The balloon unit at Hullavington was binned in late 1993.

AA62 the JATE ULLA drop looks to me more like Hullavington than Abingdon?

Just watched it on All4. As usual I had subtitles on and Abingdon was the drop zone mentioned. Overall I found the programme very well balanced (not too much Guy,but bravo him) and informative. Apart from anything else I was not aware that the gliders could be recycled via a C47 'Skyhook' arrangement - that really surprised me. Membury - the Membury just S of the M4's Membury Services?

bspatz,
you may be right but it is an old (faded illegible writing) slide and when I was with JATE I cannot find any entry in my log books of ULLA at Hullavington. Everything else but not ULLA. Can't think why would not not as we did ULLA (single) at the much more restrictive South Cerney.
Speaking of the slides it is very odd how some have survived virtually unscathed and others have deteriorated so much.
As for voluntarily doing more balloon jumps, huge respect. One was enough for me.

LL, the very same Membury .the airfield was bisected when the M4 was built. When the 'snatch' was being developed for use in the Falklands the WW2 snatch techniques were a starting point.

It's Hullavington. Too many C Type hangars for South Cerney or Abingdon.

TT,
hello I am well thanks and I hope you are. Yes SC was 'interesting' for ULLA and MSP come to that. For ULLA (single platform only if I recall) the traffic on the Cirencester road road needed to be stopped by the local police. Much grumbling from them until we took the Traffic Super flying with us. In this day and age he would be diagnosed as suffering from PTSD such was his shock after the drop ! No moans from the police after that only requests for trips with us.
Single MSP there only and in marginal winds the disconnected 'chutes would often go walkabout. Happy days .

pr00ne,
you may well be right too. But I will retrieve my logbooks and check again. Hullavington was used as a DZ by Lyneham for all manner of drops. Very convenient for all when 16 HD and the parachute packers were there. All a very long time ago.

Agreed, three full sized C-types at South Cerney per the pic. The satellite view of Hullavington seems to show a reduced sized hangar behind the Watch Office/Tower. Were there 'baby' C-types or is it something entirely different?

Upon further investigation (thanks Google!) it would seem that the centre C type is standard, the outer two extended versions found at MUs (which Hullavington was, amongst other functions).

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/H-K/Hullavington.htm

https://docplayer.net/266588-Guide-t...c-hangars.html

Just had a quick look through my log books. Lots of SC ULLA drops (including a double !) but none at Hullavington. Mea culpa for the first wrong location but we did drop a lot on Abingdon . Still it generated a bit of interest from the readership. Many thanks.

The Herc crew do say 'en route to Abingdon' for the drop and I have just taken a screen grab from All4 - definitely looks like 'F' Shed at Abingdon in the background.

You can just about make out 'Didcot Towers' in the background :)

https://i.imgur.com/TyOuVTZ.jpg

Speaking of the Horsa gliders, I still marvel at how the gliders assigned to take Pegasus Bridge managed to be so successful. I have visited the site and was absolutely amazed and still can't grasp how they landed spot on target. With a nasty stretch of canal close on one hand and some unforgiving countryside on the other, no nav aids or landing lights to assist and yet they managed to land within 50 yards of the bridge. Absolutely amazing!

As no one else has mentioned it, am I the only one having trouble understanding Guy's somewhat strangulated vocal delivery ? Excellent presentation - with subtitles !

An American general whose name escapes me praised the pilots involved saying the operation included the "most outstanding flying achievements of the war".

I don't think I'd heard of the gliders being reused by that 'snatch' method either. Difficult to accomplish on any scale I'd imagine?
Anyone know if it was ever used operationally?

I think the glider snatch was used in a limited way IN ww2 using what else but the C47. May well be clips lurking in the usual video site. The RAF used the snatch in the Falklands but only for mail. The ultimate snatch has to be the Fulton RR system as used by the USAF..

Trumpet Trousers,

That picture is Hullavington, South Cerney only has two smaller C-Type hangars.

OR, if South Cerney DOES have three C-Type hangars, then it is South Cerney...