Bomber Command Airfields

[Stationair8]

Reading a book on test flying the Vulcan, and the author talks about the Instrument Landing System at bomber command airfields being offset by 3 degrees from the runway centreline. What was the idea or reasoning behind this?

[Fokkerwokker]

ISTR it may have been something to do with protecting the localiser transmitter aerials from any potential aircraft over runs?

[sycamore]

Usually offset to the left,so that the Captain could take off his black eye-patch (having dropped his `sunshine-bucket`,one patch per pilot ) and would then be able to see the end of the runway for landing !!

[Herod]

Possibly true, since the Station Commander at Waddington in the mid-sixties was one "Cyclops" Brown. I believe he flew regularly and put the frighteners up many a captain.

[The Real Slim Shady]

Beagle might help with this too: I thought it was down to the physical protection of the aerial arrays from damage by intruders. By offsetting the approach the arrays could be secured more easily.

I don't recall Scampton's ILS being offset though, and someone told me that 23 at Scampton had a leader cable for autoland when it was trialled.

If you have a word with Scroggs, the wannabee mod, he did an epic round the Lincolnshire houses in 1989 ish,visiting all the ex RAF fields in a dusk to dawn endeavour, and did an enormous amount of research prior to the flight.

[Blacksheep]

...and put the frighteners up many a captain....and many a Junior Magician too! He was extremely keen on engineering excellence.