AH to move from Dishfroth to Wattisham

[peoplespoet]

recent tabloid revelations backed up by top brass briefings to the MOD will see the Attack Helicopter assets from Dishforth centralized at Wattisham by late 07.

Not sure if the G1 implications have been considered. It will be interesting to see what happens to AH manning when 40% of the crews vote with there feet and leave as a result.:ugh:

Any thoughts..

[Wrathmonk]

The AH will be handed over to the RAF and manned by all those pilots who thought they were going Typhoon (until the Saudi deal came along!):E Wattisham will also be handed back to the RAF so all those ex-Jag force who still have a house around Colt will be able to return to RAF East Anglia!:p

Standing by for a torrent of abuse

[Krystal n chips]

Ryanair gets a new destination ------Boroughbridge International--then ?

[Green Flash]

I'm moving into the sign writing buisness. First job is 'HMP Dishforth'

[serf]

Aircraft types moving to where the 'hub' is located seems likely to become the norm.

AH-Wattisham

Lynx-?

Merlin-Culdrose

Chinook-?

Any offers for Lx & Ch?

[timex]

LX to VL methinks?

[MrBernoulli]

DishFroth ...... new style of coffee from Starbucks? :)

[Impiger]

All AH to Wattisham? Lucky lot a wonderful place in a civilised part of real England - I can almost taste the Adnams from here.

But surely this was the plan all along with the cannon fodder for 16 Bde at Colchester and their airborne cavalry support at a fine RAF station nearby? All we need to add is a couple of squadrons of Chinooks or Merlin SH and jobs a goodun.

[Two's in]

Krystal - You miss the Concept of Ops for Ryanair, if they do begin a service to Dishforth it will be advertised as "Direct Flights to Plymouth"

[MrBernoulli]

Oh, I thought Dishforth was a satellite airfield for Edinburgh! Silly me.

[Vortex Thing]

Why would anyone complain about living closer to London and further away from Yorkshire?

[Navy_Adversary]

HMP Dishforth:confused:
Guess there will be new signs erected on the A1
"Please do not stop and pick up hitch hikers":)

[Green Flash]

Nav Ad

Indeed. Watch out for Dishers being flogged off to some PFI contractor. ('We''ll build and run your slammer, Tony sorry Gordon, but you need to sell us some Govt land cheapo!').:hmm: Or maybe a holding camp for all the Bulgarians, Hungarians or whoever-ians that are about to disgorge out of the Channel tunnel.

[Jeep]

Impinger,

You miss the point. You dont carry passengers in the AH. It does not need to be near the 16 Bde lot. Pick a base near some ranges, hills for radar training, and free of the public because it flies a lot at night. The answer must be ..... Yorkshire, Aldergrove or Lyneham. But if you want to ignore all those reasons and just let the logistics branch choose, then Suffolk will do.

[Lyneham Lad]

Impinger,
You miss the point. You dont carry passengers in the AH. It does not need to be near the 16 Bde lot. Pick a base near some ranges, hills for radar training, and free of the public because it flies a lot at night. The answer must be ..... Yorkshire, Aldergrove or Lyneham. But if you want to ignore all those reasons and just let the logistics branch choose, then Suffolk will do.
Errrr, 'scuse me - there are a few of us around here that like an occasional good night's kip :oh:

From sunny Wiltshire.

[Op Tastic]

Jeep is spot on - get a grip all you light blue 'avoiders' and place the AH where the training willbe maximised. End of sermon.

[BEagle]

"...place the AH where the training will be maximised..."

That'll be Kinloss then?

You'll be very welcome. Bit of a trek to watch the polo though, don't you know...

[BlueBird128]

I doubt it'll happen by the end of 2007. There isn't the accommodation for the personnel that are at Wattisham now (hence we've got JNCOs being paid 600 odd quid a month to live in luxury falts in Ipswich), and they'd also need to build hangar space. Don't hold your breath, although I hear there's an Australian company called Multiplex who are quite reliable ;-)

[BlueBird128]

That'd be luxury 'flats' then. :ugh:

[Ron Fenest]

Aircraft types moving to where the 'hub' is located seems likely to become the norm.
AH-Wattisham
Lynx-?
Merlin-Culdrose
Chinook-?
Any offers for Lx & Ch?
All ARMY/RM Lynx* to Benson (If 847 agree)
CH to LYE
Dishforth to close but remain Army (not JHC, probably Logistics)
ODI to close and probably become a prison (which isn't far off what it is now)
*BRH

[Regie Mental]

Don't ya just love the Army. I mean, advertising for recruits in the commercial breaks during Blackhawk Down on ch 5 the other night, priceless.

[peoplespoet]

Has JHC gone mad? Dear DAAvn have you contemplated whatl the impact will be to the AH program when those AH pilots with limited time until time bar life-ex who are at dishfroth leave (and they will; just ask them)

Would someone at HQ explain how by closing dishforth money will be saved (its not being sold) in either the short or long term. It will cost a small fortune to move AH to wattisham; what with ATIL contracts and AH pilot resignations (guaranteed) this stands to be the worst decision that has been contemplated in the past 20 years of aviation.

If the centralization of the AH assets at Wattisham is a tactical plan (support Ops, pool man power, etc) then from a G1, infrastructure and training area point of view it is flawed; ask the people involved in all the above.

Either way if it doesn't save money then to disturb the delicate harmony that exists within a fraught, stretched and extremely tired AH community it is a bad decision. Almost as bad as the one to make a CO of an AH Regiment platform trained (well sort off trained!) and nearly as bad as the one to put AH pilots on board ship, but not as bad as allowing A2 QHIs to test weapons because the sqn SWO is only a B1 beefa (HF)!

Enjoy!

[Jeep]

PP

Nice one. I think you can delete HF and insert GS on that one. Happy to take the hit.

On a more cheery note. If there are any AH drivers that wish to receive Boeing recognition of their hours totals with a nice little Apache pin and certificate, then email me your hours/date achieved/Sqn/Name/Rank and I will include them on my request.

PM me or email at work. They are available for 500/1000/1500/2000 and upwards. I personally pin mine to my Stetson, but each to their own taste.

Jeep (GS)

[timex]

PP,

and nearly as bad as the one to put AH pilots on board ship



You wanted AH, you've now got it so get on with it....and Remember quite a lot of the recent fracas have been supported from the Sea.

[peoplespoet]

I cant believe that JHC are considering pooling AH aircrew as early as easter 07 at wattisham to support operational tempo and nobody at Dishfroth has been informed (well not the men anyway). Perhaps the whole move is speculation?

Doubt it, MIDDLE WALLOP was informed of the centralization of manpower and equipment as the Op tempo has become unbearable both to manpower and budgets. Don't operations cost so much these days! all these bullets being used, how much fuel; no-one told the MOD that we would actually use this stuff they bought us, its normal that things get to shelf life and are re-worked until they are out of date.

For **$$ sake oh fantastic leaders of men (Not) wake up and inform your beloved chain of command (CDS) that HM forces is rapidly going down the tube and has almost become non effective in many areas, the very fact that bases are closing, Regiments (hundreds of years old) are being disbanded, key training exercises cut, adventure training binned and operational ready training reduced beyond minimal is a drastic sign that we have got things drastically wrong either with commitment (long time) or budgetary requirements and it is now costing men and womens lives!!

God help UK Plc if anything else should occur that requires a military response to secure mainland UK or protect assets abroad (Ex Pats etc).

And please no one say that despite all of this we are still doing a great job, I know we are, thats because the men doing the job are first class soldiers and airmen. Unfortunately they are not given the support, protection, equipment, money, respect or rest they require. Just because we are making do doesn't make it right, nor should it be a green light (Gordon/Des Brown) to reduce budgets again.

PP out.