After changing my avtar to my favourite Landrover and receiving a request from Linc7 for more;)
I thought I would knock up a thread for Historic airfield support vehicles, this can be fire engines, refuellers, ambulances, etc. These can be vehicles you have driven yourself or something spotted on the internet. The only proviso is that it is no longer in service
Recently I did a few sideviews of some Landrovers that I drove in the past and a few photos to go with them.
Mods. not sure if this is the right forum:confused:
I will start with a Series III Landrover that has long since gone but, to me was my favourite ‘weapon of choice’
73 AM 04 was already ‘tired’ when I was posted into RAF St Mawgan September 1981 and had suffered some neglect, however, when the RAF set up BCUs under TG9 (AATCs) it became (very) intergrated with Air Traffic Control. This meant more pride in the job and equipment seemed to last longer (!) I looked after this vehicle from 1981 through to 1984 and spent many thousands of hours in her, cruising the airfield. This was the Landrover involved with the Nimrod fire in 1983.
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=95115&page=15 post 436
In the following picture, I had painted her (by 4″ brush) in IRR green paint and the speaker with (aircraft) dayglo paint. The yellow stripes were (stick on) scrounged off MT as were the roundals front and back.
The scuff on the front bumper was due to nudging a broken down vehicle off the runway.
On another occasion mid-84 whilst driving down the southern taxiway, Air traffic radio’ed and said “Sappho, you’re on fire!” , I could then see a glow reflecting off the tarmac, I pulled into the fire section (they were playing volleyball) and placed it in the middle of their volleyball court. The guy in the control room after hearing ATCs call and seeing me pull in, rushed through the section picking up an extinguisher and promptly put it out. She was back on the run the following week.
I left St Mawgan 1984 and returned 1988 during that time she left the service.
By: Banupa - 26th July 2011 at 21:23
I give you an airfield support vehicle :rolleyes: On display at the Flixton Museum 2010
By: Lincoln 7 - 26th July 2011 at 17:45
Baz. When the Falklands war was on, and I was still in the Force at the time, I wrote to the MOD, on official headed paper,(Police), and they sent me quite a few A4 size photos of Harriers flying around the Islands. Unfortunately, I havn’t a clue how to, even if I could, upload or even send them to you as an email attatchment.
Perhaps bring them down to you next time I come down to see the Lad.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: spitfireman - 26th July 2011 at 13:49
Every night, the dead and injured were bought up to RAF Stanley in RAF 3/4 ton and 1 ton Landrovers and loaded onto the airbridge back to UK. This was late 82.
By: spitfireman - 26th July 2011 at 11:20
Slightly different, 1998 I moved across to Plymouth Airport (shortly to be consigned to history), the airfield support vehicle was already retired.
Another series III, 5 door station wagon. She had served PCA a number of years and had failed long before I arrived. I immediately bought her off the airport and then discovered she had been ‘nobbled’. within 10 minutes of opening the bonnet I had her running and 2 days later put her through the MOT (which passed) and the following drove her to work!
By: spitfireman - 26th July 2011 at 10:54
:rolleyes:
By: Lincoln 7 - 26th July 2011 at 10:47
Baz, Re thread 3, this L/Rover seems to have as many, if not more traights as todays modern Discos, I know somewon on here has, I think he lives near Newquay,;) has one, seems they are prone to seatbelt failure, caused by the driver.:o
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: spitfireman - 26th July 2011 at 09:46
A better view. (a different day!)
By: spitfireman - 26th July 2011 at 09:43
Another Falklands vet is this series III LWB. On the airfield at Stanley she was my favourite and definately the hardest working of the three ATC vehicles and she had an ‘artic’ heater:) This was the first RAF landy to reach Bluff Cove (1 of 2) and on another occasion whilst returning from Two Sisters she suffered a rear puncture. Unable to change the wheel due to one sticky nut, we limped the 4 miles into Stanley stopping every now and then to cool the tyre. The Army MT guys soon got the wheel off but none of us could explain the 7.62 bullet head inside the tyre:confused: The eventual theory was we ran over a bullet that left the head behind.
These 2 photos show F/O Ian Sheeley in the rear not wanting to get out (it was freezing!) and F/S Al Biggs trying to find the tyres nemisis.
By: wingcomandrflap - 26th July 2011 at 09:33
Mmm, these look vaguely familiar 😉
By: spitfireman - 26th July 2011 at 08:57
Got any photos?
When a vehicle got to a certain age the RAF sort of turned a blind eye to what we did to them. The landy in post #1 was way past its scrap date and after I painted her the guys in MT put the IRR date (seen nearside rear in white) to make it look offical (!) We used to drive round the bomb dump in her to pick up our explosives and ammo until, an armourer spotted she was petrol, not diesel!
They had a fit and banned her immediately.
The fuel tanks were under the front seats.
The fire by the way was caused by the rubber fuel pipe into the carb perishing.
Baz
By: sat2 - 26th July 2011 at 01:06
Good thread SM,
Couple of things; could you do anRAF Police L/R profile, preferably a short wheelbase version from the same time period as your ATC waggon?
Also, I served at Mt Pleasant in ’83 and ’85.
The L/R’s we had were destined to make a ‘reef’, in other words, pushed into the oggin when they died and so they were on their last legs. We were able to ‘decorate’ them, and I think the record for attached blue lights was six before the OC spoiled our fun!
keep up the good work!
By: ZRX61 - 26th July 2011 at 00:32
I used to have a former USAF ’52 Chevy aircraft fueller. 500 gal tank, straight 6 OHV engine. Some guy offered me twice what I had in it & like an idiot I sold it… 🙁
However, I know where it is, so maybe one day I’ll buy it back…
By: paul178 - 25th July 2011 at 23:23
I am sorry I can’t play this game. My form of military transport was usually one of these. A Landy would be sheer luxury after this(*********g) thing.
By: Lincoln 7 - 25th July 2011 at 23:21
Baz. Did you see Top Gear Sun night, you would have been in your element. They have a shedload of Ex MOD vehicles from Helos, Tanks etc and old mens Landrovers, (Which made me automaticaly think of you :D) They are all at a place called WITHAM Lincs, easy find on Google.Worth a quick browse.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: spitfireman - 25th July 2011 at 22:37
An early model ‘110’ this time, back at RAF St Mawgan around the 1994 era. Again over the years spent thousands of hours on the airfield in her.
By: Dr Strangelove - 25th July 2011 at 22:12
I’ll have to scan in some of the older “Traders” namely 4,6 & 8
All Scammel S26’s that had seen better days & that was before we had them!
By: spitfireman - 25th July 2011 at 21:49
Another series III, this time a nightmare.
RAF Stanley late 1982.
Here I looked after 3 series IIIs as part of the Air Traffic fleet but this one stands out as a real dog. Although it had BCU written on the side, we only used it as a crew bus, too-ing and fro-ing between the airfield and the harbour on shift change. It had a very nasty habit of front wheel wobble after clipping a pothole. The number of damaged thumbs were high as the steering wheel shimmeyed violently, also the vehicle would only travel in a straight line once the wobble started. This was fine if you was intending to travel in a straight line, however, on more than one occasion she would drift off-road and this was not good with the proximity of some heavily sown mine-fields. The only way to avert disaster was to slam the brakes on.
Hopefully scrapped!
A (slim) me!
By: spitfireman - 25th July 2011 at 20:21
This was an early painting of the Nimrod fire showing the Landrover underneath
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July 25, 2011 at 8:15 pm