Royal Naval Air Station Hinstock (RNAS Hinstock, also known as HMS Godwit) is a former Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm station, located 4 miles (6 km) South West of Market Drayton in Shropshire, England.

It was then transferred to the Admiralty who used it from 1942 until 1947, home to a small number of Naval Air Squadrons,[3] known as the Central Naval Instrument Flying Training School,[4] specialising in instrument and blind approach flying training and operating a variety of aircraft.

[3] The airfield was used by the Royal Air Force during the early years of the Second World War.

It was initially called Royal Naval Air Station Ollerton, School for Instruction in Blind Approach and Instrument Flying, but was later renamed to Royal Naval Air Station Hinstock.

Upon the admiralty taking control, it was used initially as a satellite airfield for RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap).

[2] It was commissioned on 14 June 1943 as an independent command bearing the ship's name Godwit, with accounts carried in HMS Blackcap.

[9] 729 Naval Air Squadron formed on 1 January 1945 at RNAS Hinstock as an Instrument Flying Training squadron, as an offshoot of 758 NAS, the Royal Naval Advanced Instrument Flying Training Unit, for service in the Far East.

It made use of 758 NAS's North American Harvard and Airspeed Oxford aircraft, enabling working up while based on the UK.

[10] 798 Naval Air Squadron was an Advanced Single Engine Conversion & Refresher Flying Training Unit which moved to RNAS Hinstock from RNAS Halesworth on 28 November 1945, equipped with Fairey Barracuda, Fairey Firefly, North American Harvard, Supermarine Seafire and de Havilland Tiger Moth aircraft.