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From 1935 until 1971, Hucknall was the Rolls-Royce flight test establishment. It was here that all the company's engine types, from the Kestrel to the RB211, were developed and installed in flying testbeds. Ground-testing facilities were also an important part of its activities, a feature that continues today.

Test flying commenced with biplanes with a top speed of around 150mph and progressed to the mach-2 Lightning and Phantom. During the Second World War, Hucknall became a Civilian Repair Unit and undertook the repair of Hurricanes during and after the Battle of Britain. One hundred of these aircraft were also converted to Mark IIs with the Merlin XX engine.

The first Spitfire Mk.Vs with the Merlin 45 engine were produced at Hucknall in a conversion programme, and nearly 300 Spitfire Vs were converted to Mk.IXs. Other work concentrated on the development of power plants for Beaufighters, Lancasters and other types.

The flight development of the gas turbine commenced in 1942 with a Whittle unit installed in the tail of a Wellington, progressing to Nenes and Avons in Lancastrians, turboprops in the noses of Lancasters and Lincoln bombers and ending with the RB211 in the VC-10.

Notable firsts accomplished at Hucknall were the first flight of the Merlin installed in a Mustang, the world's first turboprop flight by the Trent Meteor and the world's first manned jet-borne operation by the Flying Bedstead.

Today, Hucknall is a production centre, but the Test Facilities side is as strong as ever with numerous static testbeds capable of testing engines up to 140,000lbs of thrust. These facilities include the ability to cryogenically freeze engines, simulate torrential rain, study the effect of multiple bird strikes and purposely induce catastrophic failures, such as fan blade release, all whilst the engine is running at high power.

The Heritage Trust has a thriving section at Hucknall, housed in one of the old indoor testbeds. Average attendance on Wednesday mornings is between 40 and 50 members. Most are involved in some activity or other, not the least being the restoration of engines to display standard.

There is a library of books, videos and films, and a historical archive. Thousands of Merlin and Griffon drawings are held, many of which are being restored by a team to prevent deterioration. The drawing archive is the source of information for those wishing to maintain these engines in airworthy condition. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is its main customer; others are model makers.

Although the company's flight operations ceased in 1971, Hucknall still occasionally plays host to aircraft as a venue for special events or anniversaries.