On one of my increasingly frequent trips back up North yesterday I drove past RAF Woodvale, hoping to show my girlfirends young son the Phantom at the gate and all that is left is just a pile of gravel where she stood!!!!
Where is she? Does anyone know? I hope she is being refurbished and not scrapped……..
Paul.
By: Stuart97 - 23rd April 2003 at 10:40
Woodvale’s Phantom
I used to fly with MASUAS out of RAF Woodvale and I remember the Phantom gate guard well. Sorry to hear it’s diasppeared.
By: Willow - 22nd April 2003 at 15:54
I forgot, Yeovilton has one of the first FG1s.
(just before someone reminded me)
Willow
By: Willow - 22nd April 2003 at 15:52
This is a bit ridiculous isn’t it. The RAF is made to scrap all of it’s Phantoms, even those on permanent static display.
Meanwhile, the USAF and US Navy have nearly 700 Phantoms just sitting at AMARC in Arizona waiting their turn to fly again. Some of them could even be sold on and exported to foreign arms.
If overall numbers are the problem why don’t they just bin a few more RF4Cs or F4Ss from AMARC, and let us keep our (now getting quite rare) FGR2s.
Does anyone know how many FGR2s and FG1 are actually complete now (nose sections don’t count) ?
The only 2 I know of on permanent display in museums are at Hendon and Duxford.
Strangely, East Fortune has an F4N (ex US Navy). Surely it would be more appropriate for this Scottish Museum to have one of the FG1s that 43sqn and 111sqn flew from Leuchars for many years.
Willow
By: PhantomII - 19th April 2003 at 17:16
Sad to hear of her going. She was a beauty. (Then again aren’t all Phantoms? 🙂 )
By: stevieb - 19th April 2003 at 14:51
Heres XV468 at Woodvale in 1997
By: atc pal - 18th April 2003 at 09:52
Unfortunately also scrapped a lot of old fighters here. Most were USAF property given as weapons aid. Survivors now has small yellow sign saying something like: “CFE arms limitation item. Not to be moved witout consent of Danish Air Force Air Material Command”. Also some very un-airworthy types. But apparently this is allowed, if the CFE-nations can inspect them.
By: pierrepjc - 17th April 2003 at 22:53
We are very good at scraping things off in this country, i have not been past Woodvale for some time and was not aware that the Phantom had gone. I was sad to hear it had gone. Wish I had not heard now.
Paul:(
By: PhantomII - 14th April 2003 at 03:41
I wish I had the money to at least buy an F-4 airframe.
I’d have it all restored and looking nice and put in display in my yard. 🙂
By: David Burke - 12th April 2003 at 13:45
Paul – the Meteor is under rebuild to fly with Meteor Flight at Yatesbury.
By: Paul Cushion - 12th April 2003 at 12:19
Nose section as well? I hope not. Will they be getting another aircraft for display as all the gravel is still there……..?
Also, does anyone know what happened to the Meteor that they used to have there until the early nineties?
Paul.
By: Dazza - 11th April 2003 at 18:31
Been scrapped unfortunately….
Unfortunately, XV468 was scrapped in July 2001, another one gone for ever!:(
Regards, Dazza.
By: Moggy C - 11th April 2003 at 12:03
Bad news I’m afraid
Under some arms limitation agreement or other, the F4s, because they are in current inventory of some airforces, are considered combat aircraft, therefore must be scrapped.
Moggy
Ah! Woodvale.
In my youth in Liverpool I used to see the Woodvale-based Spitfires of the THUM flight go over my house every day. Later these were replaced by Mossies.
Then we moved out to just beyond the airfield (Formby / Freshfield village) and Meteors whined overhead all day, every day. Plus the inevitable Chippies of the UAS. Had my first AE flight with the ATC from there in a Chippie. First time wearing a chute, first time doing loops and rolls, first time feeling distinctly queasy. Ah! Woodvale.
Have tried flying in there on occasions, but it is now run by Serco and is definitely not GA friendly
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April 11, 2003 at 11:31 am