West Raynham runway

[tmmorris]

Idly browsing Google earth today (OK, looking for remains of Carnaby and got distracted) I noticed that the main runway at West Raynham, instead of X at each end, has 'DISUSED - DEACTIVATED' at each end.

Anyone any idea why - or have the new owners never heard of marking a runway as closed?

The writing is big but not big enough, in my view.

[Mandator]

Last time I was passing Raynham the runways had gone - it is now one of the biggest solar farms in the UK. The control tower has just been given planning permission for conversion into a dwelling.

[Arclite01]

Flew over it on Monday. No runways left at all, massive solar farm.

Apron still intact and actually large enough to be a short runway in it's own right !!

Sculthorpe looks in good shape though just to the NE....................

Arc

[Evalu8ter]

Arclite,
I believe the airfield at Sculthorpe remains in MoD hands and is still used by JHC and USAF assets for training/exercises - I certainly was able to "book" it for some 2-ship PDT work a few years back. I think the domestic site was sold off years ago and much of it demolished. Astonishing to think that it was home to 10 000 personnel in the 1950s. As for West Raynham, it seems that solar farms or "brownfield" housing development seems to be the current trend....

[turbroprop]

Should replace the symbol on charts for dis-used airfields from a circle with an x in it to a smiley sun. The solar farms make old airfields easier to spot. Long live non GPS navigation! :)

[Wander00]

As an aside, when I lived at Little Snoring in the 80s, I realised that I was in the heart of where the agrarian revolution started - "Turnip" Townsend at Raynham and Coke at Holkham who revolutionised sheep breeding. Non aviation I know, but interesting nevertheless

[Arclite01]

Eval

It's NOTAM'd quite often but I've never ACTUALLY seen anything there. Maybe it's used more at night since Watton closed............

The runways were certainly relatively recently resurfaced and it used to be a bolthole for squadrons when their own bases were being resurfaced.

Not nowadays though !! - and no permanent facilities or fire cover either.

Arc

[bobward]

The cousins at Mildenhall use Sculthorpe quite often for night parachute jumping and other nefarious pursuits. The other place in north Norfolk frequently notamed for FJ exercises is Muckleburgh. Usually noted as being FAC type activities.

[chevvron]

Eval

It's NOTAM'd quite often but I've never ACTUALLY seen anything there. Maybe it's used more at night since Watton closed............

The runways were certainly relatively recently resurfaced and it used to be a bolthole for squadrons when their own bases were being resurfaced.

Not nowadays though !! - and no permanent facilities or fire cover either.

Arc
Similar situation at Rissy in the early 90s. Main runway newly re-surfaced and 2 fire trucks/crews H24 but no permanent residents in the form of aircraft or ATC apart from the gliding school. Supposedly a bolt-hole for Heyford departures which developed a problem just after takeoff.