Can anyone tell me how the parking was arranged when Hawks flew at Chivenor? The aerial photos of the airfield show the apron covered with the Junglie kit that lives there now.

I guess the Hawks parked facing east (facing the hangars) - does this sound right?

Also, there seem to be markings on the sorth-east / south-west disused runway that suggest it was used for arming the aircraft (or at least for parking).

I am asking as I'm one of those people who plays with MS Flight Simulator...

All the best

David "Felix" Pike

Welcome Felixpike,

From what I remember (I was there in 87/88) the Hawk's faced towards the Hangars. 151 Sqn used the northern apron, and 63 Sqn the more southerly one. I don't remember them using the disused for arming Hawk's during my time, but it was certainly used to park our many visitors.

I'm pretty sure there was a Whirlwind gate guard outside the SAR flight. I can't see it on Google earth, anyone know what happened to it?

DH

Hawk parking
 

Felixpike,

DH is correct as to the sqn dispositions with respect to the 2 ASPs but the normal parking direction for both 63 and 151 Sqns was outwards with armed aircraft on the westerly line facing west and the easterly line facing the hangars. Occasionally, if there was a strong westerly wind, the easterly line would also face west as the Hawk did not like starting with a wind up its rear.

Thank you for the info, chaps.

I have one more silly question: were there any standard departure and recovery procedures? I think the US Navy calls them "course rules".

Many thanks once again

Felix

I can't remember the speeds and heights, but when I was there when Chiv re-opened with the Hawk, we'd recover either via Baggy Point ('Baggy Rejoin') or via the Tavistock line rail bridge over the A377 in the River Taw valley ('Barnacle Rejoin').

We were always strict to observe noise abatement rules for the benefit of the locals - unlike the fun we had on the Hunter at Brawdy!

I'd left before they built the new Officers Mess, but even with the mud and crud of all the building works - and the joy of those cold huts - Chiv truly was 'Heaven in Devon'! I just couldn't believe it when the RAF handed it over to other people - such an utter travesty.

Thank you Beagle, that's great. No more silly questions now, I promise.

Well, not for a few days, anyway... :)

I was at Chivenor in the Hunter days, from '73 until it after it closed first time. I lived in a wooden hut, (E-Lines) which had a coke stove with the chimney sticking out through the roof. It was classed as sub-standard accommodation (outside loos) and we got 75p a week allowance because of it. We used to 'borrow' coke from the back of the airmens' mess to power these things which, given a fair wind could glow bright red!

One particularly stormy night one of the huts on E-lines blew down and I was woken up by four soggy mates looking for somewhere to spend the night.

I worked at the GCA site on the bank of the river and to get to work, had to phone ATC local from the Ground Radio bay for a 'green' and then had to run across the runway in between four-ship take offs.

I was on duty the day the Staish ejected from his Hunter and had to man the radar for the subsequent SAR activity.

The radar was an American bit of kit called MPN-11A and comprised two caravans mounted on a turntable. When a runway changed was required we pulled pins out of the ground, rotated the entire radar, by hand, and re-secured it with the pins, there were also stabilising legs with large footpads that attached to the corners of the caravans to prevent them rocking.

The Hunters used to practice 1-in-1 approaches, simulating a flame-out and for that the radar antenna was jacked up to a higher elevation. The jack motor used to burn-out with monotonous regularity and a new one was obtained by flying the target-towing Meteor T7 up to collect one from North Luffenham. It came back strapped in the back seat.

The day the Hunters left for Brawdy was a strange day, really wet and horrible day so the planned mass fly past never happened. That was in contrast to the weather the day we had final fly pasts from just about everything the RAF had to mark the closure. I still have a vivid memory of an RN F-4 coming over the hill at Heanton Punchardon, crossing the runway at 90 degrees and causing one of the controllers who hadn't seen it coming to throw himself, and his tea to the ground!

After the Hunters left the messes were combined and we all ate and drank in the one mess, the Officers', of course. Booze was about 5 pence and regular dances, with buffets, were held in an attempt to spend all the mess money, it was brilliant! I even remember the odds on the fruit machine were frigged to ensure it paid out more often.

During the Cyprus Emergency many families were sent to Chivenor because there were so many empty married quarters and we spent a lot of time equipping the houses with furniture etc.

My task, after the aircraft had left was to de-commission the radar, the yanks wanted it back, despite it being over 40-years old. We spent months and gallons of WD-40 loosening everything that hadn't moved for years and screwing hundreds of blanking plates onto the caravans.

On the day the radar was to be moved, a Scammel Wrecker, the last of its type in RAF service, was used to haul the caravans off the turntable, space was tight and I remember the Wrecker hit the hut, which was our workshop and office, dealing it a crippling blow.

Ahhh! happy days, sorry for the rambling post but I was overcome with nostalgia.

Don't worry about the "rambling" post - I love reading this kind of stuff and I bet I'm not alone!

Thank you Wub for your memories.

Dave

And how terribly depressing that Google Earth image is to all those who flew from Heaven in Devon.

Seeing all those bastard grunt trucks parked on 'our' ASP nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Why the hell did such a tragedy happen?

Brown jobs whatever their service seem to do this; at Abingdon for instance, they erected a fence all round the airfield but inside the peri track, thus denying its use and use of the hangars to aircraft.

From personal experience, the parking of vehicles, staging of materials and building such things as fences in the aircraft operating areas is often specifically directed from above so that the aerodrome isn't surreptitiously eased back into service thus leading eventually to funding requests for maintenance of a capability the establishment isn't supposed to have anymore.

This spiking of guns is a stock beancounter procedure.

This shot on a misty summer morning sums up the Station today. The 22 Squadron A Flight Sea King just rolled out in anticipation of a job to do. Otherwise all is calm and peaceful.


http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...ofChivenor.jpg

Stop it Snaga II you will make me cry. For me it is Vampires and Sabres, but that was a long time ago!!!

Why did RAF Chivenor close?
 

Vampires and Sabres - please tell all??

Looks more like a container port than a military unit. What a complete waste of an excellent Station.

I seem to recall that didn't stop one senior retired Army Officer from regularly phoning up and complaining about the noise...... until the Station Commander at the time had a few choice words with him. If he's still living he's probably entirely happy with the current state of affairs.

Only got to spend 3 years there but they were the best 3 years of my time in the RAF.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a24...VENORHawks.jpg

Scan of a pic taken in '82 (I think). PR Shot of 151(F) Sqn Hawks taken over Lundy

"I lived in a wooden hut, (E-Lines) which had a coke stove with the chimney sticking out through the roof."

Ahrrg......remember those very well.

One winter evening in '67/8, whilst I was "entertaining" a lovely example of the local crumpet, a certain hooligan mate decided to climb on to the roof and drop a starting gun cartridge down the chimney. Took about two minutes for it to go off, blowing the front of the stove open - and she didn't notice!!!

Very liable to cause premature.......if not on ball!

Vampiredave, 1953-54 time a bit before yours I guess!! Oh! I forgot to add Meteor 7s to the list,

Why did RAF Chivenor close?
 

Raven 30: Great shot. The formation from 151(R) Squadron was indeed put up in 1982 to celebrate the victory in the Falklands by spelling the station name with their tail codes. One or two aircraft had to be 're-coded' for the event.

Shack: By about 10 years. But go on, tell us :)about the Vampires and Sabres... and the Meteor 7s?

I have a little sympathy for those such as BEagle and Raven30 who seem unable to come to terms with the fact that the RAF is so small as to be unable to make use of its estate, but you might at least wish to recognise the hard work and sacrifice of Chivenor's current occupants, the Commando Logistics Regiment.