RAF Stations (past and Present) - Biggest, Best and Bonnieist??

[GengisKhant]

Biggest..., had to be Khormaksar...., smallest (and quietest) had to be RAF Bawdsey...., but the best was definately JSPU (RAF) Famagusta..., where we regularly took the Landing Craft (LSL - Landing Ship Logistic) out for a quick trip down the coast and ran her up onto the beach for a few hours sunbathing ..., this was long before Aya Napa and Nisi beaches were discovered by the beer swilling lager louts that inhabit these places nowadays......



GK

[forget]

IIRC the RAF launch used to leave from the jetty on Gan at around 18.30...

Ring a bell?





http://www.gan.philliptsmall.me.uk/index.htm

[thatscaptaintou]

For me, best would be Kemble.

One of the largest (now) GA airports, former home of the Red Arrows, still see the Hunters, Gnat, Canberra and Spitfires buzzing around.

[Wannsee]

The Best

It hs to be "Rissy" Little Rissington, Happy day's

[Rigga]

Sleepiest: Tern Hill - espescially on that last long hot summer.
Most Enjoyable: Shawbury - and starting a new Eng Wing after they'd had so many years without one!
Most enlightening: Honington Bucc's
Most Sociable: Laarbruch, Bucc's, Chinooks & Harriers
Busiest: Gut
Best ever: Gut

[galaxy flyer]

An amazing list...to think of the history!

GF

[aw ditor]

Rissy was great, but if you were you were a stude.' on the course................ .

[NUFC1892]

Best - RAF Benson, arrived during the hot summer of 76 and I am sure the sun shone for the whole 2.5 years I was there.

Worst - RAF Odiham by far, I am sure it rained for whole 18 months! The social side was good (it had to be!) but everything else about the place was the pits.

Biggest - RAF Brize Norton. Big, impersonal, busy as , crappy housing and crummy location.

Best Overseas - Choose any one from Belize, Ascension or Aki, all fun in the sun.

I have often thought I joined up 20 years too late (1976), reading through this thread and reflecting on what used to be just convinces me I am right

[wellsfargo]

Wellsfargo

Best 60 MU Leconfield 68-74/92 SQN Gutersloh 74-77
Next Best 60 MU Leconfield 65/Shawbury 79-82
Worst(by a country mile) Beverly reconditioning flight Dishforth 64 (they trained kiddy coppers there in those days).
Second Worst Lyneham 77-79
Best Location uk Wattisham/Leconfield
Best detachment Bitburg/Deci from Gut with 92

WF

[forget]

After the Sixties Best has no meaning. All the Best ones (those that didn't need heating in your room) had long gone. And I with them.

('I' in case Rainboe comes on here.)

[Dundiggin']

Read and weep.........

Biggest:
Khormaksar
Cosiest:
RAF Upavon in the '60s - 270 WRAFs to 28 Living-In blokes! - it
was cosy!
Best Det:
Majunga - living right on the beach in a bamboo hut with a straw roof! Belize and Rhodesia.
Best Camp:
RAF Coltishall - just wonderful!
Busiest:
RAF Long Sutton in the '70s showing the World the wonderful new Puma........aaaaaah

[Ayla]

Finningley where else!

[Occasional Aviator]

Haven't been out in Doncaster for nearly 20 years..... Wonder what it's like now? Can you still get pints of Old Horizontal in the Northgate Inn?

Mind you, I'd say Shrewsbury was a better night out - friendly and fun....

[ATCO Fred]

Two Tone Blue - you say that West Drayton was the worst in every way.

The Officers' Mess accommodation was definitely the pits but mess life was pretty damn good. In the early 90s the job in the MASOR was the best and the views of the CASOR , from the balcony, (particularly in the summer) were definitely worth a second look.

Many will dine-out of the antics from the Mess for many a year yet !!

Ahhh yes........donning the waders first thing in the morning to clear the pond of the beer bottles thrown from the top floor.

[1.3VStall]

Wellsfargo, I was at Gut then too. Ninety-blue - what a fantastic squadron!

[Padhist]

RAF Stations

Yes if you enjoyed drinking, Changi/Butterworth would rate high on my list. But if you wanted flying, may I be cheeky and add RAE Bedford. Where else could you do some aerobatics in a Meteor in the morning,followed by a trip to Farnborough In a Devon for lunch and return, then some automatic landings in a Vulcan for dessert. Should you be late returning in the evening. Open the bar and record your purchases on a bar chit, lock up and dream up your next adventures...Happy days.

[Krakatoa]

Marham

Never been to Marham but seem to remember it was known as El Adem
with grass

[Melchett01]

Never been to Marham but seem to remember it was known as El Adem with grass

That's a bit harsh. What did El Adem ever do wrong to be compared to Marham?!

[Gainesy]

Marham was aka Masirah with Grass.

Funny that Finningley was so popular, having been born there, I joined up to get away from Donny.

[Random Bloke]

I felt that Church Fenton was always a happy and well kept little station where everybody knew everyone else. Only 2 flying training sqns when it was 7FTS in the late 80s so there was a good social life in a cozy little Mess. Not as impersonal as Linton and it didn't have the feeling of being a sausage machine. Pity it's gone to rack and ruin now after it closed with the Mess having being buldozed so that the pikeys wouldn't hurt themselves when they broke into the building to steal the pipes etc.

For a station with a good view it was hard to beat Mountbatten with excellent views over Plymouth Sound to accompany your egg and bacon in the morning or a G&T outside the Mess bar in the evening.