RAF Milltown, near Lossie
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RAF Milltown, near Lossie
I saw a comment somewhere that a Danish pilot landed here by mistake in the 80s; anyone know the story and can enlighten me? I went to school near here and Milltown always struck me as an odd base, especially when it had the antennae farm.
Just curious; no other motive....
Just curious; no other motive....
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Spent many a week running around Miltown mid 80's. 'Twas an ariel farm with lots guide wires, fencing etc. lying around.
IF it happend then, the pilot would have been very lucky to miss everything. Perhaps the timing may be a little off?
DD
IF it happend then, the pilot would have been very lucky to miss everything. Perhaps the timing may be a little off?
DD
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TOO MANY AIRFIELDS IN MORAY FIRTH.
Easily done.
When Inverness was closed for extension/resurfacing mid-late 70s, my Saturday morning hangover was disturbed by a BEA Viscount climbing from below the trees near (then) RWY 29 threshold, presumably having taken Lossie's shorter runway for (then) RWY 26 at Kinloss.
The silence from the BEA crew was deafening as Lossie tower tried calling them.
All before EGPWS, FDM and the other spies in the cab, no damage except to the Viscount crews pride.
When Inverness was closed for extension/resurfacing mid-late 70s, my Saturday morning hangover was disturbed by a BEA Viscount climbing from below the trees near (then) RWY 29 threshold, presumably having taken Lossie's shorter runway for (then) RWY 26 at Kinloss.
The silence from the BEA crew was deafening as Lossie tower tried calling them.
All before EGPWS, FDM and the other spies in the cab, no damage except to the Viscount crews pride.
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I was having a look on the web for any details and just underneath Milltown on here it covers Kinloss, and this made me chortle
Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Scotland, Grampian
Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Scotland, Grampian
The number of missions flown could not hide the fact that Kinloss suffered a high training accident rate.
68 accidents were registered in the first year of 19OTUs operations, with many deaths.
Many trainees ended up ditching in nearby Findhorn Bay which was a Catch 22 situation.
Ending up in the bay at low tide in a dinghy was useless, as the bay was a quagmire.
On high tide it could occasionally flood the airfield.
This led to the humourous situation that a crew that had landed thought they had accidentally overshot.
Before climbing in their dinghies they made a distress call.
Next thing they saw from their dinghies was firetrucks driving right up beside them.
68 accidents were registered in the first year of 19OTUs operations, with many deaths.
Many trainees ended up ditching in nearby Findhorn Bay which was a Catch 22 situation.
Ending up in the bay at low tide in a dinghy was useless, as the bay was a quagmire.
On high tide it could occasionally flood the airfield.
This led to the humourous situation that a crew that had landed thought they had accidentally overshot.
Before climbing in their dinghies they made a distress call.
Next thing they saw from their dinghies was firetrucks driving right up beside them.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Early 80s, a GAF ac, possibly Transall, was well set up for Milltown.
IIRC the warning call came from a Shack. Can't remember if we were on the ground or in circuit. I think we called ATC who then alerted him.
IIRC the warning call came from a Shack. Can't remember if we were on the ground or in circuit. I think we called ATC who then alerted him.
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The runways and circular taxiway are still intact and can be seen from the B9103 that runs along the perimeter wire fence.
Looks like its no longer an aerial farm, but now home to grazing cattle and a HGV driving test centre.
Looks like theres another disused airfield the other side of the Spey Bay at Nether Dallachy. Beaufighter Road which is a nice constant bend must have been part of the circular taxiway. http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=57....=0&form=LMLTCC
I've also seen a memorial by the roadside for what looks like another disused airfield south west of Elgin, around Miltonduff. A website said this memorial is dedicated to 20 OTU which was based at RAF Elgin from 1940 to 1947. The base was mainly used to train Wellington bomber crews but was also used for raids.
Looks like its no longer an aerial farm, but now home to grazing cattle and a HGV driving test centre.
Looks like theres another disused airfield the other side of the Spey Bay at Nether Dallachy. Beaufighter Road which is a nice constant bend must have been part of the circular taxiway. http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=57....=0&form=LMLTCC
I've also seen a memorial by the roadside for what looks like another disused airfield south west of Elgin, around Miltonduff. A website said this memorial is dedicated to 20 OTU which was based at RAF Elgin from 1940 to 1947. The base was mainly used to train Wellington bomber crews but was also used for raids.
Last edited by gr4techie; 27th Jan 2015 at 18:21.
A certain 101 Sqn VC10K crew also mistook Milltown for Lossiemouth, but realised the error before making total idiots of themselves.....
Except that, on the return trip to Brize Norton, the captain elected for a visual approach on RW09....and promptly lined up on Fairford.....
Not that he'd ever admit it!
Except that, on the return trip to Brize Norton, the captain elected for a visual approach on RW09....and promptly lined up on Fairford.....
Not that he'd ever admit it!
Last edited by BEagle; 27th Jan 2015 at 20:05.
Thread Starter
Numbers stations were far more discreet: Poundon, Creswell and Gawcott in Bucks all bear testament. Milltown was submarine comms i believe.
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Milltown escapade
Your spot on dotticom
I worked in the hydraulic bay in the same hangar as VASF in those days.
The damaged F5 sat nearby for several days. I remember seeing a huge gash ripped out of the underside of one of them. Lucky pilot !
Rumour has it he took out several ten feet high concrete poles and wire link fencing that ran down the centre line of the disused runway at Miltown. Whilst his pairs buddy started his go around manoeuvre a little higher and was undamaged.
Fantastic place to work in the late seventies with all the Jags, shacks, hunters, buccaneers and sea kings.
I worked in the hydraulic bay in the same hangar as VASF in those days.
The damaged F5 sat nearby for several days. I remember seeing a huge gash ripped out of the underside of one of them. Lucky pilot !
Rumour has it he took out several ten feet high concrete poles and wire link fencing that ran down the centre line of the disused runway at Miltown. Whilst his pairs buddy started his go around manoeuvre a little higher and was undamaged.
Fantastic place to work in the late seventies with all the Jags, shacks, hunters, buccaneers and sea kings.
Dotticom has it about correct. They called visual and were handed over to tower, Lead called Twr (they were on a straight in) and was cleared to land. We never saw him and to cut a long story short yes he had "landed" at Milltown. I was in the Twr at Lossie when it happened. He did go through the fence but it had all blown off by the time he reached us.
Poundon, Creswell and Gawcott in Bucks all bear testament
Creslow (sp) and Hanslope Park were certainly such in the 1970s but latterly the UK seems to have used Cyprus.
RIP 'Lincolnshire Poacher' and 'Cherry Ripe', sadly missed.
Creslow (sp) and Hanslope Park were certainly such in the 1970s but latterly the UK seems to have used Cyprus.
RIP 'Lincolnshire Poacher' and 'Cherry Ripe', sadly missed.
Milltown was the place for MADDLs from Lossiemouth in the late 50s/early 60s. There were certain environmental restrictions on visual circuits at Lossie.
It was widely believed that the Laird of Pitgaveny, who lived within the Milltown circuit, disapproved of the 500 ft (more or less) MADDLs circuit height (esp Saturday mornings) and was in the habit of taking potshots, being good practice for the grouse season.
Scimitar guy met a problem (not the aforesaid Laird) on 23 at Milltown, and ejected on late finals. There was only time for the drogues to deploy, but not enough for seat separation or to deploy the main parachute. The pendulosity and stabilisation process meant the seat/drogue combo hit the ground almost horizontal, at low vertical speed, with the pilot feet first facing heaven, still in his seat. The seat ploughed a short deceleration furrow in soft ground, very close to the crater, whereupon the lucky guy disconnected himself and pretty much walked away intact.
LFH
It was widely believed that the Laird of Pitgaveny, who lived within the Milltown circuit, disapproved of the 500 ft (more or less) MADDLs circuit height (esp Saturday mornings) and was in the habit of taking potshots, being good practice for the grouse season.
Scimitar guy met a problem (not the aforesaid Laird) on 23 at Milltown, and ejected on late finals. There was only time for the drogues to deploy, but not enough for seat separation or to deploy the main parachute. The pendulosity and stabilisation process meant the seat/drogue combo hit the ground almost horizontal, at low vertical speed, with the pilot feet first facing heaven, still in his seat. The seat ploughed a short deceleration furrow in soft ground, very close to the crater, whereupon the lucky guy disconnected himself and pretty much walked away intact.
LFH
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On 24th January 1968, during the Cold War, while loitering with intent in the Lossie Tower to observe a promised full AB vertical climb (a consequence of a "mine's bigger than yours" game), I recall watching a Leuchars based F6 from 5SQN make rather a large hole near Milltown, the Lossie relief landing ground, after a reported engine fire on take off from runway 23.
It was one of a pair that had diverted to Lossie on minimum fuel after a QRA scramble from Leuchars and an intercept with Ivan over the North Sea - a regular occurance in those days.
The Leader had RTB'd after refuelling but the wingman (the one in question) had a flat tyre which necessitated a wheel change.
The promised climb was of very short duration. The 'Mayday' was followed by a spectacular powered dive with impact just off the Milltown runway. The pilot ejected successfully (a FLTLT nicknamed 'Dusty' if memory serves me correctly), but was not allowed to linger with us to bask in the glory of his Martin Baker QGH. Rumour was that Top Crab prevailed upon FONAC to provide a RN SAR ride back to Leuchars ASAP for the Pilot after a medical check (he was OK) so he could be "de-briefed". Apparently, Lightning engine fires were becoming quite frequent and the RAF Higher Command wanted the benefit of his first hand evidence.
We later heard a rumour that the flying controls had jammed due FOD in the cockpit.
Apart from wondering why Crab aircraft weren't fitted with Autotone, what amused us FAA types at the time was the RAF's unsuccessful attempts to pump out the flooded hole in an attempt to salvage the CAT 5 airframe (and relevant evidence), while apparently not appreciating that Milltown is below sea level. The North Sea proved to be more than a match for RAF issue pumps and salvage expertise, and the RN retained some very expensive fertiliser!
It was one of a pair that had diverted to Lossie on minimum fuel after a QRA scramble from Leuchars and an intercept with Ivan over the North Sea - a regular occurance in those days.
The Leader had RTB'd after refuelling but the wingman (the one in question) had a flat tyre which necessitated a wheel change.
The promised climb was of very short duration. The 'Mayday' was followed by a spectacular powered dive with impact just off the Milltown runway. The pilot ejected successfully (a FLTLT nicknamed 'Dusty' if memory serves me correctly), but was not allowed to linger with us to bask in the glory of his Martin Baker QGH. Rumour was that Top Crab prevailed upon FONAC to provide a RN SAR ride back to Leuchars ASAP for the Pilot after a medical check (he was OK) so he could be "de-briefed". Apparently, Lightning engine fires were becoming quite frequent and the RAF Higher Command wanted the benefit of his first hand evidence.
We later heard a rumour that the flying controls had jammed due FOD in the cockpit.
Apart from wondering why Crab aircraft weren't fitted with Autotone, what amused us FAA types at the time was the RAF's unsuccessful attempts to pump out the flooded hole in an attempt to salvage the CAT 5 airframe (and relevant evidence), while apparently not appreciating that Milltown is below sea level. The North Sea proved to be more than a match for RAF issue pumps and salvage expertise, and the RN retained some very expensive fertiliser!
