RAF Finningley

[Spot 4]

I know that Finningley stirs the nostalgia strings of many in this forum, with tales of Donny girls and Seventh Heaven. You may remember that the RAF spent millions of pounds on a new Nav school, state of the art MT, and even a church immediately prior to closing the station, and hurting the local already devestated (coal board closures) economy. The reason given for the wasted millions was that the runway was about to subside and that a new runway was not cost effective making the loss of said millions actually the cheap option in the long run.

Obviously not everybody agrees with that tosh for this link will show you what the future of the site is:


http://www.doncasterfinningleyairport.co.uk/mainfset/mplans.htm

[Radar Muppet]

Hosties. From Donny. Fan-blo*dy-tastic. Bring it on and I'll fly to Finningley just for the pleasure of using it!

[A and C]

The state of the runway has nothing to do with the closure of RAF Finningley evidence of this is the fact that a company is willing to invest a large amount of cash in an airport that would be a white elephant without a runway.

If you look back to the time when the closure of Finningley was anounced the defence budget was being squeezed ( nothing new ! ) and the consevative goverment was in its decline and in need of all the votes that it could get.

So why would the goverment of the day close a defence base in a constituancy that had a large number of tory votes and may be loose a seat in the house when you can close a base in " the peoples republic of south yorkshire" with no danger to a tory seat.

The fact of the matter is that this is the way that politics is played and the national good and the need for jobs in south yorks was not an issue...........the chance that a few of tory MP,s would be out of a job was the issue.

I expect no more or less from the presant resident at 10 downing street.

[Shaka]

Anyone remember the Gatehouse Rock festival.....? or the Gatehouse grand prix...? Just wondering, I was there for both...top times and we actually did some work...or did we, I forget!

Beers.

[BEagle]

Arthur Scargill International - b£oody awful place. Full of cheap women and SODCAT wannabes......

[Spot 4]

I give in: What the F is SODCAT

[BEagle]

'Society Of Directional Consultants and Allied Trades' - the half-winged brigade!

[Spot 4]

Oh you mean Professional Aviators without Ego, I have learned something today, therefore you must have been an instructor:

More a nibble then a bite, have a nice day:ok:

[Mad_Mark]

Beags,

Good job that not all pilots are the Two Winged Arrogant Types (****'s) like you :ok:

MadMark!!! :mad:

[BEagle]

Actually 'SODCAT' was a term invented by the half-wingers themselves.... Or rather those with a sense of humour. And I think that 'half-winger' was a WW2 term?

What makes you think that I'm in any way having a go at such folk? OK then - Linton-on-Ouse was full of baby pilots if that makes you feel any happier.

Mind you, I still think that S Yorks/N Notts is a pretty rank part of the UK. It deserved Scargill!

[ShyTorque]

Beagle,

S. Yorks / N.Notts "pretty rank"? Contentious words.

Let down very badly by successive governments, especially this present one.

But no more "rank" than Oxfordshire is full of compwete rankers.

Thank you.

On a lighter note, It was once said that you could have a meat pie, a pint and a woman for a fiver. It might have been partly true - but there wasn't much meat in t' pie, though ;)

[BEagle]

Oops, sorry. Finger trouble - I meant 'dank' as in rather gloomy and depressing - not 'rank'. The 'd' and 'r' keys are dathed close togethed!

[ShyTorque]

Oh, yes, I made the same mistake.

Complete dankers it is. :p

[Chris Kebab]

BEagle stop being so grumpy. Never done a FY tour (or trained there) but goodness me nightstops there were some of the best ever in the UK. Especially in the days of the airshows of the 80s. Donny was tops. Fantastic curry house (was it the Indus or something similar?) and some of the wildest women I have ever met. Certainly beat anything in York and those two Welsh places.

But then again I have led a rather sheltered life........

[The Nr Fairy]

ST:

If there wasn't much meat in the pies, was it in the women ?

[Jackonicko]

Mine certainly was! ;) :cool: :ok: :E

[Mad_Mark]

Beags,


Actually 'SODCAT' was a term invented by the half-wingers themselves.... Or rather those with a sense of humour. And I think that 'half-winger' was a WW2 term?

What makes you think that I'm in any way having a go at such folk? OK then - Linton-on-Ouse was full of baby pilots if that makes you feel any happier.



To me...

Arthur Scargill International - b£oody awful place. Full of cheap women and SODCAT wannabes......

reads as you didn't like Finningley because of the local young ladies and those training to be non-pilot aircrew.


And later in your...

- the half-winged brigade!

the use of the exclamation mark displayed your arrogant contempt towards those of us with only one wing on our brevets. Maybe I am just reading your posts in the wrong way, if so I appologise, but having read many of your several thousand other posts I am not sure that I am ;)

MadMark!!! :mad:

[flexy won]

Before this degenerates into P Vs N war of words, I would just like to say that my time at RAF Finningley provided me with some life shaping experiences and some unanswered questions:

My first night out in Doncaster included the Miss Labatts String T Shirt Competition at Seventh Heaven. I was 19, she was grateful in the morning.

Is it true that Bachhus was burnt down?

Why were there more people on the streets at night than during the day?

Why did the women not freeze during the winter bearing in mind how little they wore?

How come I never won 'Pull the Pig' even though I ended up with the 'I don't fancy yours much' lass?

[ShyTorque]

Nr F,

A lot of them had extra meat on the outside :ok: but yes, probably ;)

Actually, although posted to Finningley in the late 1980's, as a long term married man I must now admit I never had a "good night out in Donny" as per nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

More fool me, eh? :(

[propulike]

Made it to Finningley even before going to METS. (Writing on the wall at an early date I daresay.)

The night's out were epic - starting in the bar before lurching onto the 20 past seven bus of shame to get dropped off at the Sally. 50p to get into 7th Heaven if you had a 1250, £5 if you didn't. A town where men were men and women were glad of it :D

There is a rich coal seam under the runway, but the mines were closed before it was dug out. The airfield therefore is, as you may say, solid as rock!

[TheNightOwl]

If ever the UK needs an enema, then Finningley is where the tube will be inserted. I did two "tours" there, 7 years in toto, NEVER was I so glad to leave anywhere in my 22 years in uniform!
A dull, grey miserable place, populated by dull, grey miserable people, and I don't suppose they'll have changed any in the 24 years since I last saw the place.
Chuck a "bucket of sunshine" at it, it would surely improve the hole!

Kind regards,

TheNightOwl.:yuk: :yuk:

[Gainesy]

I was born there and joined the RAF to get away from the feckin place.:E

[maninblack]

Gainsey,

I got as far away as I could as well.

Doncaster; where men are men, and so are most of the women.

[Gainesy]

You've met my sister then?:)

[TimC]

I was born in donny! :O

[Bill O'Average]

Tim I probably kicked you, your mum, your sisters back doors in!!!

Donnie! What A night/early morning!

I was lucky to be present in the Sgts mess in the last year when they were trying to 'lose' all the mess dosh to save it being 'accounted for' else where. Fri-Sun was a 'mess function of extra ordinary quality and length!

My mate and I were on a JFACTSU course and we never left the bar before 0200 for three weeks! Apart from the obvious excursions doon toon. Four birds picked us up in the mess on the first night (they had the decency to tell thier hubbies, who were propped at the bar, where they were going!) and dragged us on a massive pub crawl. It kind of went from bad to worse from there. They ordered us to meet them at the bus stop at the main gate. We reluctently obliged. The double decker stopped at every tiny village en route and approx 3 doris's got on at each stop. They just so happened to be the tottie's mate that had trapped us in the mess. Me and me mucker felt like a pair of school girls which was handy as most of the trouts who were on board were too! 2 v 30! Even we could score with those odds!

Now both me and me pal were both ex infantry of some years but these tarts certainly taught us a couple of things when it came to drinking large quantities of booze and other matters! ............................................REMAINDER OF STORY CENSORED...........................................

Nightmare course that cost me something in the region of £2k.

I have nothing but starry eyed memories of Finningley and heavy overdraft bills and some obscure rashes of Donnie and the trouts that frequent it. What a bleedin waste!

Having chatted to chaps who have done the same course at Leeming, Bedale doesnt seem to have the same attractions!

[BEagle]

I rest my case.....:mad:

[maninblack]

Gainsy,

If your sister wore purple leg blotches and shagged blokes called Baz in Bowers Fold then I would likely have confused her with most of the other women in Doncaster.

Do you remember those two silly cows from Intake who both changed their names by deed poll to "Ziggy Stardust" then had a fight in The White Bear over who did it first?

Typical Doncaster slappers.

[insty66]

I had 2 tours at Finningley and very many memorable trips to town. The people are warm friendly (it was a bit rough during the miners strike):ouch:
I never knew so many people hated it, as all I remember from camp is how long so many people had done there.
If it were re-opened tomorrow I'd be the first to volunteer
Loved it the and still like donny now

[TheNightOwl]

insty66 - what a sad admission, I fear you are beyond redemption! It was VERY rough during the miners' strike, not a pleasant time at all to be in S. Yorks., I agree. The only things I miss are a decent pint at The Bird and Bastard, and the brass bands which used to ply there in the summer. The rest of the place can disappear into oblivion!

Kind regards,

TheNightOwl.:ugh:

[ShyTorque]

Ah yes, the miners' strike! Those flying picket ba$tard$ kicked my garden fence in, then used private land including our garden to cross over the border from S. Yorks to get past the police lines to the local colliery.

Well, it didn't work, the local collieries are all gone with nowt to replace 'em. Local unemployment is still extremely high, many Coal Board housing estates in the Donny area are boarded up.....and I still haven't had my missing garden fence replaced.... :rolleyes:

So it will be a good day for all when Finningley opens as an airport - except for those retired RAF folk who bought cheap houses under the "disused" flightpath :E

[Small Spinner]

I'm surprised at the number of people who didn't enjoy their time at Finningley. I loved it. :D
Role on the airport opening up, can't wait.
Yes there is a fair share of numpties in the area, but no more so than other parts of the country where the pretentious live.
;)

[Blacksheep]

I enjoyed everywhere I went including BCVSS at Finningley. I guess its all a matter of attitude. As a single twenty-something the world consisted entirely of totty and alcohol punctuated by occasional bouts of 'work' - if messing about with aeroplanes can be considered working. Finningley? Doncaster? Loved 'em both! I even have happy memories of Lincoln for goodness sake! Oh yes, and one of the most interesting episodes of my young life (involving highland dress and a MILF) took place in a No.1 Bomber Group bus in the car park at Caenby Corner. Any place is exactly what you make of it.

**************************
Through difficulties to the cinema

[insty66]

I just remember it as a friendly camp where (almost) all were up for a laugh and there were always the Berlin trips to enhance the experience for those of us lucky enough to go (mon cheries & that bath:E

I guess it's like everything else 1 person moans and everyone listens ignoring those who had nothing to complain about.

Would still go back and live in my cheap quarter after all there are no civvy a/c with afterburners anymore!

[scroggs]

I had a great time at Finningley as a QFI on the UAS between 87 and 91. The station itself suffered somewhat from the usual training b*llsh*t, but I really enjoyed the UAS and South Yorkshire. My time living in Bawtry were some of the most fun years of my life - and everything said about Donny above is true. Everything!

There never was any subsidence below the runway, though other parts of the station's estate did suffer slightly. The runway was completely rebuilt between 1988-89 (we even had our own tarmac factory for a while), and has probably more life left in it than any in UK.

[RRAAMJET]

Yup, Bawtry was ok - good curry house and sunday market...walking the dog round the old HQ grounds...ahhh.

Farkin' Donnie Rovers FC: took a guest from the US...BIIIGG mistake - God, they were cr@p! Never seen so many flat-caps in my life looking glum - deservedly.

FY had some great flying - Dom low-levels, Berlin sh@g-aways, busy circuit, aircraft continually breaking and getting stuck...what a hoot. :ok: oh, and a really cute Adminner - can't remember her name though...

Seventh Heaven - had a frightening experience there with some monster with a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp...and that was the cute one...:}

I think some of them must fly for us here at American now...:suspect: