The lichen communities on 50 disused military airfields were surveyed. The habitats involve saxicolous communities growing on horizontal concrete and tarmac surfaces, and terricolous ones found on spreads of gritty soil. About 150 lichens were encountered. Some, such as Caloplaca crenulatella, had been seriously over-looked, others are local, for example Caloplaca ceracea, Leptogium britannicum, L. corniculatum, Peltigera neckeri and Phaeophyscia sciastra, while Staurothele frustulenta was the first correctly identified specimen from Britain. Tarmac surfaces in the north and west are characterized by rich assemblages of Parmelia s. lat. species and have affinities with communities occurring on basalt; tarmac ones in the east support an undescribed community; while terricolous communities have similarities with those present on sand dune. Fifty-year-old associations on concrete match two already described from limestone. Disused airfields represent a major overlooked lichen resource.