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Post by graham on Sept 28, 2017 7:16:57 GMT
I grew up six miles from Lyneham and often used to cycle to the crash gate in New Zealand on a Saturday and spend the day there logging everything. On checking my logs I hadn't actually been inside the base since a families day way back in the eighties. WE all met at the main gate at 1pm where we were met by our guide for the afternoon Sean Ireland who as it turned out, was a very keen aviation enthusiast and a very friendly and accommodating host. ZZ is posting the full log so I'll post the photos.  IMG_8853 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8854 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8855 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8856 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8857 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8858 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8859 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8860 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8861 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8862 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8863 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8864 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8865 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8866 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8867 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8868 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8869 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8870 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8872 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8873 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8874 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8875 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8876 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8877 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8878 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8879 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8880 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8881 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8883 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8884 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8885 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8887 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8889 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8890 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8891 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8893 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8894 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8895 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8896 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8897 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8898 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8901 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8903 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8904 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8905 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8907 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8908 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8909 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8911 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8912 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8915 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8918 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8919 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8920 by Graham Brown, on Flickr  IMG_8922 by Graham Brown, on Flickr |
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Post by davidallum on Sept 28, 2017 7:31:28 GMT
Looks like you guys had a great time Graham,as you know I don't do military (only biz),but I'm intrigued as to what TAD stands for on some of those Gazelles.
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Post by Jeff on Sept 28, 2017 8:01:52 GMT
Think is a purpose built training frame, doesnt have a reg or c/n as far as Im
Aware
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Post by davidallum on Sept 28, 2017 8:05:27 GMT
OK Jeff,thanks a lot mate.
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Post by zz on Sept 28, 2017 8:43:54 GMT
I didn't write things down at the time, so if anyone has any corrections please let me know.
I've used Tarnish's list from July as a starting point, also eurodemobbed, so credit to them!
There a few minor changes from July.
From the 5 listed as "around the base", only TAD011 was read off-
DSEME Lyneham
Preserved outside the main hangar;
TAD017 [XW888] Gazelle AH1
Main Hangar;
TAD013 [QP30] Lynx Mk.28 - Ex Qatar Police.
TAD009 [XW838] Lynx (tail of XW838, fuselage of TAD009)
TAD021 [XW860] Gazelle HT2
TAD019 [XW912] Gazelle AH1
XZ172 Lynx AH7
XZ180 Lynx AH7
XZ187 Lynx AH7
XZ188/Triangle Lynx AH7
XZ191/R Lynx AH7
XZ207 Lynx AH7
XZ214 Lynx AH7
XZ222 Lynx AH7
XZ316/B Gazelle AH1
XZ325 Gazelle AH1
XZ332 Gazelle AH1
XZ333 Gazelle AH1
XZ617 Lynx AH7
XZ642 Lynx AH7
XZ653 Lynx AH7
XZ666 Lynx AH7
XZ935 9332M Gazelle HT3 - RAF
ZA735 Gazelle AH1
ZA769 Gazelle AH1
TAD015 [ZB668] Gazelle AH1
ZE381/X Lynx AH7
Outside Main Hangar;
TD016 [QP32] Lynx Mk.28 - Ex Qatar Police.
Simulator building;
...... Gazelle Simulator
TAD001 Gazelle AH1 CIM - Purpose built trainer.
TAD023 [XX454] Gazelle AH1
.....Lynx Simulator
XZ679 Lynx AH7
A boom of XZ672 Lynx was mounted in the canteen.
Rubb Hangar;
ZZ400 Wildcat AH1
Around the base;
XT623 Scout AH1
XZ170 Lynx AH7/9
TAD011 Lynx AH7 CIM - Purpose built trainer.
TAD...? Lynx
TAD012 ? Lynx
REME museum
XV141 Scout
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Post by graham on Sept 28, 2017 10:27:37 GMT
Thanks for the list Phil, nothing yet from Fighter Control regarding the two far off Lynxes/Gazelles at the Bradenstoke end of the runway
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Post by zz on Sept 28, 2017 20:41:30 GMT
Thanks for the list Phil, nothing yet from Fighter Control regarding the two far off Lynxes/Gazelles at the Bradenstoke end of the runway They were both Lynx or Lynx training frames. Looking at an old Arborfield log and seeing what was missing yesterday, I would GUESS that they were TAD007 and TAD012 |
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Post by brizewatcher on Sept 28, 2017 21:31:55 GMT
Fantastic, thanks for posting! Seems odd to see the field without a line of C-130s outside.
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Post by keefyboy on Sept 28, 2017 22:35:53 GMT
Our great host said the field could still be used for emergency landings but sadly I think DC8's are a thing of the past!
Cheers
Keith
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Post by billsamuels on Sept 29, 2017 21:01:30 GMT
Hi Guys,
Really enjoyed the visit to Lyneham. My first time inside the fence but the imagination did run wild once, or twice, especially when we were standing at the end of the runway... All those throbbing engines that must have graced that spot, what a thought!!!
Sean Ireland was a perfect host, we couldn't have asked for a more accommodating guide for our visit. He certainly deserves his rank and he's a credit to his regiment.
Having never been around Aborfield it was great to finally catch-up with all their old frames. Ended making 19 frames.
Finally, thanks, just one more time, to Phil (ZZ) for putting the day together for us and AFA. Just like our Middle Wallop day out, everything went like clockwork and we all had a great time, especially for the late breakfast at Piggy's!!!
Cheers guys.
Bill
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Post by graham on Sept 30, 2017 19:54:05 GMT
Well said Bill. A superb afternoon out
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Post by zz on Apr 30, 2018 13:27:48 GMT
Hi guys You may remember at Lyneham there was an ex-Qatari Lynx outside the hangar, which was due to be sent for a re-paint into regiment colours and then become a gate guard. (TAD016 /QP32) I received an email from Sean the other day, with a picture of it in its new scheme.  After our visit, Sean had also asked if we had any info on the aircraft’s history as they were considering a plaque for the aircraft. I asked davebasing, who gave a very thorough history of its time in the U.K., but unsurprisingly its short time in Qatar was a bit of a mystery. I did ask, but I’m not sure whether they found out any more info for a plaque. Finally, I enquired as to whether it might be possible to arrange another visit later in the year, as I know there were a few members who were unable to attend last time. It seems this might be possible again- Sean said if it happened and if he was free he would love to show us round again! |
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Post by graham on May 1, 2018 6:06:10 GMT
Hi Phil, how good that Sean is still keeping us in the loop and what a cracking scheme on the Qatari Lynx. Thanks for the update. Most appreciated
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Post by graham on May 1, 2018 6:17:00 GMT
Just out of interest. I looked back over my old logs and I visited Lyneham "inside" twice, 31st August 1986 and 20th June 1987, both of which were "families' days" on the base. I'm right in the middle of uploading everything to Planebase at present but once done, I'll extract the logs for both days and post them here.
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Post by graham on Mar 2, 2020 16:00:18 GMT
About 18 months later than intended but here are my needed logs from those two dates at Lyneham. The actual log was much larger but this is what I potted on those two days. I cleared the C-130 fleet within a few weeks of moving to Wiltshire in 1970 which is why none are showing below
Sun 31 Aug 1986 Lyneham
66-0202 Lockheed C-141B Starlifter 6228 United States Air Force
XR501 Westland Wessex HC.2 WA126 Royal Air Force
XW438 British Aircraft Corporation Jet Provost T.5A EEP/JP/1060 Royal Air Force
XX493 Handley Page Jetstream T.1 278 Royal Air Force
Sat 20 Jun 1987 Lyneham
41+73 Dassault-Breguet Dornier Alpha Jet 0173 German Air Force
68-10937 Lockheed C-130E Hercules 4317 United States Air Force
AT-153 SAAB Draken TF-35 351153 Royal Danish Air Force
WL679 Vickers Varsity 648/T.1 648 Royal Air Force
XT895 McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 2417 Royal Air Force
XX346 Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.1A 41H-312170 Royal Air Force
XX350 Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.1A 41H-312174 Royal Air Force
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Post by chrisj on Mar 2, 2020 20:58:45 GMT
Hi All , very interesting read . I knew the Army had moved into Lyneham but I did not know about the large numbers of inmates ! Nice to see a Gazelle from 32 Sqn/ Northolt which I had worked on a few times , among those Army ones . Did another tour materialise or still pending ? If pending who would be able to take part ? Last time I was past the gate was probably 69 on return from Cyprus . It would of been quite a visit when it was am MU . I have seen pictures of Meteors lined up on the airfield and across the road . Chrisj
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Post by graham on Mar 3, 2020 8:12:32 GMT
Indeed Chris, I lived six miles from Lyneham from around 1970 until 1979 when I moved down to Cornwall to live for a few years. In the early 70's, it was nothing to see 7 or 8 C-130's in the circuit over Calne ( where we lived) and there were also regular visitors from the likes of the Iran AF C-130's. Many a Saturday was spent having cycled from Calne to the New Zealand crash gate watching the movements which regularly included Britannias and the occasional Belfast. I believe in those days the RAF had about 65 C-130's all based at Lyneham and I cleared the lot inside of three months.
Back then, there were so many active airfields within a relatively small radius of where we lived - Colerne, Keevil, South Cerney and Wroughton to name but four.
I also remember that there was a Meteor parked up at Lyneham ( by the ATC if I remember correctly) that was clearly visible as you approached the roundabout where the Chippenham road went right, if you looked across the field right in front of you, then there she was.
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Post by davebasing on Mar 3, 2020 10:34:48 GMT
Visited the MU at Lyneham from outside the fence in 1963 and logged 33 Meteors in external store. Sadly didn't take any photos. A few of these ended up on the Staravia dump at Lasham. Didn't catch up with Graham's 2491 Sq ATC Meteor there until 1971. WF825 (8359M) coded Z in College of Air Warfare marks. It came to Lyneham in 1969 from the MU at Kemble where it had been stored since 1965 and left Lyneham for storage at Yatesbury, then briefly at the Wings Museum at Redhill in 2008 and now (since 2009) still preserved at the Heritage Centre at Montrose.
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Post by graham on Mar 3, 2020 18:21:33 GMT
Hi Dave
Very interested about you saying that the ATC Meteor at Lyneham was tranferred to storage at Yatesbury, presumably during the 70s? I used to regularly get my Dad to drive me to a mate's house in Yatesbury before I passed my test in 1974 and never realised there was a store there. All I remember being there were two serviceable hangars, one filled with stock from a jam factory at Easterton and one full of rubber slabs that were shipped to various factories across the UK to make tyres with. Was there much in store there?
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Post by davebasing on Mar 3, 2020 18:48:27 GMT
Graham - Yatesbury started as an airfield in WW1 and ended up as a radio training school for the RAF. It had a series of gate guards over the years, the prototype Meteor now in the RAF Museum, a Venom and the last I think being the Javelin which went to RAF Stanmore and is now on a pole at Thunder City in S Africa. It was not a major storage site by any means but did house the odd aircraft which were mainly just passing through. Not unlike Stafford I guess which also had a Javelin on the gate and now has a Harrier and had a few aircraft in temporary store over the years. So you didn't really miss anything.
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Post by graham on Mar 4, 2020 10:30:51 GMT
Many thanks Dave
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Post by chrisj on Mar 4, 2020 22:44:32 GMT
Yes Graham , I too recall Lyneham exotic visitors over the years . A drive up the dead end road which I think is the New Zealand often mentioned gave a view past the married quarters to the rows of Hercs . The old Hercs were 66 in total but I missed one which crashed , I think , at Colern . I did manage the ATC Meteor and recall that Air Pictorial ( I think ) back in the sixties had a couple of photos of the MU Meteors . Chrisj
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Post by graham on Mar 5, 2020 8:30:53 GMT
Yes Chris, the dead end lane terminated at the New Zealand crash gate, I spent hours there on many a Saturday if the weather was half decent
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Post by graham on May 11, 2020 8:52:29 GMT
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