P8 to Waddington

[RedhillPhil]

Originally Posted by Yellow Sun

IIRC one of the early proposals was to locate the Nimrod fleet at Gaydon. Maybe it's time has come again?

YS

That's fantastic. Base your maritime fleet about as far away from the briny as you can get.

[Lima Juliet]

RedhillPhil

Or equidistant to all coasts depending on how you view it? Anyway Gaydon is full of Aston Martins but Upper Heyford or Abingdon are free...

LJ

[Yellow Sun]

Originally Posted by RedhillPhil

That's fantastic. Base your maritime fleet about as far away from the briny as you can get.

Just in case you hadn't noticed, they fly not float. The Nimrod fleet went to St Mawgan and Kinloss because that was where the real estate was at the time. The attraction of Gaydon was that it was in effect "green field" (long before that phrase was invented); the only permanent buildings were Air Traffic and the Command Power Plant Bay. Although the transit times to task areas were longer, the specified on task duration would still have been achievable. The cost saving in logistics from having a single central location were significant. In the end other factors prevailed and the Nimrod went to the extremities of the UK. Not forgetting of course that the Kinloss NDBs were stored at Macrahanish; but that's another story.

Let's face it, the P8 isn't going to be doing Stage 2 in D001 or the Moray Firth and the training regime will be considerably different from that on the Nimrod; MR1 or 2. Neither will it be sitting on a barrier somewhere south of the gaps waiting for a Yankee in transit to the the Westlant box. I don't know what the P8 profiles or operational concepts will be, but I am certain that they will be very different from those of the Nimrod. They won't be updating the Malin Head AGI in the transit either.

I operated the Nimrod from the North Pole to the South Pacific and most places in between. That would have been achieved from the centre of the country equally as well as from St Mawgan or Kinloss. My mention of Gaydon as a specific location was tongue in cheek, but I would challenge the necessity of the P8 having to be parked next to the sea; North or South.

YS

[Sideshow Bob]

Originally Posted by Yellow Sun

IIRC one of the early proposals was to locate the Nimrod fleet at Gaydon. Maybe it's time has come again?

YS

At least 201 Sqn would feel right at home there, it's got the right name

[camelspyyder]

And with that comment, I guess we should start up the number plate argument again. I only have tours on 42TB 120 and 206 behind me but can see how 201 has a claim as the senior number. Has the Poseidon squadron number been announced yet?

[JAVELINBOY]

How about asking the Army to hand Brawdy back?

[camelspyyder]

Oh yeah. Like manning the P8 isn't going to be difficult verging on impossible already."...by the way you'll have to live in Haverford West"
"Oh I'm sorry, I seem to have a call from Conoco on the other line...Good day"

[pr00ne]

Brawdy is closing and the Army moving out.

[chopper2004]

Originally Posted by Yellow Sun

IIRC one of the early proposals was to locate the Nimrod fleet at Gaydon. Maybe it's time has come again?

YS

Mate of a mate is working for one of the vehicle manufactuers on Gaydon nice test track they have there......

[pmills575]

Boeing are just about to build a large hangar for servicing the Dreamliner at Gatwick, perhaps they could tag the P8 onto that scheme. Handy for the channel, North sea and the Atlantic. No need for all those uniformed, expensive techies......

[Arclite01]

If you want to be in the south............
Manston ?
St Mawgan ?
Lydd ??

if you want to be in the north.............
Blackpool ?
Humberside ??

None of those are busy.

If you want a military site

Mildenhall will be empty soon.................
Wattisham might be as well ??
Leeming isn't busy...............

Just some thoughts

Arc

[charliegolf]

Oh yeah. Like manning the P8 isn't going to be difficult verging on impossible already."...by the way you'll have to live in Haverford West"
"Oh I'm sorry, I seem to have a call from Conoco on the other line...Good day"

Assumes that the P8 is going to be exclusively manned by serving personnel, none of whom want to go west. Is that the current state of affairs? New entrants will know at the outset whre they're likely headed. They're clever people, you know, top 2% an' all that jazz.

PS, road to God's country (Port Talbot) is much better these days; and better than 8 hours to the Chunnel!

[Pontius Navigator]

1. Finningley?

2. CG, unless things have changed, New entrants go where the system thinks they are suited. IMHO there were more Scots at ISK than Welsh, but most aircrew were English, so getting locally employed support staff would not be impossible but aircrew would be something else.

At least today you are unlikely to have the Newquay B&B owners bitching about serving at Kinloss.

[Martin the Martian]

Can't be Leeming. That must be earmarked for Lossie's Typhoons when Scotland goes indy.

[Onceapilot]

Originally Posted by Martin the Martian

Can't be Leeming. That must be earmarked for Lossie's Typhoons when Scotland goes indy.

It certainly could be Leeming. I see little problem with co-locating those types. These days, the base security measures and protection costs are far better covering multiple assets at one location. As far as operating frontline large-ish aircraft from a civvi base... you might as well forget security and, the cost of all the support infrastructure would be sky-high. Maybe, if Scotland casts off, further development of Leeming would be a no-brainer? It would seem wise that a runway/airfield upgrade to be able to operate all RAF types there would provide some real bonuses in various ways. The Army would certainly appreciate some trooping capability from/to Leeming.

OAP

[Pontius Navigator]

OAP, surely a civil airport has better security? At an airfield near me there were holes in the wire and the runway ends are practically open. Back in the day Prestwich offered secure parking.

[Sideshow Bob]

but most aircrew were English, so getting locally employed support staff would not be impossible but aircrew would be something else

Except for the fact that most of the aircrew you need to attract back in currently live in Burghead/Lossiemouth/Forres/Elgin and the surrounding area.

[Pontius Navigator]

SB, do they want back in? Or are you implying that they remain domiciled there but are employed to the south?

Mind you, that never stopped the FJ sqns shuffling up and down the country although I bet a fair few emulated the SHAR aircrews who voted with their feet on a move to Cottesmore.

[Arclite01]

I find the crew aspect odd.

It's a mobile service, mobile role with mobile assets - why do people think they will be permanently based in one location ??

I was always reckoning on being posted every 3 years...............it went with the territory (and the paycheck).

Even nowadays in a civilian job I fully expect to be mobile and to go where the work is.

Manning will be an issue. But it shouldn't be................


Arc

[Onceapilot]

Originally Posted by Pontius Navigator

OAP, surely a civil airport has better security? At an airfield near me there were holes in the wire and the runway ends are practically open. Back in the day Prestwich offered secure parking.

Pontious, With the greatest respect, we are not "back in the day". Assets such as squadrons of Typhoon and P8 will have pretty good security these days. Yes, large Civvi airfields have reasonable security against background criminality but, the levels of security required for a permanent operational Military airfield are considerable and expensive.

OAP