UK Mil Control Tower designs
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The various changes of the RAF Manston Control Tower
1950's when USAF were based there.
1970's under RAF management as I remember the old place.
1980's still under RAF management ... with a few additions and deletions.
2000 as Kent International Airport ... with tasteful cladding and presumably "elf n safety" required the additional fire escape to be installed
Shame they can't afford a lawn mower and strimmer
Coff.
1950's when USAF were based there.
1970's under RAF management as I remember the old place.
1980's still under RAF management ... with a few additions and deletions.
2000 as Kent International Airport ... with tasteful cladding and presumably "elf n safety" required the additional fire escape to be installed
Shame they can't afford a lawn mower and strimmer
Coff.
Last edited by CoffmanStarter; 30th May 2013 at 17:10.
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Wyton Tower wall
The story about the jackhammers brought back memories. The structures of the era must have been made of some really good concrete. I worked in 4 hangar at Wyton for 14 years. I wondered for a while in the TACEVAL days what all the black tape markings on the walls were. Someone told me that if it was for real they would be knocked into doorways. Curiosity satisfied!
Must have been after some SALT talks and Open skies goings on and the fear that the reds would be allowed access into areas where the doors were above a certain size. Well as you can imagine there were areas within the hangar where even some of our own were not allowed.
Extensive remodelling took place with several doors bricked up to comply with the requirement. A new door was required at the bottom of some stairs into the main hangar. - Well the jack hammering began but soon stopped as they gave up. A week or two later a scaffold was erected and some specialist guided diamond drilling equipment brought in. the drill was powered through the corners of the aperture. the cores hung around for years used as door stops. they were most attractive ornaments. next a large diamond circular saw was used to join the dots. It too ran on rails and was water cooled. IIRC the operation took a good few weeks. part of the cost was worked out on the wear on the tools. Goodness knows how many blades they got through.
Funny thing is the [Berlin] wall came down not many years after. All that effort and I don't think we saw it coming!!
Then there was the story of the fragile roof - 1982 they built a workshop Annex. (I think it was last the band store or model railway club a couple of years back) I watched them haul in some large precast concrete roof beams. the gaps between them were filled with concrete pumped from a mixer. And a 2ft square section concrete perimeter cast. Great entertainment! they then put some foam blocks and tar on the roof. and appended signs "Fragile Roof use crawling boards" on all sides. As if you were going to fall through it!
One of the foam blocks became the space model for the Puma and SeaKing rear RWR radome but don't tell anyone!! Still flying on the Puma 30 years on.
back to Control Towers - Wyton was green at one time. I think it became a red and white chess board at some stage
Must have been after some SALT talks and Open skies goings on and the fear that the reds would be allowed access into areas where the doors were above a certain size. Well as you can imagine there were areas within the hangar where even some of our own were not allowed.
Extensive remodelling took place with several doors bricked up to comply with the requirement. A new door was required at the bottom of some stairs into the main hangar. - Well the jack hammering began but soon stopped as they gave up. A week or two later a scaffold was erected and some specialist guided diamond drilling equipment brought in. the drill was powered through the corners of the aperture. the cores hung around for years used as door stops. they were most attractive ornaments. next a large diamond circular saw was used to join the dots. It too ran on rails and was water cooled. IIRC the operation took a good few weeks. part of the cost was worked out on the wear on the tools. Goodness knows how many blades they got through.
Funny thing is the [Berlin] wall came down not many years after. All that effort and I don't think we saw it coming!!
Then there was the story of the fragile roof - 1982 they built a workshop Annex. (I think it was last the band store or model railway club a couple of years back) I watched them haul in some large precast concrete roof beams. the gaps between them were filled with concrete pumped from a mixer. And a 2ft square section concrete perimeter cast. Great entertainment! they then put some foam blocks and tar on the roof. and appended signs "Fragile Roof use crawling boards" on all sides. As if you were going to fall through it!
One of the foam blocks became the space model for the Puma and SeaKing rear RWR radome but don't tell anyone!! Still flying on the Puma 30 years on.
back to Control Towers - Wyton was green at one time. I think it became a red and white chess board at some stage
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'back to Control Towers - Wyton was green at one time. I think it became a red and white chess board at some stage'
It did,also ended up with purple,black and green squares care of a few UAS.It's now a peppermint green.
It did,also ended up with purple,black and green squares care of a few UAS.It's now a peppermint green.
At Gan in 1958 we had no problems - we just built our own.
Lay a concrete base, inset palm tree trunks as uprights to support the roof, cover with woven (Kadjan) palm tree fronds, make simple hinged upwards openings in the wall to view outside and finally install some signals kit and voilà - a working ATC!
We (the RAF) did the hard bit whilst a Maldivian local wove the Kadjan for the walls and roof.
ATC is the nearest hut
P.S.
FWIW below is the RAF Thornhill (5FTS) S. Rhodesia, ATC as it was in 1951 - 1953.
Lay a concrete base, inset palm tree trunks as uprights to support the roof, cover with woven (Kadjan) palm tree fronds, make simple hinged upwards openings in the wall to view outside and finally install some signals kit and voilà - a working ATC!
We (the RAF) did the hard bit whilst a Maldivian local wove the Kadjan for the walls and roof.
ATC is the nearest hut
P.S.
FWIW below is the RAF Thornhill (5FTS) S. Rhodesia, ATC as it was in 1951 - 1953.
Last edited by Warmtoast; 30th May 2013 at 21:03.
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Lay a concrete base, inset palm tree trunks as uprights to support the roof,
cover with woven (Kadjan) palm tree fronds, make simple hinged upwards openings
in the wall to view outside and finally install some signals kit and voilà - a
working ATC!
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I experienced a couple of things in the Greenham Common tower at night in the early 80s; my first experience of the internet as I chatted with a met office in Alaska for instance. Time to save it?
Greenham Control Tower
Greenham Control Tower
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Mil Control Towers
RAF Gaydon had a tower which was a two storey brick with glass cupola on top. Ground floor was radio/radar equipment with tech crew. First floor was radio/radar control room. Glass house for visual control. There was also a control/visual inspection caravan at the end of runway.
Gaydon was the only airfield that I worked on that had I.L.S. at each end in the '60's with one set of 'markers'
RAF Gaydon airfield
Gaydon was the only airfield that I worked on that had I.L.S. at each end in the '60's with one set of 'markers'
RAF Gaydon airfield
Gentleman Aviator
And you can always convert one into luxury housing, as frequenters of LFA9 will know.
This used to be the control tower of HMS Godwit aka Hinstock Airfield near Market Drayton
Went for about £2M a few years ago IIRC, along with 90 acres and a commercial stables.
This used to be the control tower of HMS Godwit aka Hinstock Airfield near Market Drayton
Went for about £2M a few years ago IIRC, along with 90 acres and a commercial stables.
Before handing over RAF Catterick, the tower became a listed building. Much to their annoyance the Army at Marne Barracks are now the owners. Wensleydale, the heritage centre you refer to at Waddo, is there any public access? Also, where in the club is it located? I have many happy memories of a misspent youth in Constance Ravens legacy.
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Wensleydale, the heritage centre you refer to at Waddo, is there any public
access? Also, where in the club is it located? I have many happy memories of a
misspent youth in Constance Ravens legacy.
To get a tour around the Heritage Centre, one has to book in advance. Look us up on the Waddington Website and contact via e-mail or phone. Our visits coordinator will arrange a date and time and we will meet you to get you through gate security etc. Please give us a few days notice if possible - it is all run by volunteers/secondary duties and we have to make sure that a tour guide is available for you.
The photograph shows the building after the Luftwaffe visited in May 1941, killing 11 personnel including the NAAFI manageress, Mrs Constance Raven - hence the name of the club. It has been repaired a little since then although water leaks through the ceiling!
We will have a stand in Hangar 3 at the air show (with a few bits of our Lancaster wreckage, etc). Happy to talk visits etc then.
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What's it worth..?
For sale: Bids invited for Greenham Common control tower | NewburyToday.co.uk
Good memories of this place.
For sale: Bids invited for Greenham Common control tower | NewburyToday.co.uk
Good memories of this place.
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All along the Control Tower
Interesting photobooks from Narwal concerning remaining WW2 Control Towers in the UK. in 2 volumes 119 Towers are gathered.
ALL ALONG THE CONTROL TOWER
Volume 3 seems to be prepared
ALL ALONG THE CONTROL TOWER
Volume 3 seems to be prepared
The old ATCs with Met. underneath used to have Lamson [?] tubes connecting them, for the passage of obs. and warnings and Local Area Forecasts. These operated on air pressure, very appropriately!
Depending upon time of day and the WAAFs upstairs, other things were passed. In both directions.
If ATC were idle, we ran out of carriers, needed to ask for them back, followed by whooshing and crashing for 5 minutes.
ISTR that ATC/Met at Acklington had no running water .........the tea swindle was supplied by an urn of cold water delivered daily, and the processed water went into an external khazi, again no water. Nicosia had water but no khazi.
The sexes were not equal. Women were deemed unable to serve in such uncouth places, nor on night duty with men, unless two women were needed. This provoked a lot of mirth, as all young weather-guessers were sure they could tackle two at a time.
At HQ 1 Gp Bawtry there was [and I have seen it] bitter controversy over the "no women" ruling, led by the women, who won the battle to the extent that we had some real beauties in due course.
B G the TV guru told me that "in those days" with the bevy of talent available, that he arrived for a 6 week attachment aged 19 and left aged 90. The rhodadendrons on the south side of the park were said to be the RV.
By the time that I arrived in 1981 there were SAID to be no such goings-on.
"I do not believe it!"
Depending upon time of day and the WAAFs upstairs, other things were passed. In both directions.
If ATC were idle, we ran out of carriers, needed to ask for them back, followed by whooshing and crashing for 5 minutes.
ISTR that ATC/Met at Acklington had no running water .........the tea swindle was supplied by an urn of cold water delivered daily, and the processed water went into an external khazi, again no water. Nicosia had water but no khazi.
The sexes were not equal. Women were deemed unable to serve in such uncouth places, nor on night duty with men, unless two women were needed. This provoked a lot of mirth, as all young weather-guessers were sure they could tackle two at a time.
At HQ 1 Gp Bawtry there was [and I have seen it] bitter controversy over the "no women" ruling, led by the women, who won the battle to the extent that we had some real beauties in due course.
B G the TV guru told me that "in those days" with the bevy of talent available, that he arrived for a 6 week attachment aged 19 and left aged 90. The rhodadendrons on the south side of the park were said to be the RV.
By the time that I arrived in 1981 there were SAID to be no such goings-on.
"I do not believe it!"
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The Tower at North Weald is on of seven Type 5223a/51 control towers, which were built to a standard 1951 design featuring a central, two-storey tower surrounding a steel frame with an octagonal steel-framed and glazed visual control room (VCR) on top of the flat roof.
It was linked to Kelvedon Hatch, which was one of four Rotor Sector Operations Control Rooms constructed for Fighter Command, and known as SOC-R4. This was designed to provide command and control of Fighter Command’s Metropolitan Sector,
North Weald’s Tower is now a Grade II Listed Building along with two others at Greenham Common and Upper Heyford. The one at Mildenhall has been demolished. The other remaining examples are situated at Brize Norton, Fairford and Biggin Hill, which has been much modified.
It was linked to Kelvedon Hatch, which was one of four Rotor Sector Operations Control Rooms constructed for Fighter Command, and known as SOC-R4. This was designed to provide command and control of Fighter Command’s Metropolitan Sector,
North Weald’s Tower is now a Grade II Listed Building along with two others at Greenham Common and Upper Heyford. The one at Mildenhall has been demolished. The other remaining examples are situated at Brize Norton, Fairford and Biggin Hill, which has been much modified.
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Odiham had three, one which was the map store was the original and to small, the later one which I think had the met office in it when I was there was closed and a new one built over at RAF Long Sutton after an accident on the OCU site when two helicopters collided, the tower had cleared it to take off but with the layout of the airfield meant they could not see the apron, so the "new" tower was built that could see all the aprons.
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S-D