Goodbye to RAF Lyneham

[bathford]

Having flown the Hercules for a number of years out of Lyneham, it is with a heavy heart that I say farewell to the C-130 fleet from tomorrow.

They will be missed, not only by the people of 'Bassett'. 

It won't be the same without you.

God speed to all those who have flown from the Base and will continue to fly from Brize Norton. My thoughts are also with the families of the crew lost in Iraq.

It was an honour to fly with you.

[Batch]

Goodbye Fat Albert.

I quite liked seeing them around. Shame they had to leave Wiltshire.

[leefer]

Was driving into Swindon when i saw the last three doing there flyover this afternoon.
In close formation...a splendid sight.

[Batch]

Was driving into Swindon when i saw the last three doing there flyover this afternoon.
In close formation...a splendid sight.

The goodbye flyover is tomorrow, a lap of Wiltshire starting at 10:30ish

[leefer]

 :hmmm:Practise?

[Ardiles]

My Dad was an Air Traffic Controller at Lyneham in the 1980s.  Remember a lot of the history of the station from back then...the pivotal role Lyneham and the Hercs played in the Falklands War with the flights down to Ascension Island being the main one.

I can also remember watching the live broadcast as John McCarthy flew in to Lyneham in 1991 after his 5 years of captivity in Lebanon.  We were living in Freshbrook at the time, and just as the TV commentary announced that he was 5 to 10 mins from landing, my Dad leapt up and took us out in to the back garden.  Sure enough...there was the Herc flying overhead on its descent in to Lyneham.

And one other memory!  We went to one of the family open days, again in the late 1980s.  The star attraction was a ride in a Herc for any Forces family who wanted to go up.  Hard to believe in today's Health & Safety conscious times, but they put something like 50 or 60 of us in the back of the hold and strung something resembling a tennis net across to keep everyone back from the open door at the back...and then flew us around for 15 or 20 mins.  I'm not making this up.  No seat belts or harnesses.  Just a crowd of adults and kids standing up in the back of a plane with its cargo doors wide open.  I was probably 14 or 15.  Brilliant.

[Batch]

:hmmm:Practise?

Possibly, they are doing a low level flypast in formation.

Last route update I saw (approx timings):

1030 hrs (Depart) Lyneham heading via west of Hullavington
1041hrs Colerne
Warminster
Trowbridge
Melksham/Devizes
Calne
1100hrs Chippenham
Lyneham Village
Wootton Bassett
Blunsdon area of Swindon/Shrivenham
1120hrs (Wheels down) Brize Norton

(don't blame me if its wrong!).

[bathford]

My Dad was an Air Traffic Controller at Lyneham in the 1980s.  Remember a lot of the history of the station from back then...the pivotal role Lyneham and the Hercs played in the Falklands War with the flights down to Ascension Island being the main one.

I can also remember watching the live broadcast as John McCarthy flew in to Lyneham in 1991 after his 5 years of captivity in Lebanon.  We were living in Freshbrook at the time, and just as the TV commentary announced that he was 5 to 10 mins from landing, my Dad leapt up and took us out in to the back garden.  Sure enough...there was the Herc flying overhead on its descent in to Lyneham.

And one other memory!  We went to one of the family open days, again in the late 1980s.  The star attraction was a ride in a Herc for any Forces family who wanted to go up.  Hard to believe in today's Health & Safety conscious times, but they put something like 50 or 60 of us in the back of the hold and strung something resembling a tennis net across to keep everyone back from the open door at the back...and then flew us around for 15 or 20 mins.  I'm not making this up.  No seat belts or harnesses.  Just a crowd of adults and kids standing up in the back of a plane with its cargo doors wide open.  I was probably 14 or 15.  Brilliant.

Absolutely true.

I started off in Air Traffic in 1978 before going Aircrew,  I too remember the families days. Before going Aircrew I took my family on a familiarisation flight over the local area. You're absolutely right, just a net between the pax and a Board of Enquiry!!


It was great fun as a 'Loadie' watching the mums turn green but refusing to give in and throw up!!

[Jamiesfuturewife]

I saw them today & will make sure we all go outside work tomorrow & watch
Although none of my family served there growing up in Calne meant I went to school with many Lyneham kids & vividly remember going up to Lyneham when Terry Waite flew in to tie ribbons on trees
Used to love going to the open days & going up in the Hercules & was lucky enough to do it again last year - I feel extremely lucky to have done that

[reeves4england]

Having grown up in Goatacre, right next to the base, it's very sad to see them go. And I'm gutted I won't be there tomorrow to see the flyover.

Although I am currently in South-West Oxfordshire, so you never know...

[Samdy Gray]

Guess I'll be fighting my way through crowds and news crews on my drive to work tomorrow then.

I'll stick my head out of the office and have a butchers though.

[Jamiesfuturewife]

Oh yeah your in Calne now right? How's it going?

[dave_bambers_right_sock]

We went to one of the family open days, again in the late 1980s.  The star attraction was a ride in a Herc for any Forces family who wanted to go up.  Hard to believe in today's Health & Safety conscious times, but they put something like 50 or 60 of us in the back of the hold and strung something resembling a tennis net across to keep everyone back from the open door at the back...and then flew us around for 15 or 20 mins.  I'm not making this up.  No seat belts or harnesses.  Just a crowd of adults and kids standing up in the back of a plane with its cargo doors wide open. 

Remember that happening on Family's days back in the 70's as well.  I also remember  around 1973/74? seeing  Archbishop Makarios (who was here because of all the stuff going on in Cyprus.), come hurtling out of the main gates with his entourage, and Concord flying into Lyneham around 69/70. When we got there they still had the Brittania's( 54 (Sqdn), Argosy's and the Comet's (216 sqdn) Managed to wangle a flight on a Comet when in the air cadets. Good times. I know the Herc's are only moving up the road but am going to miss seeing them flying around regularly. Just hope they find a good use for the airfield.

[Samdy Gray]

Oh yeah your in Calne now right? How's it going?

Yep. It's going fantastically, thanks.

[Meth Test]

"Oh yeah your in Calne now right? How's it going?"

Fucking Calne and people from it...