RAF Binbrook. No tears please!

[Druid]

Been rooting through some old photos, I'm surprised how well they've survived in the loft!

RAF Binbrook early 1988, I was involved with the scrapping of the Decoy aircraft first before decommissioning the flying jets.

Most were scrapped. Some became gate guards. Some were sent as Battle Damage Repair training aircraft. Roy Flood (Castle Air?) bought a couple for his back garden! And two (XS452 was one) I think ended up flying in South Africa until the recent crash and demise of Thunder City?

So as I said no tears...

[Streps]

Sad seeing them doing a great impression of a dead fly.

shame none are flying now.
The WW2 aircraft scrapping pics on the internet also make me twitch.

[anonymous-user]

Okay, i'll be the first to ask the obvious stupid question!

Why are they upsidedown??


(windy day ;-) or just easier to rip out parts etc??)

[Zaxxon]

Shows how tough the radome was

[perdu]

I was C.I to an ATC squadron in the seventies and we had one annual camp at RAF Wattisham and later one at RAF Leconfield. Against the fence on the airfield boundary at Leconfield there were a line of F1As being tastefully disassembled. It seems that Leconfield was home to 60MU which had the Frightenings as their responsibility so no doubt many of them ended their flying careers there. I have just read elsewhere that she was damaged cat 3 in 71 and was made gate guardian at Wattisham, home to 111 sqn when we visited. The notes I've read suggest she was taken out of service in Jan 74 and show no sign of any visit to Leconfield so I have a mystery to think about, I dont think we saw her at Wattisham in a sad row of similar kites I know it was Leckonfield as we were able to visit 2002 sqn's Whirlwinds but the cadets had to go to Linton on Ouse for their Air Experience

For many years I "possessed" a jet pipe temperature gauge from beneath XM192, found loose under the partially dismantled fuselage, sadly lost during the trauma of moving home

It seemed a familiar serial which came back to me when we got home

It seems she was reprieved to live her days out in a museum, having been a gate guard at Wattisham before the museum received her

It is good to know that all old Lightnings dont have to die

She is being brought back to electrical life although her wings were hacked off to move her from Wattisham
so there is no chance of restoring for live runs

Pity

Edited by perdu on Saturday 18th February 22:43

I keep finding out more stuff

Edited by perdu on Saturday 18th February 22:44

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Zaxxon said:

Shows how tough the radome was

The (lack of) radome strength on the Lightning was (along with the Refueling Probe) a major limit to max IAS at low level.

[Mojocvh]

Ginetta G15 Girl said:

Zaxxon said:

Shows how tough the radome was

The (lack of) radome strength on the Lightning was (along with the Refueling Probe) a major limit to max IAS at low level.

Thermal limits??

[Eric Mc]

I presume being upside down allowed easy access for taking off undercarriage components etc.

[Druid]

We inverted them to remove the need to collapse the undercarriage and doors to bring them down to ground level.

I've found a couple more of interesting ones to scan in later which required the assistance of USAF!

[Zaxxon]

Ginetta G15 Girl said:

The (lack of) radome strength on the Lightning was (along with the Refueling Probe) a major limit to max IAS at low level.

Oh, ok. It just looked like the radome had dug into the Tarmac without damage to the dome. May have been the lip to the intake instead.

[Roop]

XS936 is in Cornwall at the Castle Air FBO.

[Druid]

Zaxxon said:

It just looked like the radome had dug into the Tarmac without damage to the dome.

Probably just the remnants of sandbag ballast we used to keep the nose down. The Lightnings did have a tendency to sit up without enough nose weight.

[Brigand]

I was there in '88 as a little lad, my dad got posted to Brize when they closed the base.

My dad took the front centre piece of the bullet-resistant glass canopy from one of the planes, it's now a bloody heavy coffee table!

I had a look around the MQ's of Binbrook a few years ago, brought back some memories, although the place is a total dump now, I heard that when the base closed, they used the old quarters to house 'trouble' families from around Lincolnshire.

[Druid]

Brigand said:

I had a look around the MQ's of Binbrook a few years ago, brought back some memories, although the place is a total dump now, I heard that when the base closed, they used the old quarters to house 'trouble' families from around Lincolnshire.

Sadly both the MQs and the Base are very poorly maintained now. The MQs were sold off to property companies and individuals for not much money.

Good backdrop for photos though

[Druid]

At least one of the airframes flew again!




I don't remember where they took it, just thought it looked quite surreal. It was mentioned by locals that when the Helicopter was in cloud the Lighting looked as though it was flying unaided! That would have been the photo to have!

[Eric Mc]

I presume it went to some USAF establishment?

[Druid]

Eric Mc said:

I presume it went to some USAF establishment?

It might have done Eric, I can't remember. It might have also been taken somewhere for 'us' but with the help of the USAF. Other airframes where transported by road. Mainplanes and fin removed but otherwise intact. Infact one was involved in an accident a couple of miles from the base when a car ran into an undercarriage leg.

[thehappyotter]

Not much left of Binbrook itself now...

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=...

[DamienB]

Druid said:

It might have done Eric, I can't remember. It might have also been taken somewhere for 'us' but with the help of the USAF.

Judging by the serial on the rear fuselage it was originally XP701, transported to the Kent Battle of Britain Museum and then allowed to deteriorate into a pile, scrapped and the nose 'saved' by being transported to another museum that is currently lavishing similar levels of care on it...

[King Herald]

My dad has told me stories of similar such carnage and destruction when he was in the RAF many years ago. JCB's used to remove engines and other such atrocity.

I always wanted a big piston aero engine of some sort.