Only worked on a Lamberts conformal.

Until they get a response from the original landowners or their successors I doubt there is much else to add, meanwhile, a few old boys can reminisce about Hullavington. If its not worth talking about its loss would be of little consequence.

The rumour is that the airfield is being sold to Sir James Dyson's company. Announced here: http://www.hullavingtonparishcouncil...%20Minutes.doc

3,000 jobs for the local area and £1.4M of Govt support. It will be a repait facility for this global success story. Good news for the locals but sad news for another airfield.

LJ

HV
 

After the squaddification of Hullavington I was disappointed to find that it was mainly used to house a mobile catering unit so that won't be missed. The magnificent officers mess would grace any business headquarters. I don't think that the entire airfield will be covered in the Dyson Dalek factory so I am glad we can welcome the company back from Malaysia to help the economy in the U.K.
I was in a flight of C130s waiting for a launch from Hullavington on a para sortie and was relating the story of a Varsity hitting the unfortunately placed hill on final approach from my Nav school days when the order came to stand to. Sadly our captain, one T*m P*****y had already launched in a glider whilst we were waiting and was only recalled on his mobile phone. Snapdragon 2 joined the flight after a "gang start" and 3 minute taxy time.
By the way, the Nav straight edge not only measured the 100 mile markers on trans atlantic legs on the Lamberts 400 series charts, but also could measure 14 nautical miles on the O.S. 50 thou maps for the TAP to DZ runs

Unless I am completely missing something, the report at the of the Hullavington Parish council minutes refers not only to the investment in the infrastructure of Buckley Barracks to secure it as a military facility for the foreseeable future, but also that there will be an additional unit based there 'in the next couple of years'.


The airfield itself has also been re-licensed for Heavy Drops so no plans to run that down then.


For clarification, the paragraph referring to Dysons expansion is contained within an overview of the activity of North Wilts Council as a whole, and relates to the ongoing (and extensive) expansion happening in Malmesbury right now.


Similar rumours were rife when Lyneham closed

That's good SX - I thought I was being a bit dim.

Re-read it twice and still couldn't see it :-)

Lets hope this does mean a long term future for the site and the Airfield. I believe the camp itself is listed.

It's a fabulous site. The Officers Mess alone (which I think is a combined Officers/Sgts Mess - same building, different sides) is a great place.

Arc

Dougie M, Ref Post No4

Nice picture.

Just caught up with this thread. Your picture of the flying classroom brings back so many memories. The interior looks very clean and big, I have always remembered the space as being very dingy and cramped. I was at 1ANS Topcliffe in 1960 and maybe we had the grotty ones.

Fond memory of Hullavington. We were at ATC camp at Rudloe Manor which had no rifle range so we went to Hullavington for shooting. The ATC camp there had no Authorised Range Supervisors so we invited them along to give them some practice. I was allocated a rather attractive 16 or 17 year old female cadet to teach how to shoot a .303. After about 10 rounds, she asked for a rest as 'I'm not wearing much under my coveralls and it's a bit painful' whereupon she pulled open the velcro top of her coveralls to prove she wasn't wearing much..........whew!
You had to have great willpower to be a VR(T) Officer!!

DeanoP

The Valetta picture was taken on the ground at Hullavington in early Feb 1962 while we were waiting to start the course at the end of the month. We were loaned the flying suits etc. for the photo shoot ( hence no rank braid or gloves ). The navbag belongs to the screen nav - no navbags were available for the studes until some could be retrieved from aircrew on ground tours. We had locally made blue canvas " shopping bags " until half way through the course, when we were issued with very old and tatty used ones. The 17 yo young chap in the foreground hasn't a clue what he is supposed to be doing, but is posed for the photo.

Then there is the embarrasing photo " shooting astro " with a Mk 9 sextant with both eyes open !!:O

Looks like the op was right. Just announced as one of twelve MoD sites to be disposed of for development.

..."Hullavington airfield site..."

I guess that also means we now know at least one of the VGS's that will close after the "pause"

Worth pointing out that Dyson have their own aviation department? ;)

Not closing - just relocating!

Looks like I was wrong then.


On the plus side, if the airfield site is covered in new housing, hopefully the North Wilts housing allocation will be soaked up and there will be no need for them to get involved in a complex plan with Cotswold District Council at Kemble airfield- that all seems to have gone quiet though.

Sucks

Arc

Of course, the Mercator was the standard plotting chart through to the V-Force and we would use the dividers and measure the distance at mid-lat, another 'activity or process' plus and potential 'minor' or 'major' error.

Remember doing single and two Pl MPPs rather than a 3 Pl fix to get the process count up

Dougie's photo:

Still have two of those grey pencil boxes, a Douglas and a Buccaneer Protractor and other assorted kit - including my issue Goggles for flying Varsity.

Nostalgia's not what it used to be.

I too hold fond memories of Hullavington; having flown solo there for the first time it's a place I'll certainly never forget.:ok:

Local MP says that it won't be houses but for an undisclosed environmentally friendly industry - James Gray MP plays down fears over houses in Hullavington (From This Is Wiltshire)

Expectations are that it is Dyson expanding. It is a British success story and the Government wants to export more, so it makes sense.

LJ

Leon Jabachabicz,

....."export more."

You do know that all Dyson factories are in Malaysia don't you? We IMPORT Dyson products.

I wonder if Sir James will move the Harrier from outside their Malmesbury HQ?
The Harrier in My Car Park: The Price of Losing Your Resolve | WIRED

Proone

As is the way for global manufacturing markets - Triumph motorbikes are similar with the bulk being built in the far east. But the PROFIT for the UK company comes here.

I don't believe that one third of a billion pounds is to be sniffed at!
Rugs to riches: Dyson announces record profits of £367m | Technology | The Guardian

LJ:ok: