Red Arrows On The Move!!
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Leeds
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What about being based at Leeming and training over Topcliffe or Fenton?
With regards the drivers watching the Reds on the A1 if they trained at Leeming, I stopped for a sandwich at Scampton last year and was conveniently in the right place at the right time for the Red's Families Day display. Not a word of a lie, exactly in time with the first (very) low pass over the A15 of their routine, there was an almighty car crash and the road was closed for over a day.
Maybe just a conicidence and cetainly not laying the blame at the door of the Reds, but it's not unreasonable to assume they might have been a factor.
With regards the drivers watching the Reds on the A1 if they trained at Leeming, I stopped for a sandwich at Scampton last year and was conveniently in the right place at the right time for the Red's Families Day display. Not a word of a lie, exactly in time with the first (very) low pass over the A15 of their routine, there was an almighty car crash and the road was closed for over a day.
Maybe just a conicidence and cetainly not laying the blame at the door of the Reds, but it's not unreasonable to assume they might have been a factor.
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Andover, Hampshire
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I know.......paint them in desert camouflage, fit some weapons pods and base them in Kandahar to provide close in ground attack support. Much better use of the taxpayers money.
Moving BBMF here was looked at a (large) number of years ago, but, being on the Licoln Edge, the wind factor was thought to be too much for the narrow legged spits. XC has a lower wind factor, so they stayed there.
As for the state of SCA, well there is some minor works services going on, but it mainly has to be cost neutral, or essential for H&S reasons. As others have said, the RAF is skint.
This location suits RAFAT for a large number of reasons, and a number of studdies has backed this argument. Relocation would not be an issue if it was not for one major item. The runway. It was patched up around the time CFS moved here many moons ago from Leeming, and was lifed at around 10 years or so. Now many years after it's use by date, the same make do and mend is having to make do.
Remember the bean counters always wins the argument, even when the blindingly obvious indicates other wise!
As for the state of SCA, well there is some minor works services going on, but it mainly has to be cost neutral, or essential for H&S reasons. As others have said, the RAF is skint.
This location suits RAFAT for a large number of reasons, and a number of studdies has backed this argument. Relocation would not be an issue if it was not for one major item. The runway. It was patched up around the time CFS moved here many moons ago from Leeming, and was lifed at around 10 years or so. Now many years after it's use by date, the same make do and mend is having to make do.
Remember the bean counters always wins the argument, even when the blindingly obvious indicates other wise!
Last edited by XV208 SNOOPY; 24th Jan 2008 at 08:23.
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Cost-Neutral Option
How about putting them into Valley?
Before all current and budding Reds howl their discontent too loudly, stop for a mo and have a think. Hawk MOB, no major roads immediately next to camp, the base is established and able to cope with the traffic - they could be based in the former AGWOEU set-up. If the FTS wanted to keep their airfield they could use Mona to practise and have it sterile for the duration of each launch, with a simple bingo+10 for other players. According to the met men, the Valley 'weather factor' is one of the best in the UK. Sorted!
Housing not a problem - there are loads of palacial empty quarters up by top-shops for the chaps to reside in.
Another bonus - the modern, PC RAF could put a green pinstripe down the white bit on the fuselage, stick a dragon on the tail and slightly amend the logo to say either "Royal Air Force, See" or "Royal Air Force, Boyo". That'd keep everyone happy.
Before all current and budding Reds howl their discontent too loudly, stop for a mo and have a think. Hawk MOB, no major roads immediately next to camp, the base is established and able to cope with the traffic - they could be based in the former AGWOEU set-up. If the FTS wanted to keep their airfield they could use Mona to practise and have it sterile for the duration of each launch, with a simple bingo+10 for other players. According to the met men, the Valley 'weather factor' is one of the best in the UK. Sorted!
Housing not a problem - there are loads of palacial empty quarters up by top-shops for the chaps to reside in.
Another bonus - the modern, PC RAF could put a green pinstripe down the white bit on the fuselage, stick a dragon on the tail and slightly amend the logo to say either "Royal Air Force, See" or "Royal Air Force, Boyo". That'd keep everyone happy.
Tidy!
Why not Leeming? There must be loads of disused airfields out of the way up there they could use as a practice site? Doesn't HAVE to be an active airfield if the transit isn't far, does it?
JG
Why not Leeming? There must be loads of disused airfields out of the way up there they could use as a practice site? Doesn't HAVE to be an active airfield if the transit isn't far, does it?
JG
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Waddington could make sense. Fairly quiet airfield in terms of movements with only the E-3s, Nimrod R.1s and Sentinels based there. Plus, a fairly short transit and they could use the Scampton overhead for training as they do currently.
