PPRuNe Forums - Greenham Common.. and first postings.

PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/)

- Military Aviation (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation-57/)

- - Greenham Common.. and first postings. (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/286723-greenham-common-first-postings.html)

Might I, politely, disagree.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevvron
Absolute rubbish….
Shuttle standby landing sites were initially at Banjul (The Gambia) and later Torrejon (Spain). Shuttle launch trajectories would have come nowhere near the UK.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5561eba85.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ebe87bb93.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8ac6aafc5.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b59652380.jpeg

Well according to NASA, United Kingdom

RAF Greenham Common, Berkshire, England (from 1981)
RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, England
RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England
RAF Finningley, South Yorkshire, England (until 1996)
RAF Machrihanish, Campbeltown, Scotland
RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, England
RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England (until 1993

Were all potential sites at various times.

This thread is SO typical of pprunemil.

It had been dead for 15, yes 15, years. A newbie comes along and asks a question, about a hot air balloon drifting past Greenham Common in case anyone has forgotten. What is the response...

About 8 or 9 comments rehashing all the discussion from 15 years ago about Space Shuttle landing sites....

Welcome to pprunemil Moosehunter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingofuel (Post 11796055)

Well according to NASA, United Kingdom

RAF Greenham Common, Berkshire, England (from 1981)
RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, England
RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England
RAF Finningley, South Yorkshire, England (until 1996)
RAF Machrihanish, Campbeltown, Scotland
RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, England
RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England (until 1993

Were all potential sites at various times.

Hmm,. is there a link or document for the above please, Fairford we all know, and I did hear a rumble or rumour that Finningley was another option.

Macrihanish was another rumour / rumble... but nothing tangible...

cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by kluge (Post 5091000)

Fascinating thread for many reasons, names, places, aircraft......

Per AL R's pics I attended that airshow at the tender age of sixteen with big bro and remember the ominous skies as captured in his pics. Mine were the same. Must dig out my old kodachromes and post.

I do recall that there was a TR-1 at that airshow and being surprised at the noise of its departure.

"Operational TR-1A's were used by the 17th Reconnaissance Wing, Royal Air Force Station Alconbury, England, starting in February 1983."

I have looked at photos of IAT when it was held at GC pre GLCM days. Have to admit a little bit of me wishes circumstances had been different even after end of cold war and kept GC open so modern day RIAT could be held there. Partly it be easier to get to then Fairford and not so far from M4 and M25.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirToppamHat (Post 3455909)

ISTR being told by someone that Greenham was something of a red herring, and that the USAF was quietly shipping far more interesting things into Molesworth via Alconbury.

There is some evidence in the public domain that Molesworth was a nuclear weapons store, but this may have been more akin to RAF Faldingworth and RAF Barnham than a Cruise Missile Site.

Jacko makes a good point though - an example of short-termism at its worst.

STH

I had a colleague worked with in the airline industry near 2 decades ago who was a Scot and former Rock Ape whose first or second tour was based at Molesworth assisting the SFS and GLCM Rangers as well as MoD plod. There were protesters but nothing on the scale that was at GC.

When GLCM deployed here, (bearing in mind I was a mere schoolkid who had an interest in aviation from knee high) all I remember coming home from school, watching the ITV news with family, and GC was more mentioned then Molesworth.

I have been to both the former WSA at Alconbury airfield now Alconbury Weald village/industrial estate and seen the 'igloos' where the buckets of sunshine would have been stored, even though the base in the 80s was more 17th TRW U-2/TR-1 Dragon Lady and 527th TFTAS aggressor F-5E and 1st RS RF-4C Phantoms of course then 10th TFW A-10 Warthogs. At a guess the 'igloos' were for storage of buckets of sunshine probably with the B-66 Destroyer days in 60s and perhaps tactical battlefield nukes for the Warthog (was an idea in 1975 but shelved).

Hand on heart I cannot imagine anything different or additional to the BGm-109 Gryphon at Molesworth inside the GAMA shelters and under the watchful eye of the security control tower. Unless your source was on about other warheads on the Gryphon.

At IWM Duxford inside the American Hangar, there is one of the TEL launchers and missile on display as you walk into the entrance (my pic below from recent visit in summer).

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ded47053d4.jpg

cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggus (Post 11796120)

It made me chuckle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShyTorque (Post 11794811)

Well done on going back fourteen and a half years just to tell someone their opinion is rubbish.

Quite. How time flies.

The balloons were launched from Marsh Beenham mainly operated by a few BEA copilots who were sponsored by some agricultural companies; second jobs as our pay was rubbish in the early/mid 70s. With predominantly westerly airflows they drifted towards Greenham common.
For about a year, 1977?, there was a massive increase in F111 traffic when their base was being resurfaced; great as their downwind leg took them over our thatched cottage. Noise not a problem as our previous abode was where the Tridents set climb power at the end of their Noise abatement SID but my kite flying took a step back - the pelham/penguin book of kites had been published and amongst my creations was a Cody box kite (stacked and used in the American civil war for artillery spotting) whose string broke after I let out a couple of thousand feet.

Al R :-

Quote:

Quite. How time flies.

Just enjoyed reading through this thread re all your yesterdays, only to have the immense pleasure of seeing the OP himself posting again, albeit after more than a decade and a half's break. Welcome home, Al, hope you are well, Sir?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chugalug2 (Post 11827428)

Al R :-

Just enjoyed reading through this thread re all your yesterdays, only to have the immense pleasure of seeing the OP himself posting again, albeit after more than a decade and a half's break. Welcome home, Al, hope you are well, Sir?

I am very well thanks Chuggers, and I hope that you are as well. I had my original account nuked during the vaccine insurrection when all sceptics were taken out and shot. Work got crazy too and whilst convention dictates that I should slow down, I’m having far too much fun. Every time I drive past Bicester I think fondly of our trip there.