They'll probably re-open Coltishall as a satellite station. :E:E

So what now for the UAS/AEF? Back to Turnhouse?

Doubt it. What's left of RAF Turnhouse is now occupied by the cargo operators, and Edinburgh Airport are not keen on light aircraft.

Looks like RAF Kirknewton will be the RAF's only other flying station in Scotland now... :hmm:

Back to Scone, perhaps?

Army to cut 19,000 as reservists trained for front line
 

Going on from the thread title....

BBC News - Army to cut 19,000 as reservists trained for front line


Read the 4th paragraph............:hmm: :rolleyes: :hmm:

XR219.... "What's left of RAF Turnhouse is now occupied by the cargo operators..."

I suppose we all suffer these pangs of nostalgia at times. First posting after Uni/South Cerney was to RAF Dishforth - Student Pilots Holding Flight. The Flt Lt OC was a magnificent organiser... "Where would you like to go, Chaps, for the required couple of months?"
So it was off to a detached Flight of the Metropolitan Comms Sqn at RAF Turnhouse. A delightful time zooming around the UK in the RHS of a Pembroke.

Happy days.

Just heard this has been officially announced; Lossie is staying, Leuchars is going to the Army, and the Typhoons currently at Leu will move north. Not heard any timescales or any detail.

The details here...

BBC News - RAF to pull out of Leuchars as RAF Lossiemouth stays

I never served at Leuchars but its the end of an era.

Visiting numerous airshows (many of them BofB shows on cool Fife Sep weekends) had a large influence in me entering aviation, as a callow yoof.
Many happy memories of the early seventies air-show mass streaming departures of unfathonable numbers of Lightnings/Phantoms, & how to ever forget the transonic passes at chest height by "The Slivers", crazy Belgians in Starfighters.

I was grateful too for a few GCA's followed by a quick dirty dive up the coast in my Cessna to Dundee, whilst coming to grips with "hacking it" as Ted Girdler used to put it, whilst simultaneously avoiding the East Coast StratoGranite. Had a go in the F4 Sim once too,courtesy of Paul Ricard, who used to instruct part time with us in Dundee, bit different to my Cessna 152 of that era.

Thanks Leuchars, for fuelling a teenage dream, realised & cherished for > 30 years now !

Looks like I spoke too soon... according to the BBC article sitigeltfel linked to, the pongos will be taking over Kirknewton too!

Is it just me or is anyone else becoming seriously concerned at the complete lack of strategic thinking by this government. The incompetence just beggars belief. The RAF soon to be down to 4 or 5 frontline fast jet stations. A terrorist attack of far less complexity than 9/11 etc could easily shut the RAF down. Worrying times!!:=:=

How very alarmist! it's just you.

"A terrorist attack of far less complexity than 9/11 etc could easily shut the RAF down."

Without wanting to sound blase, I would suggest that shutting down a permanent RAF base on a full time basis is a significantly challenging task, which would require more than either the hijacking of 5 x airliners, rediverting them and then crashing them, all the time without ADANA being called.

Perhaps you could point the threat out which has potential to wipe out all of our home stations at once?

I am rather boring, but I'd rather see money spent on kit, and not on surplus infrastructure if possible. We're in the business of closing with, and killing the enemy and not estate management. :E

No doubt the Army will be bringing a lot of heavy stuff to Leuchars. Have any of them bothered to look at the roads in and out of the place?

Stig, have you ever driven to Catterick?

Yeah that Catterick next to the A1??

"Have any of them bothered" obviously not.

That's RAF Catterick that's beside the A1. The heavy stuff is at Catterick Garrison, out to the West. They even have a BFO Tesco and seem to manage with roads the same as Leuchars.

Roads to Leuchars aren't a problem really. Straight up the M90 to Perth, along to Dundee, over the bridge and you have small roads for what, 10 miles maximum?

Much better for difficult stuff than just heading along through Auchtermuchty etc.

I went to Leuchars as a seventeen year old Squipper. I spent nine years there. Another excellent posting gone.