Visit: RAF Linton On Ouse

[Jimbuna]

Took a trip down with a few friends (Boris, Concorde, Squadron Wings) having booked in advance and once through the usual security checks (two docs, one to include a photo) we were escorted to the Halifax Block to be shown around the Memorial Room by Wing Commander (retired) Alan Mawby.

RAF Linton On Ouse mission statement is simple: To train tommorow's fast-jet aircrew.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/raflintononouse/

http://www.raf.mod.uk/raflintononouse/aboutus/memorialrm.cfm

We all had a great visit and a thoroughly enjoyable day out.

http://imageshack.us/a/img835/5702/img1098th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/img1098th.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img853/5596/img1100rs.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/img1100rs.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img585/250/img1101qh.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/img1101qh.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img210/4692/img1102hg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/img1102hg.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img841/7712/img1104tv.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/img1104tv.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img4/2170/img1107l.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/img1107l.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img827/9171/img1108b.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/img1108b.jpg/)

[Herr-Berbunch]

Good stuff. Never been to Linton, unless I went as a cadet from a camp at Leeming, I'll check later.

Jealous. :)

[Jimbuna]

I honestly wasn't sure if it was my kind of visit what with there being no fast jets or Hawks even but the Wing Commander had been there since 1977 and certainly knew his stuff.

Another plus was seeing original photos of the 4 Group RAF aircrews as well as some of the famouse senior officers such as Harris and Cheshire, not to mention the large array of different bomber types.

[Oberon]

the Wing Commander had been there since 1977 and certainly knew his stuff.

More than that, I do believe he's been mentioned on these boards before...let me rummage...can't find it but I'm sure it was brought up.

In early November 2008 Wing Commander Paul Gerrard, who is based at the station, was involved in an unusual mid-air rescue. Sixty-five-year-old Jim O'Neill was flying a four seater Cessna 182 from Scotland to Essex after a family holiday, when he had a stroke which caused temporary blindness. Gerrard was on a training flight, and after being alerted to the situation, located O'Neill's aircraft and over a 45 minute period, guided O'Neill to a safe landing at Linton

[Jimbuna]

More than that, I do believe he's been mentioned on these boards before...let me rummage...can't find it but I'm sure it was brought up.

I was referring to another Wing Commander.....Wing Commander (retired) Alan Mawby :)

Heard today that Linton and Leeming may be closed next year :-?

[Oberon]

I was referring to another Wing Commander.....Wing Commander (retired) Alan Mawby :)

Heard today that Linton and Leeming may be closed next year :-?

And that's what I get for being distracted by the pictures and missing your introductory paragraph... :/\\!! Either which way, good to hear that he's in charge of the collection there, it helps to have someone who has a vested interest in the matter to look after a museum. Makes it more interesting when you get nattering to them too. :yep: When I went to the Cold War Museum at Bentwaters Nagys dad was explaining the ins and outs of some of the systems there since he used to do jobs on the base back in the 1980s. You pick up some interesting tidbits of info that aren't on display, and there was also a pretty cool American chap who used to work at Bentwaters around the same time. I once thought I saw a F-117 at Bentwaters back in the same timeframe and he denied seeing any, so either it's classified (not likely) or my ID was incorrect (more likely, it was getting dark and I was young).

Shame about Leeming and Linton, bases are dropping like flies now. Got to feel sorry for 100 Squadron, they've been shunted from pillar to post since Finningley folded.

[Jimbuna]

And that's what I get for being distracted by the pictures and missing your introductory paragraph... :/\\!! Either which way, good to hear that he's in charge of the collection there, it helps to have someone who has a vested interest in the matter to look after a museum. Makes it more interesting when you get nattering to them too. :yep: When I went to the Cold War Museum at Bentwaters Nagys dad was explaining the ins and outs of some of the systems there since he used to do jobs on the base back in the 1980s. You pick up some interesting tidbits of info that aren't on display, and there was also a pretty cool American chap who used to work at Bentwaters around the same time. I once thought I saw a F-117 at Bentwaters back in the same timeframe and he denied seeing any, so either it's classified (not likely) or my ID was incorrect (more likely, it was getting dark and I was young).

Shame about Leeming and Linton, bases are dropping like flies now. Got to feel sorry for 100 Squadron, they've been shunted from pillar to post since Finningley folded.

Tis just a rumour at this stage mind and hopefully won't come to anything.

[Oberon]

Tis just a rumour at this stage mind and hopefully won't come to anything.

Aye, they managed to save Marham, so it's possible. :yep:

[Herr-Berbunch]

My old unit moved there (Leeming) a few years ago, I hope they don't have to move again, or if they do, as I originally hoped - to Scampton.

Reading a book at the moment called Flying into the Flames of Hell, first person accounts of life in Bomber Command during the '39-'45 conflict, as Uncle Albert would say. Quite a few were at Linton at one point or another. Many former stations also get a mention, soon there'll be nothing left but a bit of engraved granite at all these once-teeming places. :nope:

[Jimbuna]

Wing Commander (retired) Alan Mawby

http://imageshack.us/a/img805/962/img1113iy.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/805/img1113iy.jpg/)

Linton was the only UK airfield the F-86 Sabre flew out of.

Canopy and ejector seat.

http://imageshack.us/a/img822/196/img1109nr.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/822/img1109nr.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img100/4554/img1119nr.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/100/img1119nr.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img18/3470/img1121oo.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/18/img1121oo.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img69/4363/img1127jp.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/69/img1127jp.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img99/8448/img1126ny.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/99/img1126ny.jpg/)

[Herr-Berbunch]

Aye, they managed to save Marham, so it's possible. :yep:

Suicide capital of the Air Force. If one place should've closed it is Marham!

[Gerald]

Good photos,:up:

[Jimbuna]

http://imageshack.us/a/img641/4295/img1110gj.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/641/img1110gj.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img717/17/img1111x.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/img1111x.jpg/)

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http://imageshack.us/a/img856/7505/img1115vi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/img1115vi.jpg/)

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http://imageshack.us/a/img708/7561/img1118pg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/img1118pg.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img835/2715/img1120pd.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/img1120pd.jpg/)

[Oberon]

Suicide capital of the Air Force. If one place should've closed it is Marham!

I've heard that it's not exactly the entertainment capital of Europe...

Linton was the only UK airfield the F-86 Sabre flew out of.
Really? How did that come about? I presume you mean only non-USAFE airfield the Sabre flew out from?

[Jimbuna]

I've heard that it's not exactly the entertainment capital of Europe...


Really? How did that come about? I presume you mean only non-USAFE airfield the Sabre flew out from?

According to the Wing Commander linton was the only UK located airbase the RAF flew them out of....the rest being abroad.

There were USAF variants based at RAF Shepherds Grove for example.

[Oberon]

According to the Wing Commander linton was the only UK located airbase the RAF flew them out of....the rest being abroad.

There were USAF variants based at RAF Shepherds Grove for example.

Nice, I didn't know that. I'd completely forgotten we had Sabres, I always think of them as Yank, Canuck and German birds.

[Jimbuna]

Nice, I didn't know that. I'd completely forgotten we had Sabres, I always think of them as Yank, Canuck and German birds.

As far as I'm aware they were a stop-gap measure supplied to us by the US because of the disparity in the NATO capability to combat the Russian Migs of the day....the Meteor was hopelessly outclassed and the Hunter was still a few years of mass production...hence the US paid for the Sabres sent to the UK.

[Stealhead]

It was claimed that the F-86 was a very easy aircraft to fly and it was true few people know that a lowly USAF Airman(Air Force private) George Johnson once "borrowed" an F-86 and flew it for a little over an hour until he was guided
in for a landing.

Anyway he did get a courts marshal but did not get kicked out of the USAF bit surprising that they did not send him to flight school as he only had previous experience in a Piper Cub and not much at that.

http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/Mind-If-I-Borrow-It.html?c=y&page=1

Bit of a side story but interesting surely some UK Royal Air Force members have had similar
misadventures.

[Oberon]

Bit of a side story but interesting surely some UK Royal Air Force have had similar
misadventures.

Well...there was the one time that a pilot got a bit annoyed that the government wasn't going to do a celebration marking the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the RAF...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_Bridge_incident

Would have loved to have been on the banks of the river by Tower Bridge on that day... :03:

[Herr-Berbunch]

There is always Sqn Ldr Crosby, the Herc pilot that jumped with SF.

[HunterICX]

You lucky bastard Jim getting to see all this good stuff up close :yeah:

thanks for sharing

HunterICX

[TarJak]

Nice, I didn't know that. I'd completely forgotten we had Sabres, I always think of them as Yank, Canuck and German birds.

And Aussie. We built our own licensed variant using RR Avon engines and different armament. The whole airframe had to be remodelled to cater for the Avon engine.

[Jimbuna]

You lucky bastard Jim getting to see all this good stuff up close :yeah:

thanks for sharing

HunterICX

Cheers Wim, I was actually suprised at how much there was to see in just the one room.

[Stealhead]

Thinking about it those Soviets where a clever bunch they asked and received from the Brits the Rolls Royce Nene engine but of course wisely did not provide the UK with any of the information they had about swept wing technology.

Supposedly Stalin when he heard the suggestion to ask permission to buy Nene engines from the Brits said "What fool will sell us his secrets?" Rolls Royce it seems.

[Jimbuna]

http://imageshack.us/a/img7/8531/img1122ai.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/img1122ai.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img526/9646/img1123vi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/526/img1123vi.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img210/27/img1124in.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/img1124in.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img62/7669/img1125z.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/img1125z.jpg/)

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http://imageshack.us/a/img268/6671/img1129ls.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/img1129ls.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img42/7404/img1130gs.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/img1130gs.jpg/)

[Stealhead]

I found this interesting page about RAF Saber crew ejections.

http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/RAF-Sabres.htm

[Jimbuna]

First I knew of this...cheers :up:

[Jimbuna]

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/7844/img1132h.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/593/img1132h.jpg/)

In 1975 the Canadians attempted to bring a stuffed goose to Linton but lost it somehow on a platform at Kings Cross Station....here is the result of their second attempt in 1977

http://imageshack.us/a/img836/9914/img1131o.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/img1131o.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img803/7074/img1133s.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/803/img1133s.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img833/7668/img1134rg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/833/img1134rg.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img545/5061/img1135or.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/img1135or.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img267/6758/img1137xq.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/img1137xq.jpg/)

http://imageshack.us/a/img4/2949/img1136jg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/img1136jg.jpg/)

[Herr-Berbunch]

In 1975 the Canadians attempted to bring a stuffed goose to Linton but lost it somehow on a platform at Kings Cross Station....here is the result of their second attempt in 1977


An American C-141 crew tried to nick a grand piano from the Officers' Mess at Coltishall. It was loaded, stropped down, and engines started before anyone realised (really? A grand piano?). They nearly got away with it, their next destination was Greece. :doh:

The best my unit ever managed was a 707 model from Legoland in Denmark, last seen hanging in our crew room at Brize. :D (Not me, before I joined) Petty pilfering between units seems to be a staple of military life, I think the unwritten rules is as long as it's safe to do so (i.e., flight safety), and not for personal gain. I don't recall ever seeing a stuffed goose though.

[Jimbuna]

That probably answers the questions around some of the odd looking memorabilia I've come across on my travels to military establishments :)