Linton on Ouse : The end of an era
I recall that when NUAS moved from Ouston to Leeming there were similar howls from the students and instructors that they were now too far away from their Universities.
So, we now have NUAS too far south and YUAS too far north...
So, we now have NUAS too far south and YUAS too far north...
Shytorque
"My youngest was a member of YUAS only a couple of years ago and for a while she lived in the west wing of the Officers’ Mess, as I had done. I helped her move in. On arrival at the rear door she had forgotten the combination to the push button door lock. Almost without thinking I pressed the buttons and opened the door. Same combination forty years on!"
Love, love, love it!
"My youngest was a member of YUAS only a couple of years ago and for a while she lived in the west wing of the Officers’ Mess, as I had done. I helped her move in. On arrival at the rear door she had forgotten the combination to the push button door lock. Almost without thinking I pressed the buttons and opened the door. Same combination forty years on!"
Love, love, love it!
Gentleman Aviator
Apologies for the "brain fart" about AOTS and Linton. It was of course Church Fenton! Doh! (other training bases in Yorkshire are available....)
It's an age thing you know - why did I come into the study?
My (very slight) justification is that I went on to fly my Chipmunk Course at Linton rather than CF. But that's another story.......
It's an age thing you know - why did I come into the study?
My (very slight) justification is that I went on to fly my Chipmunk Course at Linton rather than CF. But that's another story.......
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Twenty minutes longer up the A1 by road from the south, yes but as I mentioned, many students don’t have their own transport. RAF road transport to be provided from Sheffield and Hull? I hope you are right; that would be useful but the road transport for Linton (civilian driver) ran to and from York station. My daughter had Friday lectures till 17:00 in Leeds which meant she was often late.
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My Grandad was based there in WW2 with the Canadian Air Force, as an engineer for the Halifax bombers, saw a lot of crews off, not so many returning. He also received his medals from the station commander there couple of years before he died, after having not received them when he finished serving, no idea who it was who presented them, but could upload the picture if asked for.
On a slightly related note - are there any good (FJ flying) RAF bases left these days? Linton, close to York with all its delights. St Mawgan, beautiful scenery, surf and the feeling of being "overseas". Wittering/Cottesmore, Stamford and all its fine pubs and restaurants. Even Colt was good in small doses if you could put up with the locals! Leuchars was great for golf and not too far from Embra.
Lossie is still a great (albeit Marmite) location. Never like Marham or Coningsby much - too flat and boring. I suppose being close to Lincoln was an upside. Y Fali... yep, still there.
Sorry - feeling nostalgic for what was still there about a decade ago...
Thread Drift........
You didn't mention Chivenor - the finest Station that should never, ever have been closed.
If the RAF is destined only to have one operational base - Chivenor should have been it.
Nevermind QRA and other trivial requirements.
You didn't mention Chivenor - the finest Station that should never, ever have been closed.
If the RAF is destined only to have one operational base - Chivenor should have been it.
Nevermind QRA and other trivial requirements.
RAF Linton on Ouse
I arrived there on frosty evening in January, 1962, after driving up from Devon.
I was on the Royal Navy's 102 Fixed Wing course to fly, first, the JP3 and then the Vampire
The Commanding Officer was a BoB Hurricane pilot named Grp.Cpt.John L.W.Ellacombe.DFC and Bar.RAF.
If you want any incentive to work your guts out, try having such an example as your CO.
Even the CFI, Tommy Blackham, had an exemplary career as a Bomber pilot. Fantastic encouragement, even for one of the dark blue persuasion !
What more could you ask ?
Linton was a legendary station, as was Church Fenton then, buzzing continuously with a great bunch of "studes" and instructors, which made for a superb introduction to any flying career.
I was proudly wearing my Wings after just thirteen months, fully equipped to go straight on to the Hunter.
Fifteen years later a fellow course member even went back as CO of the RNEFTS, part of the Linton "clutch" under Tom Eeles. It doesn't get better than that.
Subsequently, after nearly 60 years, I have managed to track down my first instructor who had a very necessary, disciplined influence on a bit of a wild, mouthy kid !
22 and a half thousand hours later, I have no doubt what the Linton effect did for me.
And now they've closed it............
Does any one at MOD actually realise what they've done ?
I was on the Royal Navy's 102 Fixed Wing course to fly, first, the JP3 and then the Vampire
The Commanding Officer was a BoB Hurricane pilot named Grp.Cpt.John L.W.Ellacombe.DFC and Bar.RAF.
If you want any incentive to work your guts out, try having such an example as your CO.
Even the CFI, Tommy Blackham, had an exemplary career as a Bomber pilot. Fantastic encouragement, even for one of the dark blue persuasion !
What more could you ask ?
Linton was a legendary station, as was Church Fenton then, buzzing continuously with a great bunch of "studes" and instructors, which made for a superb introduction to any flying career.
I was proudly wearing my Wings after just thirteen months, fully equipped to go straight on to the Hunter.
Fifteen years later a fellow course member even went back as CO of the RNEFTS, part of the Linton "clutch" under Tom Eeles. It doesn't get better than that.
Subsequently, after nearly 60 years, I have managed to track down my first instructor who had a very necessary, disciplined influence on a bit of a wild, mouthy kid !
22 and a half thousand hours later, I have no doubt what the Linton effect did for me.
And now they've closed it............
Does any one at MOD actually realise what they've done ?
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Does anyone at MOD actually care? 
Very sad to see it go. I spent nearly 4 years at Linton as a QFI from 1974-78, on 2 Sqn and Standards. My second favourite tour ( the best was Cyprus, and hard to beat) 
Now well into retirement, I'm sorry to see another station close, one that played a part in my decision to join the Service. After doing OASC in 1963, I had an offer to train as a Nav and it arrived near simultaneously with another commercial offer. For various reasons I took the latter and found myself in York, where the constant noise of Linton's JP 3s was part of the daily background and a reminder that maybe I'd done the wrong thing. I got involved as a civilian Instructor with a local ATC squadron and, probably the last straw, one day in town bumped into a chap on my syndicate at Biggin, then in pilot training. Net result was an inquiry as to whether that Nav offer still stood - it did, and in August 1964 I reported to South Cerney and have never regretted all that followed.
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No soul
This marks a sad end to another of the RAF’s historic stations.
The battle to retain Linton, if there ever was one, was lost long ago.
But surely a greater effort could have been made by the RAF to preserve something of the history of this important station, and its satellites, that was enshrined in Linton-on-Ouse’s Memorial Room?
What price preserving in a single location the unique exhibits that are such a fitting testament to the RAF and the RCAF in North Yorkshire? The cost would have been tiny.
Has the RAF lost its soul?
Shame on the RAF.
The battle to retain Linton, if there ever was one, was lost long ago.
But surely a greater effort could have been made by the RAF to preserve something of the history of this important station, and its satellites, that was enshrined in Linton-on-Ouse’s Memorial Room?
What price preserving in a single location the unique exhibits that are such a fitting testament to the RAF and the RCAF in North Yorkshire? The cost would have been tiny.
Has the RAF lost its soul?
Shame on the RAF.
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There are very few people in the RAF that care about history nowadays.
There is no-one in the MOD who cares a jot about history.
It's all about the money and personal political agendas.
All very sad.
Arc
There is no-one in the MOD who cares a jot about history.
It's all about the money and personal political agendas.
All very sad.
Arc
I blame the fun detectors, whose sole agenda is to close stations in nice locations, where people are enjoying life, and leave the RAF with stations in bleak locations - Coningsby, Lossiemouth and Marham spring to mind. When you think back to the many stations we once had in lovely areas it brings tears to the eyes of an old man like me. How's about Abingdon, Bassingbourn, Chivenor, Coltishall, Gaydon, Little Rissington, Lyneham, St Mawgan and Thorney Island to name but a few? Not forgetting, of course all the Vale of York stations, which will shortly become another memory.
Sleeve Wing,
"And now they've closed it............
Does any one at MOD actually realise what they've done ?"
ShyTorque,
Does anyone at MOD actually care?
Er, why on earth should they care? The RAF has closed an airfield for which they no longer have a need, one of many that they have closed over the years.
"And now they've closed it............
Does any one at MOD actually realise what they've done ?"
ShyTorque,
Does anyone at MOD actually care?
Er, why on earth should they care? The RAF has closed an airfield for which they no longer have a need, one of many that they have closed over the years.
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Sleeve Wing,
"And now they've closed it............
Does any one at MOD actually realise what they've done ?"
ShyTorque,
Does anyone at MOD actually care?
Er, why on earth should they care? The RAF has closed an airfield for which they no longer have a need, one of many that they have closed over the years.
"And now they've closed it............
Does any one at MOD actually realise what they've done ?"
ShyTorque,
Does anyone at MOD actually care?
Er, why on earth should they care? The RAF has closed an airfield for which they no longer have a need, one of many that they have closed over the years.