Mildenhall for Honington

[KeyPilot]

Just read in RAF News that the Regiment force protection guys at Honington have been AT'ed into Mildenhall on their return from the sandpit. I must admit I had never really heard of this before.

Questions:

1. How often do "we" use Mildenhall for such purposes?
2. Why not use Honington itself (I'm guessing crash cat/ops support etc. but would be interested to know if correct)?
3. What FW ops have taken place from Honington in recent years?

[November4]

Best laid plans and all that....

I was tasked to Mildenhall in 1988 to offload a Tristar recovering Honnington personnel from an ex or something. Went up the night before and spent a night at Barham. Next morning got to Mildenhall in time to see the Tristar over fly and go to Brize instead due to weather or something.

Must have passed the pax on their coaches as we drove back...

[99 Change Hands]

Honington has been closed to fixed wing for a long time. The western half of the runway is now used for constructing berms (sp?) and is covered in piles of earth.

[+SHRA]

ooooh look a big empty piece of concrete..I know why don't we put big piles of earth all over it, instead of leaving it as a useful landing area…doh:ugh:

[JMP6]

I got AT'd into Mildenhall in the late 90s whilst at Marham. I think it was due to steps (elevation platform rather than cheesy Europop combo).

I was happy with Mildenhall until we learned that the wheels were at Brize.

[Rigga]

Had a mate who chatted himself a trip to Mildenhall in a Kc135 from Honington (early 80's - you could do that) Except it took him all day to explain how he'd got on to the Base without a passport and no Base Pass!

[The B Word]

Why not use Honington?

Because some idiot from DE built a blooming SLAM block too close to the approach and denied half of the runway on approach...:ugh:

How do "we" use Mildenhall? Er, we ask HQ 3AF and make sure the Crash Cat is able...I've been into Mildenhall at least 2 dozen times in my 21 year flying career in large and small.

The B Word

[Easy Street]

Just wait for the Army to take over Kinloss and Lossie, build accommodation blocks all along the runways (a la Catterick), and then complain that they have to drive all the way to Prestwick to board their AT....:hmm:

[stiknruda]

I flew in the Honington Families Day airshow 4 years ago. Might have been 20 movements?

Flew over it last weekend and apart from the crosses painted at either end it looked quite usable. Bajillions of pongoes running around the HAS sites, though!

[Guzlin Adnams]

As well as SLAM blocks there's also a junior ranks mess o the ASP. The ILS was removed some years ago and so were the runway approach lights.
There's a bit of a rumour that the ATC gliding school may move there from Watton although I don't think uncle sam is to happy about that. The Suffolk Police chopper may end up there. The only other flying as far as I know is 60 sqs training from time to time. Have a squint on Google earth. It shows the SLAMS but not the j r mess yet. It does seem odd that they didn't keep the runway with so many others closing. I guess money is the reason, it usually is :sad:

[Mr C Hinecap]

Why not use Honington?

Even if there was a large strip of suitable concrete, there would not be the fire cover, medic cover, ATSy, ACHE for a wide-body jet, Movers, ATC, lights etc etc. It makes no sense to have every former RAF airfield kept open in case someone wants to land there twice a year. It makes sense to use the nearest airfield that has all or most of the required services and top up as required. Or is it deplorable that we don't spend oodles keeping airfields open for no aircraft? :bored:

[99 Change Hands]

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae135/wislonuk/pprune.jpg

Assuming I pressed the right buttons, you should be looking at Honington pre-earth piles but post the painting of EIGHT crosses on the runway to declare it closed. The earth is between the near end and the road across the centre. The Flying Club is allowed to use the section between the sixth cross and the seventh/eighth at the far end.

Incidentally, for Old Honingtonians, the runway is now 26/08.

[thunderbird7]

Or is it deplorable that we don't spend oodles keeping airfields open for no aircraft?

Well, why not? We're doing it with aircraft carriers! :rolleyes:






Sorry! Couldn't resist that :)

[chopper2004]

Last year, Honington was picked to temporarily house the 48th FW when RAF Lakenheath's runway was being resurfaced. The simple reason was that Mildenhall is generally busy. Unfortunately it never came to frutiion due to week later they decision to remove completely all the airfield aids from Honington.

[Roadster280]

Why all the griping at the Army here?

RAF Honington remains a RAF station. It is the depot of the RAF Regt. If the RAF hierarchy determine that there's no need to keep all the flying-related facilities at the airfield, then that's the RAF's decision. Given that the station in question is in Suffolk, there's hardly a reason to expensively maintain the facilities when there is no shortage of airfields in East Anglia. Granted, there is an Army contingent at Honington, but it's still a RAF station under RAF command.

As for Catterick, same deal applies. The runway was a tiny one anyway, but what's wrong with Topcliffe, Leeming or Dishforth? Not to mention civvy airfields nearby.

[BEagle]

That's almost the same view I had on 17 June 1978 when departing Honington after a static display...

Having secured the permission of the Duty Pilot (OC Ops Wg) to fly a visual circuit on departure, we extended downwind and flew up the southern taxiway, then eased right to fly between the control tower and 4 hangar at about 350KIAS.

The Rad Alt said 80 ft.

I learned about flying from that - although 'approved' by the duty wheel', displays are best left to those selected and qualified!

Did poo fly back at base? Err, you could say that...:uhoh:

[Opsbeatch]

I was having a medical at Honington when the F15's were there for a bit. Sitting in the hearing test booth (Otherwise known as the fridge) trying to concentrate on the three little beeps with F15's blasting their way past.

That was the year I learned that sometimes just randomly pressing the button gets you through!

OB

[thunderbird7]

I thought 'randomly pressing the button' ALWAYS gets you through :ok:

[STN Ramp Rat]

was it even RAF AT? it might have been a case of our guys hitching a lift on a planned USAF AT mission through Mildenhall. Where the AT goes depends on who pays the bill. I have seen UK troops going for an exchange exercise in the US which was being paid for by the US, the AT was supplied by the US and went from MHZ.