Originally Posted by
FantomZorbin
I believe that Watton was being used by USAF until quite recently (within the last 5 years) for air-dropping.
Yes indeed. They regularly did HALO training there. They would drop several sticks and then land to recover the troops before heading off back to Mildenhall to have their chutes re packed (I imagine) before doing it all again later. Great sight watching the Herc go downwind at a few hundred feet down Thompson Road in Griston before landing. I remember watching the little black dots tumble from the back, rapidly gaining size until several loud "crack" noises indicated the chutes opeing really low. They used to drop Harness Packs regularly too.
It was also used as airhead for training on Stanta. There were sometimes shuttles of C130 in and out all day as well as regular training missions in there from Lyneham.
The RAF operated Harriers from there on one occasion too.
Unfortunately, it's now a housing estate and a pig farm.