Lyneham Closure, Westminster Hall Debate 6 Jan 2010
3 mile rule
I know a guy who used to cycle every day from Malmesbury to Brize,likewise to Upavon on his tour there!
With a good bike,the right gear and lighting and a locker at work,a ride of say 10 miles max' each way is OK.
With a good bike,the right gear and lighting and a locker at work,a ride of say 10 miles max' each way is OK.
Brian,
What was this "guys" name - Lance Armstrong?
I ride about 6 miles to work whenever I can, but to suggest, as you do, that you can routinely cycle up to 10 miles to work is naive to say the least.
Issues which make it impractical at times include:
Carrying anything more than a small rucksack. This presents problems in terms of replacing clean uniform to change into, being SDO (at my base you wear No.2s but need No.1s and CS95s available), doing CCS (webbing, respirator, NBC suit, etc all required) if aircrew going away on a trip from Brize (overnight kit for several nights), taking your webber home when you get back from a states trip, along with the duty free...
Cycling on icy roads.
Cycling into a 20kt headwind, gusting to 35kts.
Cycling in a strong crosswind.
Cycling in heavy rain/sleet/snow/fog.
Mix them up - try cycling on an icy road with a strong, and gusting crosswind, while it is sleeting....
You will need decent shower facilities, as has been mentioned, and I suppose if you have sufficient locker space to store all your uniform and kit (which no station I know has), No.s 1, 2, 5, flying kit, CS95, respirator, webbing, gym kit, including shoes, boots, coats, hats etc, some of the issues may be resolved. Then it will just be about the amount of people killed/injured while cycling in adverse conditions and killed by inconsiderate car drivers (yes - you will blind cyclists at night if you don't dip your headlights - morons!).
What was this "guys" name - Lance Armstrong?
I ride about 6 miles to work whenever I can, but to suggest, as you do, that you can routinely cycle up to 10 miles to work is naive to say the least.
Issues which make it impractical at times include:
Carrying anything more than a small rucksack. This presents problems in terms of replacing clean uniform to change into, being SDO (at my base you wear No.2s but need No.1s and CS95s available), doing CCS (webbing, respirator, NBC suit, etc all required) if aircrew going away on a trip from Brize (overnight kit for several nights), taking your webber home when you get back from a states trip, along with the duty free...
Cycling on icy roads.
Cycling into a 20kt headwind, gusting to 35kts.
Cycling in a strong crosswind.
Cycling in heavy rain/sleet/snow/fog.
Mix them up - try cycling on an icy road with a strong, and gusting crosswind, while it is sleeting....
You will need decent shower facilities, as has been mentioned, and I suppose if you have sufficient locker space to store all your uniform and kit (which no station I know has), No.s 1, 2, 5, flying kit, CS95, respirator, webbing, gym kit, including shoes, boots, coats, hats etc, some of the issues may be resolved. Then it will just be about the amount of people killed/injured while cycling in adverse conditions and killed by inconsiderate car drivers (yes - you will blind cyclists at night if you don't dip your headlights - morons!).
Biggus
His first name was Don .. and very well known on the Herc fleet. When posted to JATE he continued to live in Malmesbury and cycle to work at Brize. He was later accompanied by a senior Flt Lt ALM.
They arranged for the required clothing to be positioned at weekends. A little thought and planning allowed the other factors you mention to be easily sorted.
Not only did he cycle to work .. but his "idea" of a holiday was to scrounge a lift to San Fran in a Herc then cycle to Washington before scrounging a lift home ... rumour
always had it that he did a role check on the co-pilot on each flight leg to "justify" the trip and save a few dollars...
An amazing guy, fantastic pilot and a pleasure to work with ..
His first name was Don .. and very well known on the Herc fleet. When posted to JATE he continued to live in Malmesbury and cycle to work at Brize. He was later accompanied by a senior Flt Lt ALM.
They arranged for the required clothing to be positioned at weekends. A little thought and planning allowed the other factors you mention to be easily sorted.
Not only did he cycle to work .. but his "idea" of a holiday was to scrounge a lift to San Fran in a Herc then cycle to Washington before scrounging a lift home ... rumour
always had it that he did a role check on the co-pilot on each flight leg to "justify" the trip and save a few dollars... An amazing guy, fantastic pilot and a pleasure to work with ..
Omega,
I take it if you are still serving that you will be cycling into work in future then..?
By the way, my previous post was not intented to critise the individual in any way, some fairly incredible people will do some amazing things. My point was that a 10 mile bike ride on a routine daily basis is not practical for 100% of us mere mortals...!!!
Edited to add:
I'm not quite sure how "thought and planning" stops the wind blowing at 35kts, roads being icy, etc..... Perhaps if the weather was forecast to be bad your suggestion is to move into the mess beforehand and stay there until the weather improves?
Thought and planning has to be applied when I cycle to work, but that thought and planning in this case also includes electing to drive when the weather or roads are bad or I need to take a lot of kit...
By the way, I presume the "prepositioning at weekends" wasn't achieved using a bike?
I take it if you are still serving that you will be cycling into work in future then..?
By the way, my previous post was not intented to critise the individual in any way, some fairly incredible people will do some amazing things. My point was that a 10 mile bike ride on a routine daily basis is not practical for 100% of us mere mortals...!!!
Edited to add:
I'm not quite sure how "thought and planning" stops the wind blowing at 35kts, roads being icy, etc..... Perhaps if the weather was forecast to be bad your suggestion is to move into the mess beforehand and stay there until the weather improves?
Thought and planning has to be applied when I cycle to work, but that thought and planning in this case also includes electing to drive when the weather or roads are bad or I need to take a lot of kit...
By the way, I presume the "prepositioning at weekends" wasn't achieved using a bike?
Last edited by Biggus; 10th Feb 2011 at 20:35.
OmegaV6
I'll think you'll find his name is Ken MaC......,there was a good article in Cycling Plus April 2009 about his amazing recovery from a broken pelvis in 2006,following a collision with a dog! Not bad for a then 62 year old.
Biggus,my No1 son used to cycle 8 miles from Elgin to Lossie every day and later occasionally from Corsley,just west of Warminster to Boscombe,20+ miles. Yes there were showers at work.
Brian Wildey
Biggus,my No1 son used to cycle 8 miles from Elgin to Lossie every day and later occasionally from Corsley,just west of Warminster to Boscombe,20+ miles. Yes there were showers at work.
Brian Wildey
Car parking!!!! They need 5500, they have 2300...
Cut down those unnecessary trees, tarmac over the grass - easy peasy!
Brian 48 ... yup .. my stupidity .. Ken Mac .. not "Don" ... and him and Tiny did many many miles together whilst "commuting" to BZN.
Biggus ... my cycling days ended many years before my depature from the Mob.
Biggus ... my cycling days ended many years before my depature from the Mob.
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Biggus,my No1 son used to cycle 8 miles from Elgin to Lossie every day and later occasionally from Corsley,just west of Warminster to Boscombe,20+ miles. Yes there were showers at work.
Driving in every Sunday with enough uniform to last the week and NO shower, but you tell the kids of today......................................
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I caught a snippet on the radio reference the impending C130 move to Brize, the different units moving, personnel numbers etc etc.. Brize certainly gonna be a busy place!
I heard that old spectacle pans that haven't been used for years were being made 'ready' for C130 parking due to the lack of space or is that a load of old cobblers?
Re night NVG work, Abingdon (biased and has been used before), and Little Rissington (used already??) could be utilised alittle for this work being fairly close to their soon to be new home..
I heard that old spectacle pans that haven't been used for years were being made 'ready' for C130 parking due to the lack of space or is that a load of old cobblers?
Re night NVG work, Abingdon (biased and has been used before), and Little Rissington (used already??) could be utilised alittle for this work being fairly close to their soon to be new home..
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Local News
Local MP still trying to get a future for the place:
Could army leave South Cerney and Hullavington for Lyneham? (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)
Could army leave South Cerney and Hullavington for Lyneham? (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)
...and whatever the future is for Lyneham, it will not be this!
A shot from the ramp during a 1985 Eng Wing Family's Day flight.
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Not Long now
Anyone fancy taking a guess at the news for Lyneham, expected around July 14, on the basing study of all the bases in the UK.
Announcement on future use for RAF Lyneham expected next month (From Swindon Advertiser)
Announcement on future use for RAF Lyneham expected next month (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Operational flying will come to an end this Friday as the remaining Hercules fleet will do a symbolic lap of Wiltshire before they fly into to RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire.
At 10am, a fleet of four or five Hercs will fly over the county, swooping low as they pass over towns, so people can hear their familiar roar for the last time.
Who writes this stuff? Scott Darcy? Is that a real name?
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More detail on the New Lyneham. Good news on the Jobs front
Military technical centre to move in at Lyneham (From Swindon Advertiser)
Military technical centre to move in at Lyneham (From Swindon Advertiser)
Last edited by Blue Bottle; 19th Sep 2011 at 11:30.
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Coun Sturgis said: “Once it’s all up and running and it’s fully occupied, it will bring far more into the economy of the area than the RAF did with the Hercules, because basically the training will be there the whole time, whereas the personnel based at Lyneham were often out of the country.
