RAF Support Command 1970S?

[GLIDER 90]

On squadron detachments to RAF stations in the UK back in the 70's, did the ground support team fly in a C130 or VC10 from their home bases to the relevant detachment base in the UK, or like in my case when deploying with the Victors we had to go by train from Marham to Leuchars?

[ICM]

I suspect you would not have been alone. The standard MOD ruling at that time was that Brize and Lyneham be used for support of overseas detachments - special pleading might get exceptions - and it's highly unlikely that that approval would have been given for flights specifically for internal UK support personnel.

[JW411]

Unless it was a Mickey Finn? It would have been quite difficult to get a train to Machrihanish.

[Pontius Navigator]

Shack deployment to St Mawgan was by road/rail.

Air Support Command didn't have the capacity. In late 60s a Malta Sunspot had to use BUA and either Dan Air or Britannia as the transport request was too late.

[GLIDER 90]

This was in the 80's and I just wondered how the the airforce operated in the 70's. We did another detachment to Leeming in support of the the C-130's this time it was in a Bedford lorry. We wondered at the the time why a C-130 could not have picked up the squadron.

[ICM]

JW411: Good point re Mickey Finn and other Standby ops subject to a standing Oporder - those were not included in the MOD-approved monthly ATF task that went through the Air Transport Allocation Committee, and were picked up on an ad-hoc basis as they were called.

[ancientaviator62]

One of the problems we on the C130K fleet faced was a lack of suitable fire cover at many UK airfields. This was especially so 'out of hours' and weekends. More than once recovering a squadron move from overseas we have requested a div to their home base to offload. Almost always we were told that the fire cover was not up to the standard required for our a/c or that they were closed.

[Tiger_mate]

Late seventies - Joint Maritime Ex in support of 100 Sqn Canberras. (From Marham)

RAF Wyton (Home base) - Huntingdon (MT) - Inverness (Rail) - Overnight Inverness Station Hotel - Inverness to Stornoway by British Airways Viscount. ('On no account was a taxi to be used to get to the airport 'unquote) - Taxi taken! ;-)

Det Ends: Option taken to occupy a spare seat on C130 Stornoway > RAF Marham direct and RTB RAF Wyton by MT. On a Sunday IIRC.

[ancientaviator62]

When I was groundcrew we were once recovered back to Middleton from Cyprus in a 216 Comet. Then it was a 32 seater bus all the way back to base.My back has never recovered !