Upper Heyford

[Neil Porter]

Does anyone know the latest on the future of Upper Heyford??

I heard that the buildings & hangars that are used by various companys are on a short term lease & i think part of the airfield is still used for a massive Car Park for new motors but reading an article on the Upper Heyford website (which is very good), there was talk of a proposal to make it into a 'Cold War' museum ??

Heres the website link:
http://raf-upper-heyford.nstemp.org/Welcome.html

Personally i think it a waste of what was once a great airfield, i would have thought with the terroism threat of today and the need to have a fighter Squadron near to London to ' patrol' the skys in times of need then Upper Heyford would have made sense, especially with the HAS complex to house the fighters in?
As i said this is my personal view, what are other peoples views on UH??

[Daifly]

I know part of it is used for track days and driver training (I've been there myself playing around on the fantastic tarmac - which takes part of the old parallel taxiway and one of the taxiways up to a clutch of Hardened Aircraft Shelters - in fact, in inclement weather, they work out of one of the HAS's. (Was interested to see one of the American pillboxes complete with bulletproof glass and bullet holes?!))

As for the museum, it would be a *HUGE* shame from a historical point of view if thousands of houses replace the airfield - at present it appears that the Americans moved out and nothing happened since - but I believe from the website that they are trying to build this into the planning application that a museum is a condition of the approval. Hope so anyway.

It's a very eerie place these days.

[Regie Mental]

The facilities at Heyford when it closed were what one would expect from a base which, along with Lakenheath, was perhaps one of the most important in NATO. However I believe the voltage on base is US and accordingly the cost of converting it for RAF use was simply too great.

It was also very unpopular with the locals, many of whom moved there when the base had four squadrons of Varks in residence. The same residents now don't want the base used for housing or industrial use and do not understand that the cost of demolishing HASs to return the field to agricultural use is simply not tenable.

The hardened command post at the base would make an ideal museum. I toured it a few years back and apart from the computers it's all still there. However I wouldn't build your hopes up. Not long before it closed I was invited to the opening of an exhibition about Heyford in Banbury. Being produced by the local council the empahsis was on the peace demos, not the contribution of the USAF to the Cold War and local economy.

Reg

[newswatcher]

I would have been very interested to see a business case for converting it into a commercial airport. It's near the M40 motorway junction, and only about 20 miles from M1, where spur could also ease access to Silverstone!

Very close to two existing railway lines, therefore spur would not be a great cost. Not all that far from Rugby (40 miles?), which is already being considered as a new airport site for the Midlands.

Closing down Kidlington, and scheduling it for mixture of commercial, housing and nature would have brought some capital back for developing Upper Heyford.

Only one problem, and RM has already mentioned that!!

[BEagle]

No - leave it closed! After the USAE went, a whole chunk of previously unavailable airspace became Class G and we're very happy with that!

We don't really need any new airports, just decent investment in the ones we already have. Longer runway, better access and more car parking at Bristol, for example. Less money thrown at Thiefrow, more spent on the regionals!

Why, for example, are there no direct flights between the West Country/South Coast and North West France? It's wither drive all the way to STN and fly with Mo'L, or go via Paris.....

Bristol/Bournemouth/Sothampton/Plymouth to Dinard/Rennes etc....

[VP8]

Wasn't the base wired for 115volts???

Could be very costly to rewire!!

VEEPS

[Man-on-the-fence]

Nope it was wired to UK spec. Thats why they could rent out the base with minimal work. There is a very good musem on site run by the new site Lease holders (note lease holders!!). PPR is required but it is fascinating.

[witchdoctor]

It sure is a wierd place to live.

Was shacked up there in the old visiting aircrew mess whilst doing the atpl at Kidlington. Definitely UK voltage.

No facilities at all except for a small convenience store (the porn and beer shop) which isn't very good and mostly contains empty space. Very strange local inhabitants too. The houses appear to be managed by a housing association providing low cost housing to low income families (and OAT instructors!).

Can't see it becoming a major housing development as the road links are pants at present, especially at the traffic lights onto the Kidlington - Banbury road.

And it doesn't have a pub!:*

[Navy_Adversary]

It would make a nice active aviation museum, move RAF Hendon museum up there, it is close to Oxford for the American visitors.
Move RIAT up there, nice long runways, HAS etc etc
Excellent transport links, M40, A43 rail line adjacent.
Flying could be limited to certain weekends so as not to upset the NIMBYS.
Could also have a Concorde there..........:ok: