VISITED WITH FOWLE AND GeoVDUB
RAF LUFFENHAM
All of this history is taken from bits and bobs I found so it probs not 100 per cent but it'll do!
R.A.F Luffenham was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England from 1940 to 1998.
The station was built as a training airfield, opening in 1940. It was later taken over by 5 Group of RAF Bomber Command as a heavy bomber base, and was expanded by the building of concrete runways later in the war. In 1951, the station was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force to become the temporary home of 1 Fighter Wing, the first Canadian NATO base in Europe. 1 Wing moved to Marville, France in 1955.
From 1959 to 1963, North Luffenham was home to PGM-17 Thor intermediate range ballistic missiles, its a shame none of them were present cos they look pretty sweet!
Its a good mooch with lots to see and was a good break from moldy mills and the usual pipeness....
On with the pics...
SEXY PHANTOM JET
THE HARRIER MOFOING JUMP JET
COMPRESSION CHAMBERS
In 1963 the RAF Aviation Medical Training Centre (AMTC) moved from its original location at RAF Upwood to RAF North Luffenham. The Centre was commanded by a senior RAF Medical Officer who with his medical and technical team were responsible for fitting and instructing aircrew in the use of flying protective clothing and equipment, including partial pressure suits, which kept the pilot conscious in the event of loss of cabin pressure at high altitude. Instruction in medical aspects of high performance aviation included experience of hypoxia and exposure to sudden explosive decompression of an aircraft cabin. This was carried out in a complex of RAF Mark V decompression chambers installed on the site for aircrew training and research purposes. Many of the aircrew medical monitoring techniques, oxygen systems and items of aircrew protective flying clothing developed at the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine, Farnborough, were assessed by staff of AMTC and from what I can tell were just left here...
BRITISH ELECTRIC THUNDERBIRD
Looks freaky this, the Thunderbird originated in a proposal to English Electric in 1949 to develop a missile to provide ground based air defence to the British Army to replace the 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft gun that fulfilled this role during World War II. Like the 3.7, the new missile would be operated by the Royal Artillery. English Electric created a Guided Weapons Division to work on the project.
While the project was starting, the Ministry of Supply began work on what would become known as the "Stage Plan", which envisioned a multi-stage program to provide an integrated air-defence network including new radars, interceptor aircraft, and missiles. These badboys were designed to takeout "slow flying" aircraft (usually bombers) and had a range of about 20 miles. They were also smaller looking ones of these which were designed to be faster and go for the Jets. These were placed round airbases to protect the V-Bomber bases, they were shockingly shit but they figured if they had enough of them at least one would hit the target.
RADAR VAN
Thats a guess I have no idea what its real name is....
I loved it here, Ive heard storys it has live training on it and stories its a walk on, we were'nt sure and when a big white van came rushing towards us I thought we were fucked! Its right next to a live base and I nearly swallowed my memory card but it carried on past us and disappeared somewhere in the distance. We were relived! Thank you for looking!
Cheers!
RAF LUFFENHAM
All of this history is taken from bits and bobs I found so it probs not 100 per cent but it'll do!
R.A.F Luffenham was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England from 1940 to 1998.
The station was built as a training airfield, opening in 1940. It was later taken over by 5 Group of RAF Bomber Command as a heavy bomber base, and was expanded by the building of concrete runways later in the war. In 1951, the station was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force to become the temporary home of 1 Fighter Wing, the first Canadian NATO base in Europe. 1 Wing moved to Marville, France in 1955.
From 1959 to 1963, North Luffenham was home to PGM-17 Thor intermediate range ballistic missiles, its a shame none of them were present cos they look pretty sweet!
Its a good mooch with lots to see and was a good break from moldy mills and the usual pipeness....
On with the pics...
SEXY PHANTOM JET
THE HARRIER MOFOING JUMP JET
COMPRESSION CHAMBERS
In 1963 the RAF Aviation Medical Training Centre (AMTC) moved from its original location at RAF Upwood to RAF North Luffenham. The Centre was commanded by a senior RAF Medical Officer who with his medical and technical team were responsible for fitting and instructing aircrew in the use of flying protective clothing and equipment, including partial pressure suits, which kept the pilot conscious in the event of loss of cabin pressure at high altitude. Instruction in medical aspects of high performance aviation included experience of hypoxia and exposure to sudden explosive decompression of an aircraft cabin. This was carried out in a complex of RAF Mark V decompression chambers installed on the site for aircrew training and research purposes. Many of the aircrew medical monitoring techniques, oxygen systems and items of aircrew protective flying clothing developed at the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine, Farnborough, were assessed by staff of AMTC and from what I can tell were just left here...
BRITISH ELECTRIC THUNDERBIRD
Looks freaky this, the Thunderbird originated in a proposal to English Electric in 1949 to develop a missile to provide ground based air defence to the British Army to replace the 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft gun that fulfilled this role during World War II. Like the 3.7, the new missile would be operated by the Royal Artillery. English Electric created a Guided Weapons Division to work on the project.
While the project was starting, the Ministry of Supply began work on what would become known as the "Stage Plan", which envisioned a multi-stage program to provide an integrated air-defence network including new radars, interceptor aircraft, and missiles. These badboys were designed to takeout "slow flying" aircraft (usually bombers) and had a range of about 20 miles. They were also smaller looking ones of these which were designed to be faster and go for the Jets. These were placed round airbases to protect the V-Bomber bases, they were shockingly shit but they figured if they had enough of them at least one would hit the target.
RADAR VAN
Thats a guess I have no idea what its real name is....
I loved it here, Ive heard storys it has live training on it and stories its a walk on, we were'nt sure and when a big white van came rushing towards us I thought we were fucked! Its right next to a live base and I nearly swallowed my memory card but it carried on past us and disappeared somewhere in the distance. We were relived! Thank you for looking!
Cheers!
:x
