RAF Upper Heyford

[Varkman]

RAF Upper Heyford was a massive part of my world in the late 80’s early 90’s.
To the point that I did this for the site with Paul Tiller back in 2005.

http://www.airshows.co.uk/features/2005 ... r-heyford/

Been going back over my UH Images and I have now produced Two books that are available online
Softback and in e-book format.

https://www.blurb.com/b/9517389-aardvark-the-f-111

[AMB]

Shame this is only focussed on the F-111 as a lot of photos from the shows in the '60s and '70s would have been great - a missed opportunity? I really miss those Upper Heyford Armed Forces Day shows.

[POD]

RAF Upper Heyford was a massive part of my world in the late 80’s early 90’s.
To the point that I did this for the site with Paul Tiller back in 2005.

http://www.airshows.co.uk/features/2005 ... r-heyford/

Been going back over my UH Images and I have now produced Two books that are available online
Softback and in e-book format.

https://www.blurb.com/b/9517389-aardvark-the-f-111

Happy days Rich..

Kev W

[Varkman]

Shame this is only focussed on the F-111 as a lot of photos from the shows in the '60s and '70s would have been great - a missed opportunity? I really miss those Upper Heyford Armed Forces Day shows.

I only have the photos i have. Which is 90% F-111s at Upper Heyford. I may do something with the 10% in another book.

[Varkman]

RAF Upper Heyford was a massive part of my world in the late 80’s early 90’s.
To the point that I did this for the site with Paul Tiller back in 2005.

http://www.airshows.co.uk/features/2005 ... r-heyford/

Been going back over my UH Images and I have now produced Two books that are available online
Softback and in e-book format.

https://www.blurb.com/b/9517389-aardvark-the-f-111

Happy days Rich..

Kev W

It was Kev

[AlexC]

I really miss those Upper Heyford Armed Forces Day shows.

Same here. Especially remember perhaps the last time I was there walking around taking photos with 'Sunshine on a Rainy Day' blasting out on the tannoy.

[IATthenRIAT]

I did UH the one and only time in 76 but used to chat to some of there staff in a cotswolds pub sumtimes.

[HeyfordDave111]

Currently reconnected with a friend of mine (after 35 years) who was a Tech Sarg. on the one elevens, both Spark and conventional in the last 10 years of Heyford.

He's got some nice photographs taken with him and the sparks (one with great nose art) at the time. I'll try and borrow them and put in the right section here if anyone's interested?

[iaint]

He's got some nice photographs taken with him and the sparks (one with great nose art) at the time. I'll try and borrow them and put in the right section here if anyone's interested?

I for one will never turn down the chance to see images of F-111s!

[tankbuster81]

Currently reconnected with a friend of mine (after 35 years) who was a Tech Sarg. on the one elevens, both Spark and conventional in the last 10 years of Heyford.

He's got some nice photographs taken with him and the sparks (one with great nose art) at the time. I'll try and borrow them and put in the right section here if anyone's interested?

And its a yes please from me!

[Varkman]

Going to push this back up.
After yesterdays Anniversary.

Gone but never forgotten.

20th-FW-Badge- by Richard Parker, on Flickr

[Steve Bond]

I'm with Adrian, the F-111 days were great but there was so much more to Upper Heyford than that. My first visit was in 1963 in the fantastic B-47/KC-97 era.

[HeyfordDave111]

looking at postings elsewhere, i would agree.
However some of my fondest moments were ..... in this order......

1) 30 odd swingers out one morning in around 40 mins. the noise, smell, physical vibrations, and the friendly waves from the crews.

2) 4 Whitmund F-4's appearing out of nowhere for an hours lunch stop. and laying down the clag as they left (had my camera handy)

3) The triangle that must not be mentioned departing on the sunday after the airshow on the saturday and putting in a huge wing wave as it came over the Heyford road, and lastly......

4) Gulf War 1, driving home to Banbury after work one day with no camera (alas) seeing the sky full of C-141 Starlifters going into Heyford. Probably 8 or 9 of them approaching, going round then landing. Quite a magnificent sight.

[LTD@TW]

I loved working there.

For me a couple of stand out memories were the Spanish F-5's (mix of single and two seaters) that turned up one lunch time (no camera sadly as didn't think it was allowed when working there) and during the Gulf War going into work and seeing a few 747's , including Pan Am, parked up having brought more military members in wither to go down the line or to bolster UH's manning.
One post closure memory was delivering someone's shopping (drove a little van for the orange coloured supermarket chain) to one of the new build houses and telling them that I used to work where his living room was now situated!!!
Happy times.

If you get the chance to go on the heritage tour do so. I went the other year and best £15 I have ever spent. a good 4 hours or so. Such a waste of a great airfield but then times change.

G

[HeyfordDave111]

Then there was the 'Skyking' cinema on base.

Sat next to the base commander for Caddyshack (he got called away half way through), and also saw 'The Blues Brothers' there while listening to the rumble of swingers off up to the ranges.

Followed off by a chocolate milk shake and a pizza in the 'Brown Derby' near the bowling alley. Great days indeed.

[Maverick]

It’s great to read all your stories from the glory days at Heyford, please keep them coming. It’s a base I often drive past and wonder what life was like in times gone by. A family member of mine worked within the Officers Mess during the days of the B47.

Just out of interest, once all the F111s left the station, were there many flights after this time involving transportation of personnel and equipment ? I have always wondered about the base activity after the main unit aircraft had left.

[keithjs]

I too have fond memories, particularly of the great airshows. I'll always remember the one of the hot summer in July 1976...it was sweltering! Just at the end of the show the heavens opened and we got soaked. Also the first time I saw the Thunderbirds. Can't remember what year tho'?
Anyway here's (quite a few ,sorry, I didn't know which ones to leave out...and there's still more...) of some I took some years ago when they used to do base tours after it closed down. Always remember it was the day they were filming World War Z in one of the hardened shelters.
Anyway, hope you find them of interest. Thanks for looking..So, in no particular order....

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[HeyfordDave111]

Apart from the cinema and the Brown Derby, once my Tech Sarg mate took me to UH and onto the flightline with his car (no fod check on entry to the live area), and we drove slowly up and down outside the hangars while he chatted out of the window with the crews, both flight and maintenance, stopping for a chat then moving on.

I took a camera but was too nervous to use it, although i was assured it was ok.

We then went across to the munitions area....... lots of hush hush suggestions about what was in there at the time (around the time of Greenham and the campaigners). we were allowed access through the gates and i suggested i was rather too nervous to go any further..... so back for a pizza.

Marvellous times, that's for sure, try being non military and doing the same so easily nowadays.

[andrewn]

It’s great to read all your stories from the glory days at Heyford, please keep them coming. It’s a base I often drive past and wonder what life was like in times gone by. A family member of mine worked within the Officers Mess during the days of the B47.

Just out of interest, once all the F111s left the station, were there many flights after this time involving transportation of personnel and equipment ? I have always wondered about the base activity after the main unit aircraft had left.

Sadly not, the base closed to all traffic a week after the last F-111's left. In the months prior to that though there was quite a bit of transport activity shipping stuff back home or elsewhere, including USN Hercules - but what they were shifting is anybody's guess. Also, I was there one day, during the rundown when whatt must have been 15 HGVs with empty trailers were queuing up down one of the back lanes to get on the base - looked like they were going to the munitions area but cant be sure now after all these years.

[adrian_gray]

The mother-in-law is an ecologist and was working in the nature reserve under the runway threshold on April 2nd1992 - she got quite blase about F111s taking off over her (as, apparently, did the wildlife), until that day when all hell suddenly let loose on the base with sirens and blue lights going off left, right and centre, and an F111 roared overheard towing considerably more smoke than usual, to crash at Barton Hartshorn.