RAF Machrihanish

[Cutaway]

I read somwhere that back in 2005, RAF Machrihanish is going to be activated again, Has anyone else here heard about this?.

[preduk]

Doubt it...

I was there in 2005 (maybe earlier) for a visit and all they were planning was more wind farms! Saying that though, there were GR7s mucking around the area...

[Arclite01]

Macrihanish is maintained on a 'Care & Maintenance' basis and is available 'as required' to units. Also it's available for emergencies. I don't remember much there in the way of accommodation, although there are a hangars and a tower still (and a high fence)

In the past it's been used by U2 operations and there have also been rumours about it's use by the Aurora project (don't know if it's true).

I think that permanent re-activation is pretty unlikely

Arc

[C130 Techie]

Mere mention of the place brings on my twitch

It certainly was the @rsehole of the universe as a station but a few good nights were had in the local hostelries of Campbelltoon.

[Fareastdriver]

Seems little point in opening it up as they send all their kippers direct to Glasgow now.

[teeteringhead]

Never saw a loadie as scared as when the live lobsters from Macrihanish got loose in the back of the Wessex ....

..... and I wouldn't let him dump them overboard 'cos they were paid for!

[Wader2]

Had the pleasure once during an exercise. Kloggy Navy brought a film projector and abundant supply of adult films. Baked bean tanker arrived every day.:\

[OCDave]

Have had the pleasure of operating there with the UAS. Nice long runway so us students can land the aircraft!!!

[chevvron]

It's in regular use mon - fri 0915 - 1730 local as Campbelltown Airport. ATS is AFIS frequency 125.9 hence no published iap's, but VOR/DME and an NDB are available.
When under MOD control, it was funded by NATO not MOD(Air).

[VMD+12]

Chevron - you are not correct. It was funded by the RAF in the 18Group budget. Some of the infrastructure build cost would originally be partly NATO funded but the day to day running and manpower costs were paid by the RAF. Personnel serving there were in the 18Gp reporting chain.

It was closed as an RAF Station in the late 90s as part of the Strike Command Small Stations closures programme but like many of the Stations identified in that programme, the closure dragged on for years due to local politics.

I believe that for the last 2 summers, the Air Training Corps in Scotland have run their summer camps there with AEF flying as well.

VMD +12

[chevvron]

I bow to your superior knowledge, but my info came from an article in Air Clues many years ago where I'm sure it stated it was unique among british military airfields as it was a NATO station run by the RAF

[Wwyvern]

Teeteringhead

I had the same experience of lobsters escaping down the back. But at that time I seem to recall that we collected them from Rathlin Island.

[preduk]

chevvron,

You are kind of correct, NATO (or the US Navy I should say) were in charge of the base until the early 90s, I think it was 93/94 they handed it back to MOD.

Since then, ATC, TA, UAS mainly use it, it's got a private security firm guarding it now and most of the buildings are falling apart, there was one block of accomedation which wasn't bad actullay...

[Impiger]

I've heard its to be the new home for RAFAT who want their own dedicated airfield in a remote part of the country so they can practise without having to worry about other traffic. Lincolnshire just isn't remote enough any more.:E

[Downwind.Maddl-Land]

Please, Dear God, never let it open again! :eek:
Everyone who has posted here was never posted (as opposed to detached for short stint) there! Soul destroying place; 18 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 8 hrs and 23 minutes of my life wasted at that @rsehole of a place. And 'Mull of Kintyre' was No 1 for most of that time too!!! I nearly lost my sanity (and my liver) there. :ugh:

Two VFR movements a day - the Yogi Bear Trilander in the morning and the same in the afternoon. The kicker being the afternoon flight was invariably late so we had to keep the wretched place open late nearly every weekday. The only good time to be had was when the Buccs were working up for the first Red Flag and used it as a tech stop refulling base for 2 x QTRs a day from Laarbruch.

[Vulcannav]

RAFAT to Machrihanish - no chance! My money is on the status quo, the Reds remaining at Scampton. Final decision at the start of the next FY.

[Lurking123]

I did a number of interesting dets there. Anyone remember the 'original' one armed bandit in the Officers' Mess bar? You used to have to ask the barman (the same RAF lad who served you b'fast, lunch and dinner) to give you a few old one penny pieces.

That said, I think a whole tour would have been mind-numbing.

[1859sqn]

Strewth - Sounds like the Scottish equivalent of Valley.............

[cargosales]

Anyone remember the 'original' one armed bandit in the Officers' Mess bar? You used to have to ask the barman (the same RAF lad who served you b'fast, lunch and dinner) to give you a few old one penny pieces.



Oh gawd yes. And I remember said barman serving 'soup of the day' which changed colour, if not in taste, according to what was leftover from the day before :ooh:

That aside, twas a great few weeks there as a carefree stude in the summer sun. Brings back some great memories :)

Was any other unit daft enough to challenge the resident SEALs to a game of softball (which afterall is just rounders for girlies, isn't it)? With us fielding: "Back a bit Sirs. No, back a bit more .. a bit more .. err a bit more .. oh sod it, if you're not going to listen to me then I'm just going to wang it waaaaayyy over your heads and you can run miles to fetch it :O

[KeyPilot]

Can someone tell us what military activity (beyond air cadets) goes on there nowadays? I thought the RAF/USN left in 93/4 but I flew in in a light aircraft in 2002 and saw there were plenty of mil landrovers etc around. I hear that the USAF have occasional dets to there, also there was a large chunk of temporary restricted airspace covering the airfield and out to the west a few years ago...

[Diedtrying]

I spent 2 years at Mach and had a ball. Granted the whole 2 years was a blurry rain soaked alcohol induced coma, type, thingy, but hell I had worse.
This is where I found out that Americans cant drink (especially Newcastle Brown). :}

[chevvron]

It is a licenced civil airport (listed in the UK Civil AIP) operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, so I dare say anyone can use it with permission of the operating authority.

[AR1]

Always wondered if a working Mac would have made a difference to the Chinook problem up there -they would certainly have been transiting through controlled airspace and that has to be a good thing in fog..

Did my 2.5 years. Excellent tour, generally good people, and you needed friends as you wouldn't dare hit the bars on your own.
Some epic flying from the lads practising for red flag. 17/31 Sqn, some epic buccaneering too.

Some absolute scandalous goings on in the marital dept. Chef crashed into the field behind my house. He does a runner, as he'd been drinking. RAFPOl come to clear it up, transpires he's been knocking a shift workers misses off, and his boot is full of food from the mess. Quickest posting out you ever saw.

I'm round at someones house, my misses goes to the loo, shortly after the chap goes out, his misses pounces on me. Door bursts open and my wife walks in having told be the amorous householder, not to go back downstairs as I was 'busy' .... to find me 'pinned down' with other wify intent on sampling the meat & two veg - - I learned about women from that. And I honestly never saw it coming.

Wouln't want to go back there though.:=

[wrecker]

This might need to go under the heading of Nostalgia but aged parent tells of the time in 1936 when he had a squadron of Swordfish tied down out side and had to call the crews during the night to "fly them " on their tethers as the wind was strong enough to turn the props!. The other squadron had the use of the hangar for its a/c and thought this most amusing until the morning when said hangar was seen to have departed complete with contents into the ogin

[VMD+12]

In 1976 (I think) the 3 Kinloss Nimrod Sqns 'boltholed' in turn to Machrihanish. It is rumoured that following 201 Sqns departure back to Kinloss a request was played on Sunday morning Radio Scotland dedicated to the Sqn the music by JS Bach "Sheep may safely graze"

[preduk]

KeyPilot,

I was there in 2001 and the Navy Seals were over doing training... I haven't seen/heard of any US presence since then.

I was back again in 2003 and noticed a bunch of Paras training with the TA (never asked why, couldn't be bothered) there were also a bunch of Gr7s mucking about for a day then they disapeared, other than that it's pretty dead!

I do miss the old Gaydon hanger :uhoh: I paid the bunker a visit also, although there was nothing there at all apart from huge empty garage like bunkers.

[Griz]

I remember some good laughs with the UAS in the 80s. Remember meeting a young Flying Officer who was there with 100 Sqn Canberras. There were 2 fish tanks in the foyer of the mess, one with carp and one with piranha. I seem to recall he thought it would be a good idea to introduce the carp to their 'friends' in the other tank which prompted a couple of us to tie him up and dangle him upside down from a sign post outside the mess. Seemed like a good idea at the time and I think it became a bit of a tradition for him! :)

[Diedtrying]

The piranha was called 'Billy' and was eventually looked after down at the fire section, during the JMCs we would have extra fire fighters detached in where their initiation was to "stroke" Billy. (He never bit anyone, I'm sure he was the only veggie piranha).

[US Herk]

I was there in 2001 and the Navy Seals were over doing training... I haven't seen/heard of any US presence since then.

352 SOG at Mildenhall used Mac in summer/autumn of '05 for its ORI (taceval), but no permanent presence there for some time...

[agdickie]

I believe that was Ex Asphalt Shade. Was about 2 weeks long and saw HALO drops over the airfield IIRC

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v364/agdickie/Mach%2016%20Oct/IMG_5383-01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v364/agdickie/Mach%2016%20Oct/IMG_5339-01.jpg

[2Planks]

What of the 2 UAS groupies from Cambletoon in the early 80s - Ellen and Morag.............?

[US Herk]

Can't remember the name of the EX...that could be me in 476 though!

Coincidentally, I'm trying to fly 476 this week out of depot here at Warner Robins, GA...

[AR1]

You may have thought they were UAS groupies, but you weren't there 12 months of the year.

Mac was good for flights though. I got a few trips with UAS (hands-on - thanks), a MAC C141 dropping seals. A USMC CH-53 low level sortie , and a couple of lads in the tower had Jodels.

Anyone remember the woman in the bank with the white porsche? Or RAFPOls very popular Cpl 'Traffic George' and his radar speed trap at the bottom of the hill.