Army does not want Coltishall

[Gainesy]

Report from local paper, Colt up for disposal. :(
(Scroll down)
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED08%20Aug%202005%2019%3A33%3A54%3A517

[teeteringhead]

I thought that the RAF needed to keep the Colt FQs to house the extra personnel taking on Marham's GR4 deep servicing task??

Great daily commute that'll be.:rolleyes:

[BEagle]

A great tragedy if everything goes. In particular, the outstanding museum must be saved for future generations.

Another sad casualty of the imploding RAF. If Colt goes, how many RAF aerodromes will be left in East Anglia? Marham and Wyton - and that's it. Another one to add to the list of East Anglian aerodromes which have closed since I joined:

Bassingbourn
Bentwaters
Gravely
Honington
North Weald (OK - it's still operating as a civil aerodrome!)
Oakington
Stradishall
Wattisham (only Army helicopters now)
Watton
West Raynham

..and others which I've probably missed out.

A great station - but served by an appalling rural road network. Take the wrong turning and you're likely to run into some inbred cyclopian local who will ask you to "Squeal like a pig" if you're unlucky.

[LXGB]

Hiya Beags,
Wattisham (only Army helicopters now)
Don't forget 22 Sqn. Annoys the Army no end everytime a job well done is reported in the local media as "A Seaking from RAF Wattisham...". :E

Best Regards,
LXGB

[BEagle]

Sorry, LXGB! I didn't realise that 22 Sqn had a detachment at Wattisham.

Nice part of the world, Wattisham!

[Whirlygig]

some inbred cyclopian local
Oi! I resemble that comment!

However, you cannot criticize the roads around here enough!

Cheers

Whirls

[niknak]

I cordially invite Beagle for a few pints at the Recruiting Sargent at Coltishall, closley followed by an intimate chat with some of the "inbred cyclopian locals" - most of whom are military personnel or second home capitalists.

The real locals can't afford to live there any more, a situation which won't be improved once everyone "darn sarf" latches onto the fact that this extremely pleasant area of Norfolk no longer suffers from extreme noise pollution 8am to 6pm, Mon - Fri.

[DK338]

There is nothing wrong with the roads in Norfolk, in fact if anything they keep the peasantry out so we of the web footed tribe can live our lives in peace and quiet!
:p

[Maple 01]

I'm told the Army turned down Colt because they couldn't see the point of having an AIR Assault Brigade too close to an airhead.....bit of a lucky escape for the locals

Ah well, the Jolly Farmers has a beerfest on......

[Gainesy]

I was never stationed there but visited a few times and it always struck me as having a happy atmosphere, mind you most of the visits were when I was at Honington (with its morale vacuum at the time).

Ah well, we won Kirton-in-Lindsay back from the Brownjobs, is the airfield there useable BTW? Or did they knacker it by digging holes/driving tracked vehicles over it?

[Art Field]

From what I remember of a winter in Kirton-in-Lindsay, did we want it back ?

[pr00ne]

Gainesy,

The grass airfield at Kirton is fully serviceable and used for quite intensive gliding and powered tug flying. The airfield is fenced off from the rest of the station, rather like South Cerney.

[Gainesy]

Proone,
Thank you, that's nice to hear.
The 12-year old Gainesy first got airborne there, as an ATC Cadet in a T.31 glider. Remember a big signals mast on the airfield and like Art said, it was bloody cold.

[HEDP]

Not sure why the AABde would want an airhead that is an hour further away than the one they currently use on the doorstep that has much better road access anyway!

Call me a bluff old traditionalist and all that,

HEDP

[Gainesy]

Does seem crazy to be disposing of MoD land when there is talk about pulling more army stuff back from Germany. To where?

[The Gorilla]

Gainsey

To redundancies I fear!

:(

[Maple 01]

HEDP
how can you be an hour from the airhead if you live there? Colchester has no runway, Coltishall, last time I looked out the window, does

[Jacks Down]

Wattisham is the airhead in question.

[Gainesy]

I thought TCH is/was the airhead.

[Jacks Down]

I mean the airhead an hour away from 16 AA Bde at Colchester.

[HEDP]

Sorry,

Wattisham was the place in question, runway maintained, just needs the crash cat upgraded for Air Transport. It has been used for outloading assets although the RAF generally prefer stuff to go 3-4 hours down the road to South Cerney, how logical is that!!!!!

HEDP

[LXGB]

Wattisham is Cx Cat MOD 3A, but they have 2 MFVs and an RIV there permanently, so it's just a matter of bringing in a couple of extra firemen and you've got MOD 4A. It's good to see Hercs coming in regularly these days for PJEs over STANTA. 4 Sqn deployed their Harriers there last year and C-17's come in occasionally as well.

Like HEDP says, it's madness to cram the Paras in the back of a four tonner for a 5 hour drive down to Lyneham or Cerney when there's 7,500 ft of runway and full ATC available at Wattisham. Glad that common sense is being used at last!

LXGB

[J.A.F.O.]

LXGB

Try reminding them that it's a Strike Command airfield and that they're merely tenants.

Now that's how to get them annoyed.

:E :E :E :} :ouch:

[HEDP]

Thought it lost that category a long time ago by all accounts! If it is a Strike asset then perhaps they ought to contribute to the upkeep. As it is, there is talk of some alteration to the north side to accomodate C17's,sounds promising to me! Ownership not withstanding though; it's a cracking asset and positioned perfectly for the AABde IMHO,

HEDP

[rhajaramjet]

The rush to close airfields in the south-east (and especially Coltishall and Wattisham) has left the RAF (and HM Government) in something of a pickle. The 9/11 attacks resulted in the RAF having to APPEAR to demonstrate the ability to quickly intercept (and deter if needbe) any threat to high value targets in London. But the only airfield suitable is Coningsby. Not only are we paying a mind-boggling fortune to air-taxi the crews in each day from their northern UK base, but the reaction time means that by the time some baddie is detected, an F3 can never get there in time to save Big Ben (or whatever target you like to choose). They should be based much closer - eg: Wattisham.
Then we'd be able to demonstrate the sort of capability the USAF and the French have - anything airborne that shows even a HINT of anything unusual has an F15 / F16 / Mirage alongside it in very short order.

[cavortingcheetah]

:)

Just a small request for any information or ideas as to what might happen to RAF Coltishall once the RAF have pulled out.
Locally the rumours encompass anything from tank depository to helicopter base to refugee camp.
Thank you. cc:D

[Bluntend]

Last I heard its going to go along similar lines as RAF Horsham St Faiths. Any real estate of worth that can be re sold or converted (Officers Mess - flats, some of the OMQs - family homes), the rest will be pulled down/converted to a business park/David Wilson-style housing estate. This is only rumour but a crying shame if it actually happens. Its another case where the decent base closes and the ones no-one likes remain open (Kinloss closing, Lossie staying open for example). It makes you wander how long Wittering and Cottesmore can survive.

[cavortingcheetah]

:(

Seems logically illogical enough. Initially, any closure will impact badly on Coltishall small business and, I suspect taxi company and Recruiting Seargant.
Thanks for the information though. We shall miss the Jaguars and the occasional visits by Red Arrows, foreign air forces and other strange flying machines. A great shame. Perhaps the base commander might be persuaded to throw an orgy for locals just prior to closure?
Regards.cc

[Bluntend]

There are rumours going back years that there are mint condition, boxed up, inhibited Merlin engines buried somewhere under the taxi way/airfield/runway. Apparently, they were buried during the war - not quite sure why, OC Eng's inspection maybe (its difficult getting an engine in the bottom draw of a filing cabinet or the boot of your car along with all the other spares ;) ). Anyway, if the Stn is dug up it'll be interesting to see whether anything is found...

[grousehunter]

Bluntend:

Who said Kinloss was closing?

[Bluntend]

Try the RAF Rumour network...Its more reliable than what we're told from on high...

[grousehunter]

Fair one! Think we are supposed to find out soon anyway for certain.