Gutersloh, 1980's

[Halton Brat]

Having witnessed the Soaraway success of the 'Gutersloh, Mid '70's' thread, I feel that it may be good to have a '1980's' version of the same.

I was at Gut 1986-90, a frequent offender in PCSF, MQ Avenwedde. 4-year party or what. When I was tourex they took my Kidney Donor Card away, said they were no use to anyone. I'm still here tho.........

Let's be hearing from you then...........

[philrigger]

;)

Harrier Wing Bay 1981 to 1983. Smashing time. Good guys and a good job.

Where is Eric 'Snotter' Smith these days ?

[orgASMic]

Summer 89, university cadet summer attachment. Puma and Chinook rides, Harrier field site recce, windowed at Happy Hour, road trip to Berlin to see Pink Floyd (or was it just Roger Waters) play 'The Wall' in the Tiergarten on the first anniversary of the wall coming down. Good times.

Will have to wait for the "Gutersloh 1990's" thread for the rest, by which time the Army had ruined the place but the Junior Service was still very much in demand.

[Stitchbitch]

"Gutersloh 1990's" thread could be epic. ;)

[BEagle]

Ex Bold Gauntlet 1983 - fighters practising escorting transports along the 'passageway' (you mustn't say 'corridor'!).....

Phantoms, F-15s and FAF Mirages - plus RAF Herc and FAF C-160. On the low level famil rides you can bounce anything that moves...:ok:

40th anniversary of the Dams Raid, so BEagle plus nav go and say 'hello' to the Eder dam whilst waiting for other jet to launch, then both go and say hello - many Germans waving at us from the castle. When we get home to Gut, Stn Nav Off announces we mustn't go anywhere near the dams or poo will fly := "Good job we didn't tell him about the Moehne", we mutter....:\

One day we are escorting the Translow. We see it has the ramp open and that all 4 Mirages are in close echelon right behind it. F-16 and Hunter T7A bounce arrive in the 'French' sector - no reaction. So they join the echelon. When we get back, we find that the FAF have had a party in full swing in the back of their Translow - leaving only the RAF Herc pilot (who had gone along for a jolly) on the flight deck. Being French, they have cornered all the pretty girls from the station and the wine was flowing....

In the Officer Mess, one of the girls is so struck with a film star profile FAF Mirage driver that she throws her arms around his waist. He pauses in mid conversation, carefully puts down his cigarette and beer, descends to the Goering bar with trollop in tow and does the deed. Then returns to his conversation, cigarette and beer as if nothing had happened. Vive le sport!!

Again in the OM. We are all ordered to go to some boring 'banquet'; the centrepiece is an ice sculpture of a mailed fist (Bold Gauntlet). After wine has flowed, there is a flurry of activity as several fighter mates surround the sculpture. When they disperse, the sculpture has changed to a hand with a single raised middle finger....

The visiting FAF colonel is offered a trip in a T-bird F-15. The Spams kit him out, but he announces that he is a fighter pilot and doesn't need a g-suit... Spam boss allocates trip to his wildest pilot, tells him that le petit grenouille considers that he doesn't need a g-suit and suggests that he proves otherwise. F-15 launches, snaps into max-G spiralling climb in full A/B to FL nosebleed, then rolls over and pulls into max-G spiral descent before breaking into the circuit. FAF colonel remembers the take-off, landing and nothing in between, then later in the OM bar has the added joy of the traditional ceremony of a whole raw egg, including shell, to eat. It has taken the Spams 3 days to discover that neither the Brits nor the Frogs are taking the exercise seriously, but now they are having as much fun as everyone else.

Great place, Gut. Land of wobbly, bratties, charlies, schnellies.....all now just a distant memory. Quelle pisseur.

[Cows getting bigger]

Best 3 years of my life. I wouldn't know where to start with anecdotal stories. However, without doubt, the whole station was the finest team I have ever worked with.

[Green Flash]

86' to 89'. How the hell me, my liver and my marriage survived I don't know, but we all did!:\ It's still a blur but we made some bl00dy good mates, both RAF and Army. I bet the Warsteiner brewery profits took a hammering after we left. Happy daze ....

[Belle and Sebastian]

I was a scaley brat living in Harsewinkel. I was working at MTMS on a YTS for 4 months before moving into the PSI/SIF shop working in the Ski-Hire shop for the 85-86 season and then into Club 47 for 3 months.

I then went to Swinderby...............and it's all been downhill from there.

[oldbeefer]

230 from 85 to 88. Never forget the Kellar bar, Goerings room and the barfing bowl. Had some good flying too!

[Opsbeatch]

It's where 'Wobbly' found me....!

OB

[Diablo Rouge]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs469.ash2/74244_444395314614_638614614_5485593_3481631_n.jpg
Enough said :(

[langleybaston]

Is it to keep the pongoes in?

When I last inspected Met there, the army had recently taken over, and seemingly made the base unusable for proper aircraft by finding ingenious ways to block the HASs. Also evicted Met. from the base of the control tower and put them somewhere really really useful, isolated from any customers over the bondhu with rubbish views. I expect a red-tab took over the Met. suite.

[Diablo Rouge]

In Stadt Gutersloh, the scene is very differant from that known by RAF members. The BP station at the lights is now a BP partner URAL I believe. The town centre is pedestrianised and Herties (in the square) has gone. (Building remains) The area around the Bahnhof has changed totally with a bus station and underground car park / shopping complex. The families NAAFI is opposite Fluggies PH adjacent to the Officers Mess but outside the wire. Inside, the main drag on the left (away from the main gate) is the site of newish barrack blocks x lots. The one way car system is a bit differant in that you can no longer drive in front of SHQ or the Sgts Mess. The route takes you behind the former 230 Sqn to then turn left to rejoin the old route behind the Sgts Mess. The main gate has had a significant OP built that would do any northern ireland watchtower proud, and of course there is no longer a hoover jet adorning gods acre.

[floppyjock]

I was posted to Gutersloh just before the handover to the army. I was one of the army pilots.

The night of the handover was the when all the road directions changed and speed ballards were put on the main drag. The RLC took over the main hangers to park trucks in. The Garrison Commander thought he would have his office in the tower so he could overlook his domain. But it was pointed out that with ATC staying it might get a bit noisey so he changed his mind. Dont know why they build a super sanger at the gate I never saw it manned.

All the AAC got was the Chinook hanger and HAS site at the western end. We had 2 sqns in the hanger with another in the HAS site. Only the HAS site was not suitable ( no power or heating or something) and they had to build 3 Rub Hangers. The other HAS sites were used by the RLC as garages or stores.

There were over time a lot of fences put up. The ones inside the camp I think were to stop non AAC types from running though the aircraft dispersal. The new perimeter fence stopped night flying one night when they dug up a 500lb bomb from the war. Another was found shortly after opposite the guardroom were they put in the astroturf pitch.

The met office was moved along with AIS to the building behind the now AAC hanger. Reason being that its closer to customers. Just had to walk 30 meters instead of the other side of the airfield. Remember what was RAF hangers and dispersal is now garages and truck parks. .

I was there from about a month before the RAF moved out until 7 years after the army moved in. A lot of daft things went on in my time there. But id got back tomorrow.

Jim

PS a bit Gutersloh 90's creep sorry

[langleybaston]

Maybe memory serves me ill, if so I apologise, but I do recall SMetO and his lads whingeing on the subject of location ....... perhaps it moved twice?

The old ATC location was of course a prime spot and had almost instant access from the main public road.
Too handy: one forecaster to my certain knowlege used to pretend to use the camp bed in the office in the very small hours, climb out of the window so as not to be seen by the observer on duty, drive out the gate, turn right, park in layby, 1/2 an hour of nookie with his beloved [his unofficial beloved] and back through the gate and the window in time to be woken with a mug of coffee.

The gate guards and the observers knew well what was going on, of course. So did everyone else after a few weeks. Including the official beloved.

[Airclues]

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/451327-goering-room-gutersloh.html#post6444966

[Justin Cyder-Belvoir]

3 and 4 went to the field.

We arrived from Wittering, had to live in tents on the airfield;practice bleeding.

Flying 1 led by PS back home.

[soddim]

The Goering Room story as told above is virtually identical to the version I heard in the mid-60's so I guess it is either true or at least has stood the test of time!

[Army Mover]

Worked on the ATLO team from 1981 > 1984; then came back at the end when we moved it to FMO - best 3-years in the service without a doubt.

[Grobling About]

Enjoyed a great 2-year tour in the late 80's. I'm surprised that the Taceval Part 1 which was called as the Stn Cdr left the Sgt's Mess following the Officers' - SNCOs' games night hasn't made it onto the thread. I just missed it so there must be someone better qualified to tell that story. To cut a long story short, due to the state of everybody over the rank of Cpl, the station was generated by the JNCOs down and still earned a one.

Anyway the Goering Room story above is much the same as I was told, however I believe that Goering's words were, 'If I lie, may the beams bend above my head.' The mess used to allow small groups to have parties/dinners in the room. Fantastic for a group of about 10 people. In AES we took the opportunity on a number of occassions and the functions were great fun until I found myself sitting next to the portrait of Herman (the one in the photo) when OC Eng of the time noted the resemblance and suggested that I might have been Goering's love child.

[teeteringhead]

Great place, Gut. Land of wobbly, bratties, charlies, schnellies.....all now just a distant memory. .... and schoolies ...... :E

[NUFC1892]

I had the pleasure of Gutersloh from Apr 85 to Apr 89, went there as a married man and returned as a single one; says everything really!

It was far and away the best station in RAFG at the time, good CO, good mates, good job = good morale. There was a spate of accidents (Harrier & SH) in, I think, about 88 that drew a bit of a cloud at the time but really all I can remember are the good times.

[minigundiplomat]

I remember walking to work early one Saturday morning in the late 80's, and spying a NAAFI shopping trolley a good 40 feet up in the trees at the side of the car park and thinking 'How?'.

[Wiretensioner]

80-82. 230 Sqn. Glad to leave the place.

Wiretensioner

[matkat]

PCSF,230 and 18 sqns from 81-83 great time there lived downtown at westfallenweg(sp.) loved it there.

[Cows getting bigger]

Growling, the saving grace to the taceval part one was that it was called at OMG on a Wednesday morning, that Wednesday fortunately being a German bank holiday. I recollect that we managed to taxi a few aircraft simulating a survival 'scramble' but couldn't fly due to the holiday. The staish (Tony McKeown) certainly had little sleep, if any. As an ops bod, I can say that we managed to meet manning requirements but there were those who happily sept through the whole exercise, including endex declared sometime early afternoon.

[Exrigger]

Mid 87 to 91, 18 sqd, great times, great people, great functions/beer calls, the beer, the BBQs, the detachments, did I mention the beer and food as well. Wanted to do the 5th year to move with 18 to Bruggen but was not allowed, which is what happens when you upset the boss.;)

[Q-SKI]

I seem to remember that prior to the taceval we had just finished a station minival hence everyone getting particularly leathered at the Mess bash! I can remember the execs pondering on who to crew up just in case we had to launch! Tiger tiger

[c130jbloke]

MGD:
I remember walking to work early one Saturday morning in the late 80's

Unlucky ! Who did you pi¤¤ off ?

Gut 88 - 90. 230 (tiger tiger ggrrrr ) Sqn :ok:

Would love to tell more - but I was too drunk to remember :eek:





As Sat came after Fri eve = the mess / a sqn / the mally / the pizza wagon behind blk 32 = :yuk: :p :uhoh:

[AlanM]

1989-1992. HSS, which became the SHFHQ. Life in the tasking cell with Jolly Geoff and Schultz (and Syd Hutch and all of the MAOTS)

Best RAF tour by far. Best 3 year period of my life probably. Life was truly great there for us. Job great (working for Sam Hunt) and socially just perfect.

I had forgotten about the Pizza wagon, the Chicken Inn and Kegelbahn until I read this.......

Hard to list the great times - but tiger meets, heading to Ramstein to pick up 16 camp cots that I borrowed (and thus needing a Puma to collect that day) - bribing EVERYONE on the way with one of the then new to most American Cots. Flying with George Duncan over the Mohnesee 'fairly low' in a black puma with a yellow tiger down the side and paws over the sponsons. I ended up with 6 left after my dodgy dealings but ended up with spare gore tex (rare at the time!) a SUSAT (don't ask!) and an aircrew watch ;-)

Also tasking a puma to pick up AOC RAFG from Wegberg VIP Helipad... but putting the Wegberg strip grid ref in the tasking sheet.... and Sam Hunt sending me to the Stn Cdr to explain the err!! (I still remember him grinning at me saying "best take your hat....!")

Happy days. :ok:

[matkat]

Alan, would that be WO J.F.X.Hunt that you are talking about?

[AlanM]

Sadly not fella - Wg Cdr (and then Gp Capt) Sam Hunt. SHF Commander as he became.

[Rigga]

431 MU Det '83-'84 Chinook and Harrier Cat 3's - Living in the MU Attic and drinking Wobbly - Bliss!

18 Sqn and PCSF from '89 to closure in '92 (handover) - absolute heaven - except for 10 months away from home in the first year!!!

Moved down to PCMF at Laarparts. 92-93

[Mmmmnice]

Trips down town to the 'Rends Ici' - the only uniform I didn't go in was my 1's - remember one of the gateguards coming over to explain to 3 of us in the phonebox by the Main Gate that it was necessary to put more than 10pfg in to get a dial tone - we may have been socially confused, but were certainly resplendent in our 5s! Not sure if we ever got to our destination..........

[Riskman]

HSF '81 - '84. Best tour of the lot. Being posted from Odiham I had a lot of friends on the heli side as well so even arriving on a bank holiday was good:) I've got some photos scanned and ready to load but my profile excludes that permission. Any suggestions?


Exrigga: Wanted to do the 5th year to move with 18 to Bruggen but was not allowed,
Just as well, they went to Laarbruch (or RAF Vell as they called it) and didn't seem overly happy when I was there.

R

[ARINC]

Camping

Handy Forge
Hard Frost
Hazel Flute

S10 Respirator trial 24 hours in the thing...Backseaters looked very pale after a trip ! Culminated in a Wild boar found dead in a tent containing fullers earth bags, which it had been gorging on. All sugestions to BBQ it denied.

Being woken up on a hover pad, after a rather hard night by Dog handler and his charge...the latter licking my face until I moved !

Deployment to Mengeles hospital grounds...."No digging chaps"..

Maggie Thatchers visit to 4 Sqn site ?

Site completed all hides under wraps everyone hunkered down....apart from Sootie pal and myself partaking in a chewing gum (Not a euphemisim) out in the open. Jet does overhead photo run to check site camouflage. Photos posted outside mess tent. Big red letters...Who are you ? and an arrow pointing to us !



Rugby

Away game 17th/21st Lancers .."Your ball Sir".....Several Pikes (Later described as Lances) liberated, along with half a tank track ! The track we can keep but could we have our Lances back ?

Gorillas cellar bar...if I short changed you I'm sorry...I was a boy amongst men and one very large WRAF.


Best years in the mob no doubt

[glug]

HSF. Field Repair Teams. Holding up all the civie lorry drivers with our old, underpowered heaps crawling down the motorways. JFX Hunt was Flt Sgt 84 Sqn in the late 70s. A man who could speak a whole sentence in initials and acronyms. Schledebruck Strasse flats. The painting in the HSF tea bar (I still have photos of that). the Mally. What fun.