[2] The airfield surface is bumpy in places, due to collapsing field drains, requiring care on the part of pilots operating aircraft in those areas.

In January 1917, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) moved into the site, then 180 acres (0.73 km2), with the arrival of 118 night bomber squadron.

44 Training Station Depot arrived, followed in 1919 by 5 Squadron, flying Bristol F.2 Fighters returning from France, having flown in the First World War.

However, the Winter War of 1939 between Finland and Russia had proved that 18 Finnish Bristol Blenheim Bombers (delivered in 1937) were insufficient and further air support from Britain was needed.

The aircraft had been stripped of armaments and non-essential equipment, with all RAF livery removed and replaced with the blue swastika, the insignia of the Finnish Airforce.

At 6 am on the 23rd February 1940 all twelve aircraft took off for the first leg from RAF Bicester to Dyce Airport at Aberdeen in Scotland.

However, after hopping from RAF Bicester to Aberdeen, Stavanger (Norway), Vasteras (Sweden) and finally landing safely at Lake Juva in Finland, all twelve aircraft successfully arrived.

[4] Later in 1939, having been built in Cricklewood just before war broke out, the first prototype Handley Page Halifax was taken by road to RAF Bicester and assembled in secret there before the company's chief test pilot Major Jim Cordes and flight test observer E A 'Ginger' Wright made its first flight on 25 October 1939.

in 1965, Queen Elizabeth II visited RAF Bicester with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1982 the USAF created a wartime contingency hospital with 500 beds and all ancillary medical services using restored RAF World War II dormitories.

In 1990, during Operation Desert Shield, the USAF deployed medical personnel to the site, and equipped a number of buildings in both the Technical and Domestic area as a hospital.

[28] The blood fridges installed by the USAF still exist in Hangar 109 along with a large amount of graffiti relating to the servicemen based there, 109 is now used as a car storage facility.

In 1997 the Ministry of Defence placed the Married Quarter sites at RAF Bicester up for disposal by formal tender.

In the late 1990s, plans were proposed to develop the airfield for housing and industry, but they were abandoned due to strong local opposition and the historic nature of the site.

Bicester Heritage aims to bring together the UK's cottage industry of automotive specialists in order to promote not just the preservation but, specifically, the use of historic motor cars.

[32] The established business campus is home to fifty businesses,[33] from the governing body of British Motorsport, Motorsport UK, to Formula E team NEOM McLaren Electric Racing and EV manufacturer Polestar's UK HQ, to many other individual, highly skilled manufacturing and engineering firms within the automotive sector.

[38] In 2018 Bicester Motion achieved unanimous planning approval from Cherwell District Council[39] for the construction of eight new buildings to the southern edge of the former RAF Technical Site, adjacent to Skimmingdish Lane.

[42] The development now called 'The Command Works'[43] represents the first new buildings to be constructed at the former RAF base in c.80 years.

Most recently the airfield was visited by the only flying Bristol Blenheim bomber for Flywheel,[48] an event run by Bicester Heritage to celebrate their 10 year anniversary.

[54] The specialist businesses based at Bicester Heritage often open their workshops and showrooms as part of the event.

[55] Flywheel was first launched at Bicester Heritage in 2015 as an event to showcase automotive and aviation activity to visitors.

The event ran on consecutive years until 2018 when it partnered with Haymarket's Classic & Sports Car Show,[56] which moved to Bicester Heritage from Alexandra Palace.

It has established itself as the sector's only charity solely focused on introducing the next generation of automotive enthusiasts to historic motoring, careers and events.