As I had a bit of business to take care of in the local area It was rude not to pop into the heritage centre (Currently situated in the old guardroom, soon to be relocated to the control tower) and have a look to see what’s now a museum piece
While it’s a relatively small collection of artifacts they recently took delivery of an old cat from RAF Cosford
Which sadly is static, so is now a display piece unlike the taxiable one at Bentwaters
The majority of the site is now a business park and they will happily let you through the barrier if you’re going to look at the Jaguar
The old bomb dump where I used to work is still on the other side of the airfield as are many revetments from World War II some of which are scheduled monuments.
Warning. If you’re thinking about flying a drone here I wouldn’t given it’s proximity to HMP Bure which occupies part of the domestic side of the camp including barrack accomodation turned into cell blocks & the airmens mess & NAAFI being converted to administration and medical for the inmates.
I would like to know which imbecile decided to put a school next to a prison which exclusively houses sex offenders ![:woozy_face: :woozy_face:](https://greyarro.ws/images/emoji/apple/woozy_face.png?v=12)
How weird is it? A bit.
Given I worked there in the mid 90s and it closed in 2006 it’s pretty much all still there.
Ive got to go back in a couple of weeks so I’ll take a longer look.
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I went there in the late 60’s for a RAF Cadet camp. Had a couple of flights in the Chipmunks, (bit nervy when you’re trundling down the grass on the side of the runway while a Lightning takes off!).
Spent one afternoon, using bits of wood and string, to climb to the top of one of the blast walls, sitting on the top while the Lightnings were taking off to interscept the Bears over the North Sea. End of the runway, straight up to 50,000! Shook the walls, and nearly shook us off the top
!
Had a mass fight with one of the other schools that were there, but the RAF Regiment guys in the same H block came in a broke it up
, two kids under each arm, big bastards!
One thing I do remember, we were told that there was 28 miles of wiring in a Lightning nose cone. Strange what you remember after 56 years!
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I was there in the mid 90s when the mighty fighty cats were there in between two tours at Laarbruch.
I watched this happen and by sheer unluckyness guarded the smouldering wreck post impact with what was left of the jockey still in the cockpit
Most of the time though it was all jolly japes though. We had an 18 hole golf course in the Bomb Dump at Coltishall (At Laarbruch they had a swimming pool)
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They’ve still got about a dozen Jaguars at Cosford, had them all lined up at the Air Show.
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All static though. They are used as training aids for the various trades at technical training school. They don’t run them up anymore.
The Bentwaters one will fast taxi
Yeah, a guy I used to work with got a job there as a technical instructor, he said I could have a visit anytime I wanted, but I’ve never took him up on it.
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Go to the Cosford Museum. All sorts there.
Been loads of times mate, only live about 20 minutes away!
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I did 6 months there at Tech School, the museum was compulsory
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My son bought one of the houses and still lives there
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When I was posted there I lived in the MQs that used to service RAF Horsham St Faith (Now Norwich Airport) and had been absorbed by Coltishall so I had that balls ache of a drag down the B1152.
Badersfield it’s known as now. Odd little place.
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Yes it’s Badersfield now , I often get told off for calling it RAF cottishal lol , good very well built properties though .
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I’ve got personal business I need to take care of every couple of weeks at a neighbouring establishment which isn’t too pleasant so I’m going to make a point of just going onto the camp just to make sure it’s still there as a sweetener just to take the edge off the other crap.
I’m going to sit in the middle of the bomb dump next time and smoke a very large cigar.
Because Explosive Regulations are no longer applicable ![:wink: :wink:](https://greyarro.ws/images/emoji/apple/wink.png?v=12)
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Climb the blast wall just for me please!
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I struggle with stairs these days, never mind blast walls.
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