After working in Thatcham today, I took the opportunity to visit the nearby former RAF Greenham Common.
The boarded up and rather dilapidated Tower is one of the few surviving buildings.
Such a change from the bustling hive of activity when I was last there - for RIAT 1983, IAT in those days.
I trundled along with the team kit in the OFMC Broussard at a sedate 120 mph, but there was no shortage of fast jets and other interesting aircraft to see that weekend.
The visit of the SR-71 was marred by the so-called 'Peace Campaigners' who obviously thought it was clever to throw paint on it. Perhaps they thought it was a bomber?
When the Blackbird left Greenham a few days later, the crew had some fun:
I was the pilot in this video, but did not fly the SR-71 out of RAF Greenham Common. I was the "mobile control" officer when the aircraft departed and the pilot was Maj Jim Jiggens, a USAF Thunderbird pilot and formally a US Army helicopter combat pilot in Vietnam.
On the evening of the air show featured in this video, women, who were protesting President Reagan's decision to station intermediate nuclear missiles in England, broke into the security cordon around the air show aircraft and threw paint on several, including this SR-71.
Owing to the unique metals associated with the SR-71, the removing of the paint required special maintenance procedures to assure that no "hot spot" would develop on subsequent flights. It was quite a hassle and we were not amused over this incident.
Jim and I planned a farewell departure for the protesters who were encamped in a squalor of tents just outside the main gate. Jim obtained clearance for a "closed pattern" and turned to a downwind leg, descended to about 100 feet above the ground, and flew directly over the protestors' encampment. It was early and probably most were asleep, but not for long.
Jim was flying about 250 knots and selected afterburner in both engines as he was approaching the tents. As the SR-71 accelerated to 350-400 knots, he pulled up and focused the plume (and noise) directly on the protesters. It was a magnificent sight.
I also had the honor to prefer charges against the women, but the British government later declined to prosecute.
BC Thomas
About 30 Phantoms from various air forces attended the ‘Phantom 25th Anniversary Meet’.
Mark Hanna, who would otherwise have been displaying an OFMC aircraft, brought one of the Treble One pair from Leuchars and the Boscombe aircraft was in special livery to celebrate the occasion.
IAT 1983 also saw one of the last RAF Vulcan displays:
1983 was, I think, the last IAT held at Greenham before the move to Fairford.
Happy memories of a great weekend.
Coincidentally,
Thornford Park where I spent the day working was originally a school for children of American personnel stationed at Greenham.
FL