Closed RAF stations you'd like to see back

Cheers mate. I forgot to have a look on there. But a shame its been demolished though.

Rob

Hi Rob, the AIX thread has had a response, apparently Rissi’s 1960s tower was demolished c.1996.

Gaydon, itys not far from me and id love to hear those bad boy V bombers giving full throttle on take off!

Another vote for Bicester. Happy days with Oxford UAS!
Actually the field is not closed, but the RAF part is going.

Re-open Bicester! Save it from being buried under yet more unsustainable houses & give the service gliding associations somewhere decent again to hold the annual Inter-Service comps (not withstanding great events at Wittering & Keevil!)

Lyneham! Closed far too long! The skies are far too quiet over Swindon now! Reopen it now before the rot sets in!

RAF Coltishall – mostly to stop Norfolk County Council from using public money to buy the place (bidding against a private buyer with aviation plans) and rip up the runway to build an unwanted road that will, in turn, smash through the City of Norwich Aviation Museum site.

Ah right so!:cool:
Got me interested now as to when the newer one was demolished!

Sorry don’t know why i wrote ‘expansion period’ :o, too early in the morning i guess… but you get my drift. Yes its the later 60’s type that i’m referring too.

Rob

…but it was the later expansion period control tower and fire station apparently situated further out on the airfield that i was referring to?!

It is the expansion period watch office which survives Rob, its one of only five 1936 Chief Flying Instructor block types built – hence concern over its well being.
You must mean the early 1960s post-war split-vertical type? that may have gone but there are plenty of these about, including the one I’m typing from now!

BTW I didn’t realise you were a member on AIX. I will let you pop the question about the post-war towers’ status!:)

Thanks James. We may have crossed wires here, as i’m already aware that the original watch office in front of the hangars is still present, but it was the later expansion period control tower and fire station apparently situated further out on the airfield that i was referring to?! 🙂

Rob

I read somewhere that the control tower and some of the hangars at Little Rissington have been demolished. Anyone know if this is true?

Hi Rob, I’ve taken the liberty of asking over on AIX, it seems the tower is still very much with us and that there are plans for its future, http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?1338-Little-Rissington&p=119792#post119792

Totally brilliant display from Ray Hanna and got to speak to Vera Lynn.

What could be better?

Moggy

Speaking to Ray Hanna and a display by Vera Lynn?

😀

Ian

Bovingdon

I’d like to see RAF Sutton on Hull reopen, but only to see Hull City Council have to demolish a large part of Bransholme Estate (again).

How about Chilbolton?
All those P47s etc. in the run up to D-Day and before that much activity.
Then Post War all those new fangled Jet thingies being developed and flown by Vickers Supermarine…

At least it hasn’t been built over, just a wacking great weather radar plonked in the middle of the runways.

You can still see the runways in the aerial shot here – Chilbolton Observatory

And it’s 10 minutes down the road…

John

Although perhaps stretching the theme of the thread slightly I will amend my prevous post and add Leysdown and Eastchurch on Sheppey, simply because of the history attached to the sites and the part they played in the very early days of military aircraft production and flight.

RAF Bentwaters /Woodbridge:D……..and nearer the true meaning of the thread….Kenley and Biggin Hill.

First one that springs to mind would be Firbeck- used by 613, 654 & 659 was formed there. Pre-war was designed by Tom Campbell-black, visitors included Amy johnson, Jim Mollinson & even H.R.H. Prince Edward- later Edward VIII.

Other than that, Finningley, Worksop, Scampton & Hemswell spring to mind locally.

I live just around the corner from Firbeck 🙂 not much left there now

RAF Hemswell, can anyone confirm this was the base earmarked for the TSR 2’s had they entered service?

How about Ballykelly with the Coventry Shackleton and the 2 from Cyprus to cover the Atlantic, now that the Nimrods are gone too. Ah well just dreaming.