Benson to go Army?
 

I was told this ('when' not 'if') recently. It was news to me but I wouldn't be surprised, especially since the closure of Stn Ops and the fact that JHC is now under an Army commander.

Any rumours or confirmation?

Tim

Uh-oh - there goes the neighbourhood......

Surely they have to make a decision about if and where to move the light blue that presently work there first??? I understand that decision is far from close to being made....

Simple, they'll just move to Odiham where they were in the first place!

Benson
 

This has been around for a while and is now pretty much a 'when' and not an 'if', as Dishforth will likely close.

I wouldn't bet your mortgage on that one. The cunning plan is for an SH super base at Lyneham. However, having seen the sh1t state it's in and worked out how much would have to be spent to bring it up to a reasonable standard rumour has it that people are thinking twice. The JHC high paid help have 3 choices:

1. Persaude RAF to stump up the cash to bring Lyneham up to a reasonable standard - unlikely to happed as the RAF high paid help seem to want very little to do with SH.

2. Stump up cash themselves to get Lyneham up to standard - unlikely to happen as JHC appears to be run by a team of Scottish accountants called Gordon and Prudence that hate helicopters almost as much as they hate spending money.

3. Say bollocks to peoples' concerns and move anyway. Well that will do wonders for retention and until they've worked out how to convert a helo to a UAV and to put them onto a VW-esque long life servicing programme where you only change the oil every x-thousand hours, we can't afford to lose anymore people.

I think they would like to do it, but I suspect the practicalities may prove to be a problem. Oh erm hang on, since when have practicalities ever lead to a senior officer saying 'no'? I'll start packing now then.

Why close Dishforth ??

I really don't get the point of that one..................

What happened to the story of the SH moving to Yeovilton?

Well, the reason for closing both Topcliffe and Dishforth would be the same wouldn't it? Both too close to Ripon, a beautiful market town with thirty seven pubs and one Conservative club. Can't have the troops enjoying themselves, can we?:=

Plus Dishforth is miles from anywhere useful, 2 hr trip to pickup in Colchester, 6 hr round trip to Otterburn and the 2 back. 4 wasted hours that could be used to get something useful done!

If people would get on with the 1/4s, the RAF could get out of Benson and the Army in, the good thing would then be that all the forces sims were in the wrong place and T&S could become even more of an issue!!!:ugh:

Not sure the locals could handle the stimulation of the Army compared to now?:p

More likely that as the heating system at Benson is already knackered it would be an ideal place to put the Army as they are quite used to that sort of thing!! :\

Quite true, dress for the environment, not the mess, basics old chap.

Was it Billy Connolly that summed this one up quite nicely as "There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!" ?

This is part of the MOD Airfield consolidation study and is being run at MOD level. Very little input from JHC, Benson, Dishforth or any other individual Command or Station.

So no real input from reality or acknowledgment of what is really needed operationally above what is needed for some senior type to get the next promotion or gong then.

In that case, you may as well pile all the SH into Qatar and base it all from a relatively central location in theatre close to its use units. That should save a few million and get someone a K.

Melchey,
I like your thinking - but lets make the super base Camp Bastion, put everything that is left in the rotary world of any use there, get some operational sorties (that doesn't cost the arm and leg and bound in political health and safety blah of UK exercises) and then rotate crews through the UK for R&R and to keep their families ticking over.

If we take it a bit further, then if we position all this kit and equipment overseas on a long term basis, we are nicely positioned for most future perceived conflicts (anything and everything from Iran, Korea, China and even our old sabre rattling foe Russia is all on the door step). But to the bean counters, hey presto - no need for expensive real estate in UK, so lets flog off some of these lucrative bases.

Hey General, now that is cunning plan of yours.

Why thank you Front Seater,

It took many many hours of head scratching to work that one out. I'm so glad you agree with me. And of course, by putting everything into Bastion and designating it a home location, I shall task my J1 types to look into not having to pay LSSA or operational allowance whilst minimizing the amount spent on LOA - well it is the Middle East after all - you can get loads of gadgets for peanuts.

And we won't have to classify it as field conditions either, saving even more. When the troops return to the UK on R&R, we can charge them for living in the various Messes and Blocks - after all, if we station everyone in AF permanently, we can rent out the accommodation on stations that we won't need on a daily basis and for the periods the chaps are back in the UK we will obviously have to recompense the Home Office for not being able to store sorry house illegal immigrants in the SLAM blocks.

My God, it gets better and better the further I look into it.

FS - have a promotion and pass me the furniture & fittings catalogue - Mrs M wants to re-carpet the grace and favour pile with the cash we've saved by re-locating you to AF. Benson .... where? Which do think sounds better - General Sir ACH Melchett or Lord Melchett of Barking? Decisions decisions!:ugh:

It actually makes quite alot of sense. Aircraft will be located according to their type or capability so SH in one location, attack in another etc. It makes sense both financially and operationally. And making those bases 'Super Bases' increases those financial and operational benefits.

There will obviously be those individuals that have been stationed at base X for eons who don't want to move (Apaches to Wattisham, Lynx to Dishforth (Attack and Support)) and will therefore argue against it, but it you remove the emotion, there's little solid argument against it - apart from the fact that to make all this happen will initially cost hundreds of millions that the MOD don't have!!

How would they utilise that gazillion pound Microsoft Flight Sim Centre at Benson if everyone moved out? Buses?

CG

Nope. Apparently it can be moved once in 25 years. For once, someone saw this one coming and got it put in the contract.

This thread is all semantics though. Moves have to pay for themselves over time. It won't, no-one's got any cash to sub it, ergo, stay put, and the decision is to delay the decision.