Bomber Exercise Recovery Profiles.
Just a few notes on recovery procedures on bomber exercises in the 60s.
A Group exercise might see 45-50 aircraft flying the same route at 10 minute intervals with perhaps 100 - 150 on a major command exercise. They may have launched from 30 plus airfields but be recovering to just 9 all in the East of England at near enough the same time.
To enable safe recovery when the military radar units could be under pressure with recovering fighters and bombers procedural control was practised. Aircraft would be routed via a common Force Dispersal Point. Prior to reaching the FDP the would report. ETA and fuel state. At FDP they were handed over to the respective Groups and route to the GDP.
From the GDP each aircraft was handed over to its parent station and route to the appropriate Station Entry Point making good the time ordered. From memory the 1Gp GDP was over the North Sea with its station entry points over the North Sea. As the Coningsby Wing had been moved to Cottesmore they retained the original 3 Gp Station Entry Point over the Lake District.