RAF Brampton Gate Guardian. F4??

[forget]

I drove past RAF Brampton for the first time last week and was surprised to see an F4 parked as Gate Guardian. F4 Gate Guardians may make sense at airfields from which they have flown, but an 'American' F4 and Brampton? Bit incongruous. Now a Lightning…………

Any lying around looking for a home? Apart from the derelict on the east side of the A1 around the Newark area.

[Compass Call]

Perhaps a Canberra from Wyton was too big for the space available( or too expensive ) and the Spams at Alconbury had some scrap metal to give away for free! :E


CC

[Beeayeate]

That FGR2 has been there quite some time now, it's an ex-74Sqn airframe. Why it's at Brampton? No idea.

http://www.canberra.plus.com/pics/Brampton.jpg

[Zlin526]

Even though its not an airfield, I'm sure that at one time, RAF Brampton was home to an RAF Group (1 Grp?), so maybe the F4 fits after all...? Its better than mounting a typewriter on the gate!

[Tiger_mate]

Its there so that the ATC Cadets can have a suitable backdrop for their ATC Summer Camp Photo :E

[Beeayeate]

Zlin
Its better than mounting a typewriter on the gate!

Surely a more fitting GG would have been a well polished teak-effect desk . . . with a typewriter on it.


Tiger
OK. But what's the point of sending ATC cadets to a non-flying station? Or are they supposed to gain experience as pax with those who are at Brampton flying desks? :rolleyes:



:E

[tyne]

Anyone know the history of the gate guard F4 at MPA?

Was waiting outside for a lift hime the other week and a couple of us who know more about ships than warplanes checked her over.

It looked ot us that her Speys were still there. Is it normal for gate guards to be as intact as this.

We were wondering how she got there. Our guessing was that she was based at MPA on her last trip before leaving service and it was cheaper to just leave her there and turn her into an exhibit.

One other question. Was she one of the Ex-RN Phantoms transferred to the RAF when Ark IV left service?

Dan

[Tiger_mate]

BI(8) said:

Tiger
OK. But what's the point of sending ATC cadets to a non-flying station? Or are they supposed to gain experience as pax with those who are at Brampton flying desks?

That is EXACTLY where the ATC Sqn that I assist at are going for annual camp this year. Whilst I held my head in disbelief for exactly the reasons you allude to, I am told that the ACLO there is a good guy that will make the best of a bad deal.. Lets hope that flying at Wyton is on the cards for the cadets are Vmaxed at the thought of Duxford (being the highlight) again.

The desirable units are cancelling camps this year as a direct result of overstretch. .. and as a serving chappie, I can relate to that. Result: Camps at Halton / Henlow & Brampton. I am told that UAS are short finals for disbandment, lets hope that AEFs do not follow, for with the reduced RAF that we now have, the military does not need to encourage air minded youngsters anymore. Do you know that you can sit every single member of the Royal Air Force at Old Trafford with room for a few fat blokes to have 2 seats.

[Beeayeate]

Deeply saddened to hear that Tiger, seems such an odd thing to do. I was trying to be sardonic in my reply, gawd's know I didn't think I would actually be right!

As a denizen of another era I can only hang my head in shame at the modern beancounter-enforced response of the service to these ATC youngsters, denying them a shufti at an actual working camp. When I was in the ATC (centuries ago) we did Topcliff, Hawarden, Brawdy, Abbotsinch and RNAS Arbroth (for gliding).

Can't blame the current few operating units though, the blokes are doing best they can - besides, there's no longer any Chipmunks for AE (or ex-Mossie pilots from Brampton to fly them on their day off).

Just to bring the memories back for you, here's an AE Wyton Chippy during the long hot summer of 1970. :ok:


http://www.canberra.plus.com/pics/WytonChipmunk-1970.jpg