... and how is this a bad thing? :O

should be Port & Starboard................

Not since 1985-ish. :rolleyes:

OAP

I've heard from a reliable source that they will move to @RAF_Luton. And will take over half of the Millennium Falcon fighter's hangar. They are just going to budge the MF up the expansive hangar a little. SS Enterprise operations will remain @RAF_Luton also.

Heard last Friday that there's a real possibility of them staying at Scampton.

Are they not changing role to become as FTS as part of a damage limitation plan to reduce the training backlog?

squawking 7700,

I do hope that there is some substance to that.

After all, it can't cost that much to keep the minimal presence at Scampton going, can it?

pr00ne,
My 'substance' for that info comes from supplying equipment to a couple of contractors that work on essential infrastucture at Scampton, Waddington, Cranwell, Coningsby, Leeming, Marham and a few others, I'd like to think they've got some insight on future requirements.


7700

Really?

I do hope you're being sarcastic. The cost of maintaining 70 year old infrastructure for a single flying unit is eye-watering. Close the airfield, retain necessary infra for the other occupants (mobile met unit?) and move RAFAT to Yorkshire today.

The MMU have had a rather peripatetic existence (Brize, Benson and now Scampton, amongst others). Indeed, as ERAS are based at Leeming they might find a natural home up there too, maybe?

Probably the same if they moved to Brawdy.

Harley Quinn,

It is a single flying unit but one of three units on the station AND there is a commercial flying outfit in Hawker Aviation, who must be paying a commercial rent for their premises plus contributing to airfield operating costs. There is hardly a surplus of military airfields left in the area.
The cost of reproviding that 70 year old infrastructure elsewhere AND an airfield operating facility dedicated to the team must also be eye watering.


chevvron,

The army are vacating Brawdy and the site is up for disposal. And after 2021 Leuchars will most probably be in a foreign country.

Leeming has the infrastructure already, capital costs are sunk, Hawk mk1 support facilities etc. are in place. I would almost guarantee that anything Hawker Aviation paid for use of the facilities went into government general coffers, not defence so no real benefit there. Consolidation would surely be the prudent thing to do.

Surely the MMU HQ, such as it is, is an office for the CO, the Adj, and a tech leader, plus a storage Portakabin?

Unless things have changed a great deal "since my day" all the other staff are either on Ops /Exs or working on other RAF stations awaiting the call to arms.

Highly unusually I find myself agreeing with Pr00ne on something!

HQ - you can only consolidate so much - how many decent sized active mil airfields do you think we have left? Scampton is almost uniquely suited to the needs of RAFAT and all this latest rebasing proposal is doing is proving that case. As for Leeming, where would they practice? Leeming has a busy Hawk squadron based, that is about to get busier, not sure the 3 slots per day for 40mins that RAFAT require would work to well? Plus you've got he A1 right next door. So you could use Linton overhead as that is closing (another shortsighted decision) but what's the point in closing one station to keep another, less suitable one, open? Anyway the beancounters will be looking to flog Linton to property speculators at the earliest opportunity.

Whichever way you look at this the only right answer for RAFAT remains Scampton. What should happen is we (our hapless Govt) take some pride in the old place, spend a good dollop of cash on it and make proper use of it. Moving the BBMF from Coningsby to Scampton would be a good start,so freeing up space for the extra Typhoon squadron(s).

Harley Quinn,

So, Leeming has an empty C -Type hangar does it? All fully equipped to modern Health and Safety standards and fully equipped to accommodate and service 13 Hawk T1's? And with the added office and admin space for the Team, and accommodation on station for the 100+ folk of the Team? And the airfield is capable of being shut to other traffic 3 to 4 times a day every day for an hour at a time and has sufficient Air Traffic, Fire and Ops staff to open at weekends and Bank Holidays in the display season?
There is a reason that the RAFAT have historically had an active airfield all to them selves.

I understand that, unless there's a display on a bank holiday monday, RAFAT have mondays and tuesdays as days off.

The term "foreign" is something of a relative term. I'm sure we could always rent out the airfield to you if you're stuck.