The 50th Birthday of the AAC this weekend….

Phew for a moment I thought I was the only one!! Not a good day at all.

As to the feeder, they did at least provide us with lunch (eventually), but then closed at 3, so between then and 6.20 when we went home, we couldn’t get any refreshments at all on what must have been one of the hottest days of the year!!

I said I wasnt going to say anything else in my previous post….well I just have. Sorry for all those who didnt go, you may not understand what all the fuss is about, but a little more thought was needed in the day’s organisation.

Best wishes,

Martin

Considering on a daily basis we cook for and clean up after thousands of soldiers in the three messes on camp I was really expecting at least on of them to be open as per a week day to cater for the thousands of visiters. 🙁

T6, Albert

I worked at Wallop with Aramark on Saturday and I was disgusted with how poorly arranged this day was!

Phew for a moment I thought I was the only one!! Not a good day at all.

As to the feeder, they did at least provide us with lunch (eventually), but then closed at 3, so between then and 6.20 when we went home, we couldn’t get any refreshments at all on what must have been one of the hottest days of the year!!

I said I wasnt going to say anything else in my previous post….well I just have. Sorry for all those who didnt go, you may not understand what all the fuss is about, but a little more thought was needed in the day’s organisation.

Best wishes,

Martin

T6, Albert

I worked at Wallop with Aramark on Saturday and I was disgusted with how poorly arranged this day was!

The Aircrew Feeder is a small building usually used only by flying crew for their food and drink whilst on the airfield and has room for 38 people. 400 people had to use this on Saturday.

Can anybody recall the person who several years ago was gaining access to many military sites by wearing a high ranking army officers uniform? Suprisingly this person was caught and arrested whilst trying this at Wallop.

Security has been improved in recent months with the installation of a 4 metre tall barbed wire topped security fence around the airfield replacing 1 metre tall fence but most of the entrance points through this were left wide open with nobody controlling who passes through.

Security on military sites became very difficult when civillians were being increasingly used to fill many military roles on camp. And yes, I am saying this speaking as a civvie contractor!

I’ve given my thoughts and as far as I’m concerned thats the end of the matter. Its been and gone. Just a shame it wasnt as planned.

As to other aeroplanes, they were a few besides the Rearwin, like a Cessna 180 and a Brantly B2.

Martin

Well what can I say very unimpressed with the organisation held on the day.

We take six aeroplanes, stay two nights away at another airfield and then when we get to Middle Wallop, dont get security checked (even though we all had to pass our details on the week before) and then have to stand around and wait ‘for someone’ for nearly three hours. This just wasnt our group, but all the visiting vintage aeroplanes too (12 Austers, 6 Chipmunks, 5 Tiger Moths and a Queen Bee…..and a Rearwin).

A few please and thank yous wouldn’t have gone amiss. No one really seemed to know what the procedure was as to us having lunch or refreshments etc. In the end we all have to thank Glenn Morton (think thats right) from the Panhandlers marshalling team that tried and tried and in the end part succeeded in obtaining that elusive meal ticket for us. If it wasnt him we would have literally starved (and I mean that). Thanks!!

Thanks also go to the G-VFWE team, for arranging for us to attend to what was a historic event, but one that could have been organised a whole lot better. Don’t think I’ll be around for the 100th Birthday.

Thanks also to Mr H for keeping my sanity going throughout the day and what with the best seats in the house, sat on the grass with only millions of craneflys to keep us company, what more could we have asked for…… well afternoon tea would have been nice!

Martin

That’s VERY surprising Martin, especially as HRH Prince Charles was present.
I have also found the security at Middle Wallop to be slack and only cosmetic over the years, even during the IRA troubles, but when you are adding value to their event, that treatment is just unforgivable and I suggest Richard writes a strong letter to the Commandant…..btw, what on earth has a Rearwin got to do with the AAC history…don’t tell me Melv sneaked it into MW with the Austers?:rolleyes:

Well what can I say very unimpressed with the organisation held on the day.

We take six aeroplanes, stay two nights away at another airfield and then when we get to Middle Wallop, dont get security checked (even though we all had to pass our details on the week before) and then have to stand around and wait ‘for someone’ for nearly three hours. This just wasnt our group, but all the visiting vintage aeroplanes too (12 Austers, 6 Chipmunks, 5 Tiger Moths and a Queen Bee…..and a Rearwin).

A few please and thank yous wouldn’t have gone amiss. No one really seemed to know what the procedure was as to us having lunch or refreshments etc. In the end we all have to thank Glenn Morton (think thats right) from the Panhandlers marshalling team that tried and tried and in the end part succeeded in obtaining that elusive meal ticket for us. If it wasnt him we would have literally starved (and I mean that). Thanks!!

Thanks also go to the G-VFWE team, for arranging for us to attend to what was a historic event, but one that could have been organised a whole lot better (and I’m not meaning by VFWE…they were in the same boat as us). Don’t think I’ll be around for the 100th Birthday.

Thanks also to Mr H for keeping my sanity going throughout the day and what with the best seats in the house, sat on the grass with only millions of craneflys to keep us company, what more could we have asked for…… well afternoon tea would have been nice!

Martin

Thanks for such a quick reply. Seems odd that such a historic event is only going to be available to a limited number of people.

Martin

Definitely not a public event.
Music in the air was cancelled this year to make way for this do.

John