Ford prison riot

[4Greens]

Ref the Ford open prison, is it the old RN station?

[ZH875]

Yes, the Open Prison occupies part of the site of RNAS Ford.

[chevvron]

It occupies part of what was originally Yapton Airfield, re-named Ford prior to WW2. Used by the Navy (FAA) up to about 1957 I think(Wyverns). In the '70s it was reopened for a few years as a GA airfield,(hard runways when nearby Westhampnett/Goodwood was getting regularly waterlogged) but the usual NIMBY lobby backed by HM Prison Service killed that off.

[Ridge Runner]

I seem to recall Scimitars there, Chevvron

[chevvron]

After the Wyverns yes - glad you said so as I wasn't sure!

[treadigraph]

The prison itself is on the east side of Ford Road, what's left of the airfield is on the west. I presume that the prison occupies the accommodation site?

Visited the airfield a couple of times in the late 1970s, seemed a pleasant place to go flying on a summer's day. Bloody nimbys...

[Old Photo.Fanatic]

I recollect at my first Airshow "RAF Colerne" 1952 that the star of the show was an Attacker from RNAS Ford.
Anybody confirm this a/c did come from RNAS Ford?

[CharlieOneSix]

They also had Sea Venoms at Ford in 1954. This photo shows FAW20 WM547 from 809 Squadron on the beach close to Climping. Shows what happens when you inadvertently close the HP cock on the downwind leg......

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Mearns/VenomLittlehampton1954.jpg

[Lister Noble]

"The prison itself is on the east side of Ford Road, what's left of the airfield is on the west. I presume that the prison occupies the accommodation site?

Visited the airfield a couple of times in the late 1970s, seemed a pleasant place to go flying on a summer's day. Bloody nimbys..."

Bet they wish it was there now!;)

[tomdocherty72]

Fantastic photo! Where did it come from? Do you have more - if so post them here please!

[4Greens]

Thanks for all the input. I think the first Scimitar Squadron operated from there to its carrier.

[CharlieOneSix]

tomdocherty72 - the photo was taken by a Ford SAR Dragonfly pilot and was passed to me by his son. I don't have any more unfortunately. The photo apparently also appears in the third volume of Peter Campbell's "Tails of the Fifties" books. I am told the HP cock in the Sea Venom was in the same place as the airbrake lever in the Vampire. As most pilots trained on the Vampire before going onto the Sea Venom it was an accident waiting to happen...

Incidentally the Sea Venom pilot was the late John Robathan and one of his last postings in the RN was as Captain of RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk).

[idle bystander]

Fantastic picture! Presumably a ditching, and the aftermath is after the tide's gone out.

Incidentally the Sea Venom pilot was the late John Robathan and one of his last postings in the RN was as Captain of RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk).

I doubt it; naval officers don't get "posted". They leave that to the mail.:E

[Cornish Jack]

Ford and aircraft?? ... I like this one - nice posing!!:ok:http://i647.photobucket.com/albums/uu193/CornishJack/FordHunter1.jpg

[Xtiff]

700x Squadron Scimitar IFTU were resident late 1957 - May 1958 before moving to Lossiemouth to form 803 Squadron, Victorious.

On Google earth the Block next to football pitch (prison centre) was the new CPO/PO's Mess which was only a couple of years old when Ford closed.

An identical Mess was built at Abottsinch shortly before that closed.

[CharlieOneSix]

idlebystander - my detailed information on the incident comes from a pilot who was on the Squadron at the time and the forced landing was done on the beach, not a ditching.....and to satisfy your pedantry please read "appointments" instead of "postings". :E

[Warmtoast]

I've a photo in my album of an RN Attacker I took at Biggin Hill in 1954.

According to my notes at the time it came into Biggin from the Royal Naval Air Station at Ford (HMS Peregrine).

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Biggin%20Hill%20Early%201950s/RNFord-BasedAttacker.jpg

[Helen49]

Did a refrigerator manufacturer operate a PA31 out of Ford in the 80's or am I mistaken?

[treadigraph]

LEC operated an Islander out of a strip at Bognor Regis.

[Helen49]

Many thanks. That must be the one I had in mind!

[surely not]

Lec also operated an Morane-Saulnier Paris exec jet out of Bognor, and occassionally it used to divert into LGW. Noisy beast but according to the pilot it had great performance.

[603DX]

The RAF section of my Grammar School CCF visited RNAS Ford in about 1956. We were shown around by a FAA pilot who had put his back out in a carrier landing, and was hobbling along with a stick. He had probably drawn the short straw, poor chap, to be lumbered with escorting a load of schoolboys in blue uniforms around the station, in his injured state. Not a great encouragement for any of us to aim for a cadetship at Dartmouth, if that was how the Senior Service treated its officers, we thought!

I definitely recall there were Wyverns there, and quite a few Gannets, both types being built for functionality rather than beauty - big, ugly looking brutes of aircraft. However, there were also a number of sleek jets, which I think may have been Sea Hawks since they had tricycle undercarriages, unlike Attackers with their ungainly looking tailwheel gear.