I went on cadet camp to Binbrook twice; '83 & '87, what a difference between the two years!
In '83 it was deafeningly busy with full flightlines for 5, 11 and LTF and constant activity. I spent a day with the firemen, who had to dash out for brake fires at least 3 times and then a day in 5 sqn maint where I got to help remove the top engine by sitting astride it as they lifted it winding the little wheel to move the CofG/pivot point for the crane attachment
On my second visit it was depressingly quiet, only 2 or 3 ships from each squadron were wheeled out each day and rarely anything from LTF. I spent the week as duty cadet strapping other cadets into the Chipmunks (and had my PPL by then so got some fun flying too) but at least I got to spend some quality time sat by the runway watching them.
Our camp was the week leading up to the last of the Lightning show, I remember standing near 11 sqn hangar watching the arrivals on the Friday afternoon and a Tornado F3 arrived just as one of the Lighnings was returning from a sortie....they did a slow pass side by side, then came back past a little faster....then it all went quiet....the Tonka appeared going quite quickly and pulled up hard...just as the Lighning came screaming past, stood on its tail and shot straight up, the whole station erupted into cheers!
My Swinderby passing out parade in May '88 was the last one to have a Lighning flypast, my Dad spent the whole thing with his back to the parade watching the Lighnings holding.
My last contact with Lightnings was whilst on Loadie ground school at Finningley, my Gatehouse housemate was a Binbrooke Brat and invited a couple of Binbrooke daughters over for the airshow weekend and asked me to help him 'take care of them'
