Why are gate guards destroyed

Point taken!

Here is the actual text on Danish gate guards etc. (yellow sign 20 x 30 cm approx.):

“Attention! This Treaty Limited Equipment (TLE) is no longer in operational use, but is included by the agreement concerning Conventional Forces Europe (CFE). It has a non-availability certificate and must not be removed from this location, without getting a new certificate. AMC Supply Division.”

atc pal

There is one major reason why many RAF gate guards have been scrapped – no one wants to look after or maintain them! Back in the old days when there were loads troops in the RAF it was easy to find airmen who could wash, polish and clean the “Gate Guard”, keep the tyres inflated and do all the jobs needed to keep them looking good. However the RAF has shrunk and many engineering tasks contracted out to civilian contractors who have no interest whatsoever in looking after gate guards unless paid for it, and there’s nothing in Station Commanders budget allocations for maintaining gate guards. So most CO’s don’t want a pile of slowly corroding aircraft at their gate. These day’s you’re more likely to see an “Investors in People” plaque on the gate!! During my days at Kinloss I tried to install an ex Cosford Shack, after getting an aircraft earmarked, arranging for 71MU to dismantle it, transport it, and re assemble it at Kinloss, the CO changed his mind and veto’d my plan! Sadly the trend is likely to continue as the defence budget is squeezed tighter and there are less and less people in uniform.

Just found the CFE-treaty on www.osce.org/docs/english/cfee.htm
In article III exemptions it states among others 1 c:”belong to historical collections”!! This is a sleep inducing document but I noticed something about unusual high numbers of exemptions being reported several years in a row. You imagine some sneaky little air chief marshal “hiding” his air force in museums!
As I said about the Woodvale Phantom, a small yellow sign is put on Danish gateguards and some museumpieces (on loan from the Air Force). Supposedly there is a list to be handed to the inspectors.
I have a feeling scrapping isn’t really mandatory. But of course it saves a little work.

The splitting of aircraft was, I’m sure, part of some nuclear treaty (soviet/russian – american) so you could verify it from sattelites.

Anyway, what’s the point of demolishing a “gate guard”. Somebody, probably the same people ? , once put it up there because they were proud of it. :rolleyes:

The Phantom’s scrapped at Wattisham had their engine bearers
cut out – stencilled with the aircraft serial number and then the parts where shipped out to verify the non-airworthiness of the machine. Regards the scrapping of the gate guards I feel that they had a quota of aircraft to scrap so they just chose a prerequisite number. Certainly the F-4J they scrapped at Manston was reduced to nothing -the Mod were insistant that everything was smelted.

Exactly what I heard too.

Though not necessarily satellites. A couple of weeks back a Russian aircraft was over here, probably to take a look at Fairford, on what they call ‘Open Skies’ permission.

They even get NOTAMed to keep us bimblers out of the way.

Moggy

I think I heard somewhere that it’s because the terms of the treaty dictated that all decommissioned aircraft should be chopped up in such a way as to allow surveillance satellites to verify it.