RAF Akrotiri??

[Stud3]

I'm visiting the station from the 13th march till the 27th of march with the air training corps, and i was just wondering what we'd be doing over there, and what sort of weather we shud be expecting.

Any help would be appreciated!

andy Thompson

[Farfrompuken]

Drinking, Sh@gging, and dodging daylight to sooth hangover, maybe? :)

[TheWelshOne]

No no no - you should be marchin upppppp and downnnnnn the parade square, uppppppp and downnnnnn the parade sqaure -
Well you asked the silly question!!

and boio - don't forget your wellies!

[peterward]

Lots of Brandy sour, warmish weather and a bit of shoe pie from some hairy greek on the strip.

[Stud3]

Get in!!!
i dont know the travel arrangements yet, so i duno how i'm getting there!
Now anyone got a serious respone they could put down, just so i can get a rough idea what i'll be constructively doing? :)
Sounds fun so far! <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[Toddington Ted]

Its a pleasant time of year to go out there. However, the sea will be a little cool and all the beach clubs will only just be thinking of opening. Yes, I do miss the place! There are some interesting archeological places to visit and Limassol has a certain concrete egg box charm. There are some very picturesque places to see (I don't mean Ayia Napa!) and its a long walk to anywhere if you want to go off the Strip. Oh yes, the Peninsula is famous for its snakes. I only saw one that was alive though. Although I'm now a bluntie (Argh!) I enjoyed seeing the RAF's finest come and go on APCs and, as there is a flying club, I even managed to keep the PPL going. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[Bervie]

My little brother was there on an ATC camp last year. He had a great time, down the beach, visits to all the usual sections (of which there are some interesting ones), Loads of visits off station and the usual nights of mischief (of course there was no boozing! - really?!!) that cadets usually get up to. He really enjoyed it so Im sure you will too.
Dont expect anything, just enjoy what you get up to.

[Teenyweeny ATC Cdt Cpl]

Andy:

As a fellow spacey, who was out on Cyprus camp last easter (APR 01) here's all the gen I can remember:

*Accomodation - basic, but no worse than most ATC Camps. We were in two billets (one male, one female) with about five/six to a largish room. No real room inspections either.

*Stuff to do -- blag work experience, lots of it up for grabs (Reds on det (springhawk), fire section (always good for a day), Regt flight etc etc etc). A few (moderately dull) section visits, and the visits to Limassol and Paphos (OK if you like looking at endless tourist tat), and then the water park just down the road in Fassouri. Then there's the beach (good) and the chance to go scuba diving etc, windsurfing and go karting (quality). Very very very little drill/square bashing/usual bullsh*te that normally goes with an ATC camp, no church parade, no drill competition.

*Evenings -- plenty of stuff to do, from our billets the mess/bar/bowling alley was a fair trek away but still worthwhile. Yes, you may be allowed to drink if you're old enough (and that's the slightly flexible version of old enough :) ). And it's bloody cheap too!

*Food -- alright, but the breakfasts are a bit dire sometimes, but the trek to the mess will work up an appetite.

*Weather -- was bl00dy hot, and a lot of people got very burned (trust me, it won't be cold!) Take the aftersun, you won't want the clamine that the med centre dishes out!

*Flying -- possibly, with the Wessexes

Unfortunately, no trips to Aiya Napa or to anywhere of real interest off base, but some of the evenings down on the beach were quality (with a funny, and bloody good live band from the regulars).

At the end of the day, it's a quality camp, well worth it, you'll only get to do it once so make the most of it. Don't end up with @rseholes in your room (like we did -- like calling out the fire section at 11pm to deal with a flaiming stream of tissue paper flying around underneath the room fan (yes I do still have the pictures) and if you do they're fair game. If you get some decent staff (you will) and decent cadets (almost definately) you'll have a cracking fortnight.

Don't forget to pack the Alka Seltzer!

-7000

[solotk]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh Akrotiri.....

very very lovely place, good looking female staff, and I also saw the absolutely most beautiful woman, i have ever seen in my life, ash blonde, and the most startling green eyes..oeeeer

When I was there, there was a surprisingly good curry house, I think the manager came from Birmingham. However, i would advise staying away from the big black hangar that isn't really there, full of aircraft that aren't there either.... I don't think our explanation of looking for a party we had heard about really impressed the RAF Polis.... Mind u, the beach volleyball match, we had with a lot of VERY capable American gentlemen was a laugh.

Tony
(and got the tan to prove it)

[Spacer]

I was out there Apr 2000 with the CCF, and all we really did was sit at the beach, visit the various sections and go out on various visits. A great two weeks and it will be the best camp you will ever have been on. Hi to anyone that was with me on the camp.

PS:- The XL is the place to go out there. Cheap drink and a circular pool table <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[Speed Twelve]

Chris Kebab!

Oh, and a ride to Limmasoll in a 30 year-old Merc taxi with chandeliers driven by a pissed-up Omar Sharif lookalike at night with his lights-off is always good for a laugh...

ST

[Pegasus without Wings]

I am astonished to learn that Akrotiri does not have an AEF flight just for the annual plague of spacies (of which I am one), and as it is highly unlikely that the Reds take passengers, are the Wessex's the only thing on offer, or is there something a little more exciting (no offence to anuy Wessex crew).

[Skylark4]

Perhaps you would like to suggest that 6 AEF send a detachment out to Akrotiri to fly you about whilst you are there. I think we could scrape together enough groundcrew to support it. It would be nice to see what changes there have been since I was stationed there with 13 Sqn in 1962/3.

Mike W

[BEagle]

Excellent place - and Chris Kebab is a real hoot. There are better quality kebab houses for sure, but Chris' has the traditional big-table-for-our-whole-squadron atmosphere and the traditional "Who halloumi - who liver??" query in response to "Oi, Stavros, more b£oody nose-warmers (pitta bread) and tahini. Sharpish!!".

Just got back from there again today - not much has changed in recent years. But due to all the folk on base we were staying 'elsewhere'. Sitting on one's balcony watching the Reds practising on a clear January morning...then a gentle 5 hr toddle back along the Med - not a bad day at all. Much easier on the ears now that the Greeks have radar - gone is the "ASCOT - WHA' IS YOUR DME SITIA??" call - now it's just "Ascot you are radar identified, proceed Argos, Domestos, Asbestos, Clitoris and omit position reports"!

[EESDL]

Must confess, been there loads of times but rarely stayed on base, or in the other place...always managed to convince a young filly that it would be better for averyone all round if i just went back to her place..broke my loadie last time i was there "Please pass me another one, this ones bust.."

[Reheat On]

Heady days and a dodgy menory - a day trip from Brize with the CCF in ~1971 with 511 sqn Britannia to Luqa, Akro, and home Non stop. An introduction to the best office real estate you can get - the cockpit. <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> Methinks it had ceased as Transport Command and become Air Support Command - only the callsign remains.

[Jay Foe]

Thanks to the C-130 crew who flew out to Akrotiri today for answering the burning Air Traffic question of the day.

Didn't get into too much trouble from the Sup for Bantering the Aircrew on Stud #1 either. :) :)

Hope you remember to bring the Sunshine when you come back.

<img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[EESDL]

And my personal thanks go to Akronelli's fine ATC team who insist on calling the slow moving contact in the half-past three, possible surface vessel!. .Atleast that's not as bad as Wiltshire's finest calling the recently built hospital in the eleven o'clock as a contact..................we're in the cct pattern by the way, followed by the phrase;. ."are you happy to proceed". .to which one feels compelled to reply;. ." no, guess we'll just stay here 'til it falls down'. .Just banter, seriously, thanks for staying open for us longer than your manning allows.