Very well deserved, he tried to save my life :ok: Last time I met him was years ago and some people on this forum will know him very well, he was a Sqn Ldr C130 Nav.
No he really was a rock (I lived in the same block as the firemen and movers), they had an Ops room in the Operations Centre, same as the Police. If Ollie had crashed 10 mins later a heck of a lot more people would have been caught up as the crash zone took in the car park and most people started work at 7am. The first person through the hole in the wall was an LEC (Locally Employed Civilian) fireman (in the picture in the grey suit on the right).
Dug out a picture of Gill and I at the firemans xmas party which was just before we were flown home.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j1...ONU/Cyprus.jpg

BD

The Met Office social association have an annual award in memory of the forecaster who was killed.
An airfield 'somewhere in Europe' uses an AMG:} when the balloon goes up. Or rather down.

Bernie Limb
 

flew with him several times. What a great guy.
IIRC he had a brother also as a Nav on 47 Sqn?

Bernie Limb
 

Bernie was a nav on 47 Squadron, certainly in 1982.

We used to see F-117s night flying from Binbrook in the late 80s. It was meant to be a secret because armed chaps blocked the road to crash gate 3, but just about everyone in the village saw them. They weren't official at the time.

My grandad took a photo of one, for which he achieved fame in his village (North Thoresway... where everyone knew him anyway).

It's the only thing I've asked for in his will :)

I worked on 56F Sqn (F4 Wattisham) all through the mid 80's as a ground engineer and our Aircraft used to que up behind it ( Big Black thing with long thin wings, with sticks with wheels on the end hanging dowm, two hugh engines...) most mornings to take- off.... but ask the 'Yanks' in the Bar in the evening and nothing of the sort happened..... Totally Brainwashed or just 'American':ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

Specsavers in Cyprus?

Hi all

Daft question, but there's never been a big secret about U-2/TR-1 ops out of Akrotiri...i mean I recall various articles in magazines such as Air Forces Monthly in the 80s and think the US Airpower in Europe special by AFM mentioned U-2 det at Akrotiri!!:ok:

Think it was mentioned in the whopping great 80s publication by Salamander called The US War Machine.

I still wish the 501st CSW at Alconbury would re activate the runway like back 15 years ago, as I remember driving past there and seeing the U-2s of the then 10th TRW

There was in the 1970s.:suspect:

Was living in Akrotiri from 1993 to 1995 and regularly saw U-2's coming and going.

Weather Balloon!

http://www.cuisineconsultancy.co.uk/...herballoon.jpg

Quite true...The Jack Flawn Trophy
Awarded for the promotion of awareness of meteorology in sporting or leisure activities.

Four locally employed civilian met staff also perished that day. They were :-
G. Gostanian, G. Hannis, P. Panayi, and A. Televantos

CM

I've a nice photo of a formation of two "weather balloons" at Akrotiri - the first ever outside the USA.... if the third one that was working Akrotiri Director, had been a bit quicker coming down it would have been the first ever three ship (so I am told)


Don't know how to get it on here though

MM

Hope they removed the towbar from the rear wheels before he rolled.
Was at Akrotiri with cadets Apr '86. On the beach near the harbour, it was great fun to see the 'TR 1' on final and dozens of cadets pointing their cameras at it, with the ACLO running about telling them not to take pictures!!

When I passed through Akrotiri in the period 1964-66, the U2s were operated by the CIA. The pilots never socialised and always went everywhere in twos (including, probably, the bog). In 1974 at the time of the Turkish invasion, they were USAF aircraft and the crews, led by Col Gary Powers (not the Gary Powers, or so he said) were very sociable indeed and happy to let us climb over their aircraft.

Correct, Olive Harvest is an overt operation as we were constantly told during my time at RAF Butlins-on-med. You can even buy the T-Shirts....

TEE SHIRTS ETC

Try and get too close to one of their big black machines howver...well thast a different story :=

Recall a pretty windy day, very low cloud and and even lower U2, COCISS and appearing in my wing mirror just above the trees and buildings as I drove into wind along the A420 outside Swindon. He drew and stayed level with me for quite a bit - didn't have all that much overtake;). Im crap at judging height and I know it's a deceptivly big a/c but I'd be surprised if he was any higher than 3-400 ft... clearly though, he was on his way to/from the US and had must have had altimatry problems as they never operate out of UK...

I would be more worried the fact the CIA have now tracked your post and have cancelled all your credit cards , removed your identity from interpol and made you number 2 most wanted spy next to Billy Bin Laden :ok:


good luck on lasting the next 48 hours as Jason Bourne has your details :E

Been living at AKR for 7 years.
Never seen one. :(