AAC YEOVILTON
 

bbc spotlight news say 600 army personel +34 army wildcats to be based at yeovilton , all maintanance to. where are they going to put them ??:ugh:

I heard the 'Project Future Brize' team where going down to make it fit...

Don't forget 28 Navy Wildcats too.

Well if the past is anything to go by. The poor old AAC will be shoved into a hangar somewhere at the extreme edge of the airfield, too small to house what they have, and poor old groundies will be picking up XZ 123 then after moving ten cabs out the way. To find the REME meant to say take out XZ 124..........

I thought that there was a sinister RAF plot to do away with the FAA so the base will likely be vacant soon......or did I just misunderstand Sharkey?

considering that a few years ago Yeovilton used to house 845, 846, 3CBAS, 800, 801, 899, and the Hunters and Canberras of FRADU plus some of the Navy Lynx, there should be loads of room given that the fixed wing squadrons have all gone. (Not forgetting a fair number of spare Wessex V that were in storage have also all gone). And I assume part or all of the old Westlands complex on the south of the airfield is available now?

but don't worry - if it does get full they'll be packed off to Merryfield

AAC YEOVILTON
 

What affect will this have on Middle Wallop

This is old news.

There has been a plan in place for years for this to happen. There is an infrastructure plan in place and although it is a massive chinese puzzle to make it happen, there is enough room for everyone at end-state.

Don't know why it's come up now as it's been public knowledge for ages that Dishforth is closing in 2015 and they are moving on mass to Yeovilton.

Where are they going to squeeze in WEBF's Harriers????:E

They can stay in the hover until they are needed

Will there be enough room for F-35 as well as several boatloads of helicopters, or are the F-35s going elsewhere?

Same question applies if F-35 is binned, F-18s/Rafales etc are bought and the ships remanufactured. Where do the F-18s go?

Given that in 3 years' time, all the helicopters currently based at Yeovilton will be gone, fitting in a smaller number of Wildcats and Merlins won't be difficult!

Not all helicopters currently at VL will be gone in 3 years, Lx Mk8 is still with us until 2017.

Yeovilton will happily take 125 or more aircraft and operate them safely.

Probably none at all.

New Yeovilton
 

It is apparently old hat and people have been one about it for ages. I have heard that a lot of new accom will be built on the brownfield site where the old wardroom was ( now flattened and part-field, part-car park). Now whether this is an Army all ranks one-stop sort of mini base within Yeovilton I am not sure. Had heard that was how it was going to go.
South Dispersals two big hangars I suppose would be adequate (or ideal perhaps) for the entire Army fleet of aircraft - 800,801 and 899 were all in there from about 1995 (?) until their demise at VL. This area has the two pretty large hangars, quite alot of office space, car parking but a bit out of the way compared to the rest of the base. Pretty big dispersal.
I know that some people are worried the nature of Yeovilton, perhaps the whole atmosphere of the base will change with the arrival of the Army. Is
it a good mix? Will it work? Mess atmosphere will change, I think. Two proud organisations forced to live and work closely together, both very different in uniform and tradition, discipline even. Yeovilton always to me was a pretty relaxed sort of place really for a military base, and most of the time, fun.Or perhaps it will all be okay.
Hangarshuffle.

Back in the mid sixties Army aviation was rapidly expanding and we were short of qualified aircraft engineers from Artificers down, the Navy lent the Army a whole bunch of personnel and I think it would be fair to say they fitted in like a well made glove. Couple of differences, we would go out on exercise or sometimes called a 'scheme', to the Navy lads this was 'camping' and we had to ask them to wear their blue berets when 'camping' as the PR aircraft showed up their white top hats very clearly, even when underneath a cam. net! Great bunch of lads.