Squeaky
February 18, 2010 at 10:25 pm

AAC Middle Wallop 17/02/10

Hi everyone

I’m Aggy, I’m 29 from Walsall, West Midlands, and by way of introduction I’m a noisy and slightly insane bird with a passion for 747s 😀

On Wednesday, a 37-strong contingent from the Vulcan To The Sky club were fortunate enough to have a guided tour around AAC Middle Wallop.

The tour was brilliant, we were given access to all the hangars apart from the developmental hangar, where the SAS keep their Apaches, and we had access to, but could understandably not take pictures in, the Apache hangar where the inmates are receiving upgrades for their forthcoming trips to Afghanistan.

Here, at the demand of Old Git, are some of my photos ( I took several hundred but they’d make your eyes roll back in your heads)

Apologies for the standard of the outdoor ones, I have a new-ish camera and I haven’t got it quite right yet 🙁

These lads were not remotely interested in our group until they saw that the group included me and another girl; and then they suddenly became catalogue models 😀

And out on the pan:

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By: Old Git - 22nd February 2010 at 18:11

How I long for the return of the Middle Wallop Airshow. For me it was one of the best shows around.

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By: Squeaky - 20th February 2010 at 21:13

Excellent photographs but I was surprised to see so many Apaches. I thought they were all in foreign parts. It may have been on here before but could I recommend “Think like a bird” by Alex Kimbell. It’s an excellent read by the author who joined the AAC, learnt on Auster AOP9s and then did a tour in the Yemen flying Beavers. Absolutely hair-raising and beautifully written.

There were 11 Apaches there (that we saw) – 5 in the hangar and 6 out doing circuits.

The 6 doing circuits were training a/c, and the “inmates” in the hangar were receiving modifications for Afghanistan, including amongst other things, the fitting of additional fuel tanks.

Apparently, the Taliban are well aware that an Apache can only fly for 2.5 hours, so they watch for them them to take off from Kandahar, hide for 2.5 hours and then, when the Apache heads for home, spring out and attack our boys.

Only, now they have extra fuel tanks and can turn back round and wipe them out 😀

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By: ozplane - 20th February 2010 at 18:26

Excellent photographs but I was surprised to see so many Apaches. I thought they were all in foreign parts. It may have been on here before but could I recommend “Think like a bird” by Alex Kimbell. It’s an excellent read by the author who joined the AAC, learnt on Auster AOP9s and then did a tour in the Yemen flying Beavers. Absolutely hair-raising and beautifully written.

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By: Cliffair - 20th February 2010 at 11:50

Nice photo’s Squeaky, good to get a preview of what I might see there when I do the tour on 2nd March 😀

If the Bell 212 you are refering to is ZK206 or ZK067 both were at RAF Shawbury on 29th Jan 2010

ZK206
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1213282/

ZK067
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1213279/

They are indeed the Airframes I was refering to so thanks for the information, it’s good to see that have not shipped out again just yet so some hope of seeing them on STPA again before they go.

regards Cliff