By: Toddington Ted - 30th May 2008 at 21:07
I used to give a briefing to a flight safety course at Bentley Priory a few years ago so I know that is used to be the home of the RAF Inspectorate of Flight Safety. This is now a joint unit (like so much else in the Military) and is based at Northolt:
“With the closure of RAF Bentley Priory, the Defence Aviation Centre (DASC) and the Military Aviation Regulatory Team (MART) will relocate to RAF Northolt during Apr 08, where the organisation will formally stand up as the Directorate of Aviation Regulation and Safety (DARS). The DARS will subsume all the responsibilities of the DASC and the MART. The DARS will act as the MOD Central Staff point of contact for aviation regulatory and safety matters”.
The above was taken from the MOD Internet Website.
There are no other units based at Bentley Priory (that I know of) and so, although it provided some useful accommodation for personnel in the London area, it has been sold. Whilst this is a sad occasion it is not just a reflection of the real or imagined lack of ethos and culture by HMG, the RAF is today just a little smaller than it used to be. I joined in 1986 when there were over 90,000 personnel in the Service. Today there are currently less than 41,000 (it depends whether you count trained personnel and leave out personnel not yet completed training) and that is bound to have an effect on the RAF Estate. That said, recruiting is very active so anyone reading this should not be put off wanting to join!
By: Bruggen 130 - 30th May 2008 at 17:25
How very sad. This Government knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. The only way Bentley Priory is being “saved” is by flogging it to property developers for a group of luxury flats.
What will they sell off next…HMS Victory as an opportunity for some seaside flats?
When are people going to get it through there heads that this Gov/ Dictatorship does not give a toss about british History:mad:
By: slicer - 30th May 2008 at 17:12
How very sad. This Government knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. The only way Bentley Priory is being “saved” is by flogging it to property developers for a group of luxury flats.
What will they sell off next…HMS Victory as an opportunity for some seaside flats?
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May 30, 2008 at 3:57 pm