AFEE moved to RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet, as part of RAF No. The original concept proved difficult to achieve with safety and stability, but flights continued to help research flight characteristics for a follow-on project, the Hafner Rotabuggy, an air-towed land vehicle with autogiro capabilities. Manned trials of the Rotachute began in early 1942, towed firstly behind ground vehicles, then behind aircraft. Ground test of a Rotachute III at Ringway, 1942