I went through flying training in the Royal Air Force between 1960 and 1962. The Thor sites were very good navigation features and we all had them plotted on our maps. They consisted of three T-shaped launch pads arranged in a triangle with the three missile storage sheds behind each pad.
At night, they stood out like dogs' b*lls for they were surrounded by a circle of very bright yellow sodium security lights. (The Bloodhound missile sites were similarly prominent - no pun intended).
It was very unusual to see one of the Thor missiles outside of its shed.
Mepal was one of the VFR reporting points from Oakington. I well remember one Varsity pilot calling up one morning in great excitement on his way across the Fens to inform the rest of us that "Mepal has an erection this morning". And so it did!
Last edited by JW411; 16th Sep 2005 at 16:41.