The airfield was created when the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) commandeered the southern half of Ripon Racecourse in 1916.

76 Squadron was employed on Home Defence duties and had individual flights located at Catterick, Copmanthorpe, and Helperby,[3] with Ripon acting as the headquarters.

[4] As with the other landing grounds in Yorkshire, the site at Ripon was quite compact, covering only 81 acres (33 ha) with basic facilities.

The role of 76 Squadron at the base was in countering any German threats from air, most notably the Zeppelin airships that would try bombing runs across the north.

[9] Even after this, the portion of the racecourse to the south was used to land civilian flights including Sir Alan Cobham's Circus in the 1920s.