I spent 2 years at Mach and had a ball. Granted the whole 2 years was a blurry rain soaked alcohol induced coma, type, thingy, but hell I had worse.
This is where I found out that Americans cant drink (especially Newcastle Brown). :}

It is a licenced civil airport (listed in the UK Civil AIP) operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, so I dare say anyone can use it with permission of the operating authority.

Always wondered if a working Mac would have made a difference to the Chinook problem up there -they would certainly have been transiting through controlled airspace and that has to be a good thing in fog..

Did my 2.5 years. Excellent tour, generally good people, and you needed friends as you wouldn't dare hit the bars on your own.
Some epic flying from the lads practising for red flag. 17/31 Sqn, some epic buccaneering too.

Some absolute scandalous goings on in the marital dept. Chef crashed into the field behind my house. He does a runner, as he'd been drinking. RAFPOl come to clear it up, transpires he's been knocking a shift workers misses off, and his boot is full of food from the mess. Quickest posting out you ever saw.

I'm round at someones house, my misses goes to the loo, shortly after the chap goes out, his misses pounces on me. Door bursts open and my wife walks in having told be the amorous householder, not to go back downstairs as I was 'busy' .... to find me 'pinned down' with other wify intent on sampling the meat & two veg - - I learned about women from that. And I honestly never saw it coming.

Wouln't want to go back there though.:=

This might need to go under the heading of Nostalgia but aged parent tells of the time in 1936 when he had a squadron of Swordfish tied down out side and had to call the crews during the night to "fly them " on their tethers as the wind was strong enough to turn the props!. The other squadron had the use of the hangar for its a/c and thought this most amusing until the morning when said hangar was seen to have departed complete with contents into the ogin

In 1976 (I think) the 3 Kinloss Nimrod Sqns 'boltholed' in turn to Machrihanish. It is rumoured that following 201 Sqns departure back to Kinloss a request was played on Sunday morning Radio Scotland dedicated to the Sqn the music by JS Bach "Sheep may safely graze"

KeyPilot,

I was there in 2001 and the Navy Seals were over doing training... I haven't seen/heard of any US presence since then.

I was back again in 2003 and noticed a bunch of Paras training with the TA (never asked why, couldn't be bothered) there were also a bunch of Gr7s mucking about for a day then they disapeared, other than that it's pretty dead!

I do miss the old Gaydon hanger :uhoh: I paid the bunker a visit also, although there was nothing there at all apart from huge empty garage like bunkers.

I remember some good laughs with the UAS in the 80s. Remember meeting a young Flying Officer who was there with 100 Sqn Canberras. There were 2 fish tanks in the foyer of the mess, one with carp and one with piranha. I seem to recall he thought it would be a good idea to introduce the carp to their 'friends' in the other tank which prompted a couple of us to tie him up and dangle him upside down from a sign post outside the mess. Seemed like a good idea at the time and I think it became a bit of a tradition for him! :)

The piranha was called 'Billy' and was eventually looked after down at the fire section, during the JMCs we would have extra fire fighters detached in where their initiation was to "stroke" Billy. (He never bit anyone, I'm sure he was the only veggie piranha).

352 SOG at Mildenhall used Mac in summer/autumn of '05 for its ORI (taceval), but no permanent presence there for some time...

I believe that was Ex Asphalt Shade. Was about 2 weeks long and saw HALO drops over the airfield IIRC

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...MG_5383-01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...MG_5339-01.jpg

What of the 2 UAS groupies from Cambletoon in the early 80s - Ellen and Morag.............?

Can't remember the name of the EX...that could be me in 476 though!

Coincidentally, I'm trying to fly 476 this week out of depot here at Warner Robins, GA...

You may have thought they were UAS groupies, but you weren't there 12 months of the year.

Mac was good for flights though. I got a few trips with UAS (hands-on - thanks), a MAC C141 dropping seals. A USMC CH-53 low level sortie , and a couple of lads in the tower had Jodels.

Anyone remember the woman in the bank with the white porsche? Or RAFPOls very popular Cpl 'Traffic George' and his radar speed trap at the bottom of the hill.