Llanbedr

[Negative 'G']

Does anyone have any Info on the closure of this lovely Airfield scheduled for the end of this month, such as dates & times for any Official Flypasts/Ceremonies to be held etc..

I'm not a closet spotter(Though some may disagree :D) just someone who owes a lot to the place that initially got me into Aviation as a small boy.
PM me if you wish any info to remain confidential.

Neg G:(

[SilsoeSid]

'Tis a shame.

Llanbedr was always handy for a stopover in the middle of an exercise. Friendly people working in the hangars and dare I say it friendly MoD plods also.

Nice hotel in Harlech always provided a room with a sea view, overlooking Tremadog Bay, to wake up to. Watching the train chug up the coastline, always helped me choose the scenic departure route along the beach.

Pity that others will lose the opportunity for the future.

SS

[KENNYR]

Loved to work out of Llanbedr when taking students into the mountains to let them try and kill me mountain flying:D Very pleasant memories of the hotel in the village and the great breakfasts!!!
Sad day when it closes.

[Ali Barber]

I Llanbedr is closing, what's happening to the Aberporth range and AGWOEU (Welsh for STCAAME)?

[airborne_artist]

From Hansard:

Mr. Caplin: It is planned that operations at the Llanbedr airfield will cease on 31 October 2004. Following this, there will be a site closure programme, with formal handover to Defence Estates planned for 11 February 2005. All 144 staff at Llanbedr have been given notice of redundancy. It is expected that approximately 90 staff will be made redundant on 5 November 2004, with the remaining staff being made redundant on 11 February 2005. QinetiQ, the company operating activities on the site on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, has appointed Right Courts consultancy to assist the staff in finding alternative employment, including within the company where suitable vacancies exist.

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the range at Aberporth will be viable without the pilotless target drones from Llanbedr. [183114]

Mr. Caplin: Yes, it will. The drones at Llanbedr, aerial target towing vehicles known as the Jindivik, will be replaced by the Mirach target service, a modern pilotless aircraft which does not require a runway launch and which will be operated from Aberporth itself.

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use he plans will be made of the long runway at Llanbedr; and whether it will be used by commercial traffic. [183115]

Mr. Caplin: A range of options for future use of the site will be considered which may include use by commercial traffic.

[PPRuNe Pop]

More comment on the subject HERE (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=109640)

[amb_211085]

Shame, it means all us Air Cadets won't be able to spend those moments of free time gazing up at the a/c as they practice landings and whatnot.

[The Rocket]

The AGWOEU is now part of the FJ and Wpns OEU at RAF Coningsby.

[Zoom]

I'm familiar with the good old Jindi and I've fired my one Sidewinder at one - or, rather, at the towed flare - but can someone tell me about the Mirach?

[Chris Kebab]

Mirach – Italian made jet job launched from the range-head at Aberporth. I have been assured that the change over should be pretty transparent so if you are firing on the range after 1 Nov expect a target towed by a Mirach.

Advantages over Jindi are two controllers as opposed to five, no chase aircraft is needed plus, of course, no runway is required. It recovers by chute into the sea where a civvy helo scoops it up and takes it back to the range-head.

Los of rumours however about the future use of Llanbedr as a UAV test field. I suppose now these things are arriving they are going to have to test them somewhere from an airfield pretty adjacent to a range – not many other sites fit the bill.

The Meteor has done its last flight – flew to Boscombe earlier in the week.

[jimgriff]

Have spent many a happy day watching the "jousting" over cardigan bay.

Anyone remember:

"Dropkick, Caravan"....."Oops, I think I just dropkicked the jindi, Ho Hum, Back to valley"

[NDB]

I know it sounds said!

Spent a good few weeks using my spare time watching the aircraft as a space cadet...

A friend told me it was closing, so a quick call to the helpful ATC got me a couple of ccts (my thanks to the Hawk driver who was holding for me!).

[The Legend]

any chance of closing Valley down aswell before I go back there ?!

:yuk: