Movements RAF Spadeadam 2015/16. + INfo

[johnhowe]

Checked the Cumbria Council pages and can't find anything about road closure at Spade.

Hi Danny, this info came from one the guys who has contacts at both Carlisle and Spade and with foreign SF involved there could be short term road closures. In the
last Tac Blaze the road was closed 150 yards east of Wiley Syke to allow Chinooks to land the closure lasted about ten minutes.

What I didn't want was somebody like yourself travelling over 100 miles only to be stalled at the cattle grid.

[geoffmackay]

Decided to take a few hours off work today to go and see the A10s.

Usual Wiley Syke lay by was taken up with military vehicles and personnel. Also alot of activity around the caravan ( not going into any detail for obvious reasons ).

Parked lay by further up on brow of hill. Weather was typical Spade, dull, low cloud & overcast. Cloud base estimate 2,500ft. Met Frank sitting in his car.

12:35 Monster flight operating surface to 20,000ft over Alston.
12:40 Knife 55 Flight called up holding to enter range in the Hexham gap.
12:45 08-0051 & 12-0063 CV22s landed at Greymore Hill.
12:50 Ospeys departed RTB leeming.
12:57 Jackel 71 ZG995 Islander operating to South of Otterburn 7,000ft
13:11 Hoss 31 Flight entered range F15s 00-3001 & 96-0201
13:17 Hoss 31 declares a technical problem and was to RTB leaving Hoss32 on range. Was not declaring an emergency.
13:38 another F15 Hoss37 enters range. All high level stuff well above clouds.
14:23 Zenith12 ZK333 operating above Alston 18/19,00ft
14:39 Boar23 flight called up and entered the range from the South East. A10s 80-0281 & 79-0091
Weather gradually improved with some nice blue patches appearing in the clouds. This allowed us to get our first glimpse of them for today.
Some nice engine noise and air brake deployment heard. One eventually breaking below the cloud to the East of the range and giving us a good photo opportunity. Was at approx 1,500ft, then started the climb out to Otterburn. 16:30 I left for home. Thanks to Frank for the stories! Regards to all, Geoff

[poison1]

Night flying scheduled this week at Spadeadam according to the Carlisle Airport website.Mon-Thurs till 2200z.Would guess it wont become active till 1300z each day as this is normally the case.

[toom317]

Night flying scheduled this week at Spadeadam according to the Carlisle Airport website.Mon-Thurs till 2200z.Would guess it wont become active till 1300z each day as this is normally the case.

They were blowing up gas pipes this morning, so nothing on the range till 12.00. I left at 12.20 for other pastures, as it looked like being a pretty poor day for photo ops.

[Durranhill]

As yesterday the GAF Tornado's were working the area again today with their FAC's on the ground, playtime as they called it was just over the hour & after the morning sortie they then headed west low level but I never heard anything where I work at the North West of Carlisle .

10.00 -Callsigns heard were Echo 45 ( GAF E45 ) on entering range airspace from Leeming changing to Kraut 01 when the action commenced , the callsign Odin was heard a couple of times but this could be the guys on the ground .

Freq used as yesterday 128.725 for the range & 338.3 for the FAC's , it sounded just like Jaded Thunder with aircraft telling the FAC's what bomb's they had & how many together with how many rounds of 27 mike mike they had .
It sounded like only 1 aircraft used the range AM with another 1 using the PM slot .

Hope to hear the Kraut's on the range again tomorrow .

Stewart or should that be Stan Boardman .

PS - message for Danny , the sex toys arrived in the post today , now I just need to make some nice pointed ends to finish them off .

[johnhowe]

As yesterday the GAF Tornado's were working the area again today with their FAC's on the ground, playtime as they called it was just over the hour & after the morning sortie they then headed west low level but I never heard anything where I work at the North West of Carlisle .

10.00 -Callsigns heard were Echo 45 ( GAF E45 ) on entering range airspace from Leeming changing to Kraut 01 when the action commenced , the callsign Odin was heard a couple of times but this could be the guys on the ground .

Freq used as yesterday 128.725 for the range & 338.3 for the FAC's , it sounded just like Jaded Thunder with aircraft telling the FAC's what bomb's they had & how many together with how many rounds of 27 mike mike they had .
It sounded like only 1 aircraft used the range AM with another 1 using the PM slot .

Hope to hear the Kraut's on the range again tomorrow .

Stewart or should that be Stan Boardman .

PS - message for Danny , the sex toys arrived in the post today , now I just need to make some nice pointed ends to finish them off .

Hi Stewart, Could these tornados at Leeming be Spadeadam's visitors. PS Re your sex toys the guys at Noble Denton could give you a hand to blow them up. Frank.
viewtopic.php?f=64&p=833790#p833790

[Durranhill]

Hi Frank , yes those are the boys.
Re the sex toys , they've already been blown up & expended , I just need to get them hard & pointed again like the one in the centre & on the right - http://www.combatreform.org/30mmammodisplay.jpg - as used by Apaches .
I'm also after a couple of these blanks - http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=27M ... 3c27bbd0o0 - if any body knows where I can get hold of them .

Stewart .

[toom317]

Stewart, you remember we were trying to figure out where the A10's were on the Tue, and I said it sounded like they said the Megget reservoir? Guess what I found out today. They were indeed at the Megget and in the S-M. A 4 shipper.

[iain s]

Stewart, you remember we were trying to figure out where the A10's were on the Tue, and I said it sounded like they said the Megget reservoir? Guess what I found out today. They were indeed at the Megget and in the S-M. A 4 shipper.

WHAT.

[toom317]

Iain that was the same day you saw them near Jedburgh, and yes WHAT. We'll probably never get that chance again.

[Durranhill]

An A-10 was on the range last week - well in fact it was a Hawk simulating a single A-10 .
I wonder if any body caught the 4 ship heading North through the Lakes on their way to the Megget ?? , I'm sure they then headed south later in the day over the Solway & came in over Workington & back through the lakes .

My pics of the A-10's on tue 12th are so so what with Frank telling one of his tales & the Yanks making a sudden appearance stage right with no RT comms to Spade range ( smacked wrist's for them on leaving the range later ) but I have managed a few nice shots of them turning over us in the moist air , My video footage of them in the afternoon although not great as it was peeing down & the camcorder would not keep focus leaves me with something that I can watch & listen to in the future .

Never say never Danny as you never know they may be back in the future as there is plenty of life in the old dog's yet .

Stewart .

[johnhowe]

D 510/ Spadeadam Range Activated from 09.00BST to 12.00pmBST on Saturday the 24th September, 2016.



D1160/16 Notam Due to Project Marshall upgrade possible momentarily of loss of UHF/VHF communications
at low level within Spadeadam Range and northern portions of EG D510 & EG D510A effective from 20.9.16 to 19.12.16,
http://england.unitedkingdom-tenders.co ... 11_Bristol

[johnhowe]

Danger Area Activation D 1227/16 D 510 & D510A RAF Spadeadam Range Bet 17.00 BST & 18.00 BST Earlier in the Day There are Two FAC Exercises one at Leeming and one I will be attending FAC H6454/16 within 5 N.Miles South East of Appleby Bet 10am & 5.0pm 241.950 131.175 on 11.10.16

[Durranhill]

Hi Frank ,
Thanks for the info on these , I'm down at Leeming until Friday & have brought with me the usual crap weather that accompanies me when I come down here .
If that's not enough my Yupi 7100 decided to dump all it's freq today in bank 1 when I changed batteries but strangely enough the old ones from Spade years ago remained ? .

Would the Ex at Warcop be anything to do with a number of open topped armoured vehicles spotted heading west on the 66 today ? , also do you know of anything happening at Spade next week as I still have a few days hols left ? .

Stewart .

[zeebra3]

Quick log for a half-decent day at the Spade Tuesday 15 Nov 2016.

Arrived at 1040 with one GR4 already working the range at medium level, then dropped down for a couple of low level passes before RTB.
A few minutes later , Ascot 114 (C-130) arrived and was on the range for over an hour at low-level. Really chucking it about with some cracking high-angle of bank turns.
The RAF bods turned up at the Wiley Sike with all their kit, and the red flags went up, so we were kindly asked if we would vacate to the other viewing point a bit further on.
Bulkhead flight (2 * GR4s), one seen at low level, audio only for the second.
Hunter flight 1 and 2 (Apaches) landed at Berry Hill briefly, then began their flare trials. Some nap of the earth stuff occasionally.
Pirate (Hawk) patrolling at about 2-5000' approx.
Hunter 1 landed back at Berryhill, whilst Hunter 2 proceeded Eastwards to buddy up with another Apache (Army321 callsign?).
Havoc 41 (Typhoon) called up, and was instructed to maintain 3000' to avoid confliction with the Apaches to the Eastern edge of the range.
Quite rare to see Typhoons here below medium level, got an impressive tight turn above our heads.

So pretty much non-stop action, which is rare for Spade.

[johnhowe]

Hi Guys, I've recently moved from Lancashire to Merseyside, hopefully when the weather gets better in 2017 I will be able to spend a couple of days at Spadeadam and
Otterburn.

My posting today is to tell you about a fantastic book "TORNADO BOYS" By IAN HALL Spadeadam gets a mention on a few occasions, however Chapter 15 entitled "ALL AT SEA" is written by Gordon Robertson who was a Tornado and Buccaneer Navigator. Wing Commander Robertson was also CO at RAF Spadeadam in the 1990s and was always very accommodating to spotters like me on visits to Spadeadam on one occasion Keith Fidler (RIP) and me were allowed to enter D 510 Airspace in a Cessna 150
and fly low level over the varioius range targets.

Another new book just published is "TESTING TORNADO" By David Eagles who as well as a Navy Test Pilot was also Chief Test Pilot at Warton and flew the Prototype
Tornado (MRCA) and his final flight was the first flight of The EAP later to become The Typhoon.

[Skoshi]

Keith did a wonderful "guide" for spadeadam many many years ago, you wouldnt have a copy would you John?

[David Thompson]

Keith did a wonderful "guide" for spadeadam many many years ago, you wouldnt have a copy would you John?

This one ? ; viewtopic.php?f=121&t=10965

[Skoshi]

nah, Keith did a "booklet" type thing, had range entry points/Ip's and such, with that and the other guide "Lowdown" i think it was (may still have that CD somewhere) was the best few quid i ever spent!

[PeteHemsley]

I've got a map of all the ingress, egress and IPs belonging one of the JTAC guys if you'd like a copy, Steve?