Binbrook… 20 Years Ago Today

I always remember the Lightnings going, never made it to Binners unfortunatly.
To me it seemed like the beggining of the end of so many interesting types in RAF service, Shackletons, Phantoms, Buccaneers, hunters, non PR.9 Canberras, Jet Provosts and Victors would all leave service within the following four years.

Yep the last flights were 30th June 88 when F6’s 899 and 898 left for Cranfield, they did a wonderfull low level pass over the pans in front of the tower before pulling up and vanishing 😉

Prior to that last day the other four left with our very own 728 leaving on 24th June, sad days.

If you dont mind here’s few shots from the 24th June

First thing in the morn, 11sdq hangar

On the line, ‘BF’;ed’

Chris Berners Price leaves the crew room

Local Bruntingthorpe maps ‘stowed’ engines running after some ‘talking to’ and brakes off

Bye bye ramp

Sorry about the long range shot but gives you the idea 😉

Sad days, but then again all these things to come to an end, but we at Brunty do try hard to recreate that atomsphere 😉

Cheers

Firebird, We were the Yorkshire and Geordie lads you spoke to when you pulled up in the car just in time to catch the take-off, i seem to recall the weather was red hot, then a massive thunder storm on the way home, just seems like yesterday.
Shame about the old base now, a wasted chance to keep an original WW2 base for the RAF museum store or similar

Correct, when the last two Lightnings were delivered to Cranfield.
Cracking shot BTW!

Ooops………..:o 😮

I knew that, I was there, and this was the event I was describing, the last two F.6’s departing on 30th June, not the standing down of the Sqn.

Aah….the joys of advancing senility…….:D 😀

I saw a adaptor today in a leaflet .Think it was argos .
Basically it was a usb plug with phono plugs on the other end to plug into your vcr.
Was about 20 pound .Was thinking of getting one so i could convert all my lightning videos onto dvd .
Like i said i think it was argos or it could have been netto.
Will check tomorrow and have a look .

I think the last actually Flt was 30th June 1988..? But im sure someone knows…

Correct, when the last two Lightnings were delivered to Cranfield.
Cracking shot BTW!

Down But not Out!

I think the last actually Flt was 30th June 1988..? But im sure someone knows…

Video capture card for your PC should do the trick, would love to see it!

Put it onto DVD first!

That’s the problem…….;)

Put it onto DVD first!

Further to the thread regarding XR724…

11 Squadron stood down as an operational Lightning unit on this date for those that are old enough to remember it (like Me):eek:

And me………….:o

In fact I was there. I drove up from London on spec not knowing any real details other than that the last 2 x F.6 were leaving on the 30th and being delivered to Cranfield.

Left early and got to the crash gate at the south end of the runway about 15 mins before the whee-whooosh sound of the avpin starters drifted across the airfield.

And within 20 mins or so they were gone, and I had the drive all the way back down to London, thankfull that I didn’t leave home an hour later….:)

I have the last departure and hanger beat-up on an aging VHS tape, but I’am still trying to find a way of re-recording from a VHS video player to the PC…..:(

And so began the end of Binbrook….