View Full Version : Brawdy re-opening
The Ugly Fend Off
10th Jun 2002, 21:13
I've heard a rumour that Brawdy may be re-opening as a flying base. The army are supposed to be moving out in 2006. I've heard something off a security guard from the base that led me to believe the RAF may be flying from there when the pongos move out.
Chris Kebab
12th Jun 2002, 08:08
....ah the George in Solva, headache days.
And then to find the Caldy gap.....
Jackonicko
12th Jun 2002, 08:11
No no no no no. NO! That's not the West Country ex TWU airfield I meant at all......
STANDTO
13th Jun 2002, 18:35
Just in case anyone tries, you cannot get from St Athan to Brawdy and back on one tank of fuel in an Austin Metro
Ah, how MT section laughed (at me)
Reheat On
13th Jun 2002, 19:33
Are the Yanks still shored up supplying stockings for the local welsh stock? Therein may lie the clue...
warpdrive
13th Jun 2002, 20:11
The Druidstone...Curry and Felinfoel Double Dragon...heady days:D
BEagle
14th Jun 2002, 05:34
Brawdy - when the weather was good, it was a great place. When it wasn't, it sucked! But although it was a much better place than V****y, it was nothing compared with Chivenor!
Did my Hunter TWU there on 234 in 1976 - wonderful times. The staff were firm but fair and turned most of us into acceptable Hunter drivers. There was also the chance of the odd trip in the back of 'Clementine' (the Meteor T7) to watch your mates shooting at the flag - or a JP FAC training trip with JFACTSU. In the local area the folk were very friendly and Solva, Haverfordwest and other towns were so much more pleasant than Caergolliw.og or wherever!
A Brawdy story I particularly liked was when a mate was approached in a local pub notable for 'lock ins' by a rather shifty civilian who struck up a conversation which went something like: "Are you one of those chaps from Brawdy?" "Yes" "Are you on Hawks or Hunters" "I'm a navigator - what do you think" "Hawks then - have they got the 'winder mod yet?" At which point a penny dropped and said mate quietly put his pint down and in a loud and clear voice said: "OK. YOU MUST BE THE SIB CORPORAL - WHICH MEANS THAT HE OVER THERE IS THE SIB FLT SGT! AREN'T YOU?" Whereupon both plods scarpered as fast as their little trotters would allow.....
I was at Chivenor from 1973 till it closed (the first time) and saw off all the Hunters on their way to Brawdy. It was a miserable rainy day and those of us left to tidy up the station were really depressed.
Clementine the Meatbox was often pressed into service to fetch replacement antenna tilt motors from North Luffenham for the ancient MPN-11 radar. She would fly up to Cottesmore with the duff motor strapped in the rear seat and be back at Chiv in a couple of hours. The motor was needed to tilt the antenna so that the Hunters could be seen doing their one-in-one approaches.
Those were the days and it was the only placed I ever served where the airmen got a solid fuel allowance to buy coke for the pot-bellied stoves in the huts. (In fact we nicked it from the back of the mess... but that's another story). ;)
canberra
14th Jun 2002, 13:49
ah and turnhouse(the rafs best kept secret) is also rumoured to be opening again!!!!!!
Turnhouse was recently rumoured to be one of the sites earmarked for refugees but it was not on the list announced. It hasn't been a flying station since the days of 603 (City of Edinburgh) Sqn and the RAF hangar now belongs to an air freight company
scroggs
14th Jun 2002, 21:02
Hmm. East Lowlands UAS operated from Turnhouse up to about '91. I did a summer camp there as a QFI on YUAS in, I think, '89. Bloody pleasant little station. Edinburgh wasn't so bad either!:D
Quite right Scroggs and 12 AEF operated there too, sorry, my age is starting addle my brain