RAF Machrihanish

Has anyone been to RAF Machrihanish?, If so what was it like?.

 

Thought that place had ceased to be??? Another housing estate on the way.

After a few wee drams the Aurora was spotted by the local sheperd on occasions with Mach being one of the longest runways in the UK the other being Fairford. No secrets given away here!!

The Aurora Top-Secret Hypersonic Spy Plane of course does not exist same as the "Stealth."

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/pages/aurora.html

 

Was up there in 1990 with FS01 - Not a bad place the yanks there have got a small PX. Its a nothing place with a big airfield and not much else, except for the yank seal team which go around hiding behind trees and shouting a lot.
Did get nicked for cycling pissed down the runway at 3 in the morning well worth the night in the one cell!
Its now called MOD Machrihanish so I here, well whats left of it.

 

Your well behind the times fella. 'Aurora' is already announced (albeit via the back door) and through its flying evaluations.

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002868.html

I landed at Mach a we while ago when I was learning to fly. Trust me, the yanks were there at that time. Gone now though.

 

I think its called a reserve /Diversion airfield and still on the NATO inventory .Huge runway facilities.

Did hear there were plans for doing a housing estate on some of it!!

 

The housing thing has been bandied about for a while now, but it never seems to come to much.

I remember the ATC's at EGPK used to get interesting Radar contacts with things going in and out in the wee small hours. Got to the point where they told me they didn't even bother reporting them, because no bugger was interested. Also, some bloke who was ex R.O. corps back in the day saw her north of there flanked by some F-111's. I think he was on an oil rig or some such at the time.

Your right though. It's one bloody massive runway!

 

Previously a Coastal Command Base with Shackleton's based there. Right by Campbletown a great run ashore for D/E boats which would pop into the main town pier or the NATO Re-fueling Jetty instead of staying at sea overnight. For many a year my bruv's father in law was the Customs and Excise Receiver for both Cambletown and Machrihanish.

Go to Google 55.25.37.17N by 5.41.30.10W for picture of runway

Also has a great golf course by the Base.

Nutty

 

Flew in there once on a BA flight back in 64. Plane was a DH Herald and had a race with the Cambletown fire engine from the end of the runnway back to the tower. When a flight was due the BA man from Cambletown shut up shop and drove out to the airport and set up shop in a doorway at the base of the tower, no waiting room, security or anything, showed him your ticket and when the planer arrived you carried your case out to the plane and the cabin crew chucked it in the hold, all very simple and casual.

Peter

ps SSN could berth at the fuelling jetty too so was a good run for SSNs as well, even if it was a long walk back compared to being on the pier head in a D/E

 

Used to drop the special forces lads off Mach in the eighties then bring them back on board and decontaminate them. Anthrax was the big thing at the time. When I bumped into the guys on leave......ho ho ho. They would inquire as to where all their special black rope kept disappearing. We kept it safe in the scratchers store, honest, it's just that it really was useful for other things.
Float on, float off was soooooo much fun. We got the times down to something pretty respectful after a while. We played with the Yanks at the same game...only their SEALS punctured the skins to get rid of the evidence. More money than sense at times.........great times, good memories!

 

During the war this was a naval air station - I once read about it in an FAA memoir*, described as 'the Clapham Junction of the Fleet Air Arm.'

* possibly 'Sea Flight', High Popham, William Kimber 1954.

 

I think we are all well behind the times matey hence the reason for being on here see what is happening in that big world out there.