The Shoulder is now a fancy restaurant called the Lobster Pot, and the station looks much the same apart from a few new buildings and a wire fence excluding the airfield from the domestic site as it still used as a satellite airfield.
We had a reunion not that long ago which seemed to go quite well. The Army Sergeant Chef did a superb five course menu and I left a couple of cases of Champagne glasses in the Sgt's mess cellar in case we ever do it again. If we did then I think the Finningley chaps should be included as their base is no longer in existence.
I think I enjoyed my time there though I found the Varsity quite crude, the STR18 HF radio belonged in the museum and I only remember one instructor called Morson (M/AEOp) who seemed to frighten some of the students. He took the fire axe to my colleague (student) but didn't like being bullied himself. From there I went directly to Ballykelly and joined 204sqn with no OCU at all. Imagine how I felt in the Shack if the Varsity was crude.
The freedom at weekends of clowning about on my Triumph motorcycle on the main runway was brilliant and I mastered standing on the saddle, a trick I did once on the long straight road back from a lunchtime session at the Shoulder. The car I passed was one of the hierarchy on the AE school.
Happy days? I think so looking back. I spent most of my free time in Harrogate which was where I got the nickname 5aday. I don't like veggies all that much either.
ps I was one of the two students who parachuted into Topcliffe - we both ended up in Catterick (Hospital I hasten to add) with broken legs. Six months later( at Headley Court) .......
That's another long story.