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The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Warbirds, Replicas and Nostalgic photos in here please.
Wigzy
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The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Wigzy » Wed Jun 10, 2020 3:16 pm

In the early 70s the 'Hall was chosen to host SAC ops evicted from Upper Heyford and Torrejon. This required extending the over-runs meaning that only base hacks and TDY Hercs could safely use the runway - anything else had to go to the 'Heath. The favor was returned the following year when the 48th began prepping for its long-awaited Rhinos and detached thirty Sleds to the 'Hall for nearly six months which sorely tested the tower and ramp personnel.

Image1. BW0068 66-0196 C-141A 436 MAW Lakenheath 5SEP70 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image2. BW0073 151890 EC-130G VQ-4 Lakenheath 5SEP70 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image3. BW0074 61-0324 KC-135A 379 BW Lakenheath 5SEP70 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image4. BW0081 59-1496 KC-135A 319 BW Lakenheath 23SEP70 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image5. BW0077 53-0106 EC-97G 7407 SS Lakenheath 23SEP70 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image6. BW0078 53-0106 EC-97G 7407 SS Lakenheath 23SEP70 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image7. BW0158 F-100 48 TFW flightline Mildenhall 9MAR71 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image8. BW0156 F-100 48 TFW flightline Mildenhall 9MAR71 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image9. BW0224 56-2980 F-100D 494 TFS 48 TFW Mildenhall 9MAR71 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

Image10. BW0223 55-3672 F-100D 493 TFS 48 TFW Mildenhall 2MAY71 by John Wigzell, on Flickr

johnwayne
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Location: milton keynes

Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by johnwayne » Wed Jun 10, 2020 3:55 pm

Classic stuff matey - brilliant post :thumb:

dragonchaser
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by dragonchaser » Wed Jun 10, 2020 3:57 pm

Oh yes, what a great look into the past, love the F100 line up, but all are brilliant :thumb:

matt e
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by matt e » Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:14 pm

nices et,especially #7

graham luxton

Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by graham luxton » Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:22 pm

Great stuff - I remember it. F-100D 56-2964/LS was written off at Mildenhall during that bolt hole - crashed at the West end of the base on approach to Rwy11 26 Aug'71.

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The Phantom
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by The Phantom » Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:37 pm

Cracking images :thumbs:

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Imac
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Imac » Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:46 pm

Top set John and great memories :clap: F100 line up for me too, impressive :thumbs: Great times, thanks for posting :thumb:

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johnwickenden
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Location: Gatwick

Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by johnwickenden » Wed Jun 10, 2020 6:00 pm

Wow ! Those two photos of the guns lined up are wonderful.....but that silver lifter???? Classic,absolutely classic!

Thanks for sharing!
Its gonna rain, its gonna rain till the levee breaks, a tidal wave of fear and pain washes us away, another fight into the night until nothing else remains, how do we find harbour from the Hurricane?

www.flickr.com/wickenden1967

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Seacat192
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Seacat192 » Wed Jun 10, 2020 6:51 pm

Fantastic set! If you've got any more, feel free to post!

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roughcutter
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Location: Widnes, Cheshire

Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by roughcutter » Wed Jun 10, 2020 6:54 pm

Fabulous set of images
Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film.

MR TERRY GREEN
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by MR TERRY GREEN » Wed Jun 10, 2020 7:08 pm

Great pictures,i know people said about a book on the Air-Fete but what about a book on the USAF in the 1960s and I970s in England.

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lardyboy999
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by lardyboy999 » Wed Jun 10, 2020 7:58 pm

Wow.

Just.

Wow.

Quality stuff.

Andy

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paddyboy
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by paddyboy » Thu Jun 11, 2020 5:34 am

Hi John :P

:Wow:

Never seen so many Huns :lol:

EC97G :O

Thanks for posting :thumbs:

Paddyboy :clap:
XH558, always the first lady in my life
Just remember, please don't tell the wife


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DanBeeden
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by DanBeeden » Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:10 am

Glorious shots - looks like the lifter is silver but has a grey finish on the tail & rear fuselage? What really caught my eye though is what is lurking in the background of the EC-130 shot - looks like an RC-135 of some type. RC-135D maybe?

Brilliant images - thanks for sharing.

graham luxton

Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by graham luxton » Thu Jun 11, 2020 9:24 am

DanBeeden wrote:
Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:10 am
Glorious shots - looks like the lifter is silver but has a grey finish on the tail & rear fuselage? What really caught my eye though is what is lurking in the background of the EC-130 shot - looks like an RC-135 of some type. RC-135D maybe?

Brilliant images - thanks for sharing.
I agree Dan it looks like an RC-135D. As Wigzy said, SAC ops were relocated from Upper Heyford which meant there were usually 2 and sometimes 3, RC-135's plus 3 to 5 supporting KC-135A's at Lakenheath. At the end of Nov'70 they finally moved over to Mildenhall. The mass influx of KC-135's relocating from Torrejon to Mildenhall took place in Aug'76.

Saguaro
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Saguaro » Thu Jun 11, 2020 9:47 am

Wow, great pics, brings back memories, I remember logging about 40 F-100s at the Mildenhall show on 22May71. Moving the RC's to Mildenhall from Heyford wasn't personally popular though as Heyford was much close to home!

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Knife 04
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Location: 'Up the smoke doin' a deal'

Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Knife 04 » Thu Jun 11, 2020 1:27 pm

Absolutely brilliant vintage shots John - love them all but the line up of F-100s is something else!

Thanks for posting

Darren

Proteus
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Proteus » Thu Jun 11, 2020 4:40 pm

graham luxton wrote:
Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:22 pm
Great stuff - I remember it. F-100D 56-2964/LS was written off at Mildenhall during that bolt hole - crashed at the West end of the base on approach to Rwy11 26 Aug'71.
nearly taking off Clive Woolards head, remember it well.

Wonderful pictures, thank you.

Wigzy
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2017 2:01 pm

Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Wigzy » Thu Jun 11, 2020 6:37 pm

Terry: I recommend 'Force for Freedom - The USAF in the UK since 1948' by Michael J.F.Bowyer (Publisher - Patrick Stephens Ltd).

Well spotted Dan : – it was in fact the very naughty KC-135T* 55-3121 which went through many configurations over the years (I logged it at Brize Norton in July 1963 as a ‘RIVET STAND’ KC-135R* and again at Heyford in May 1968). It had been detached to the ‘heath to perform CIA sponsored ‘RIVET JAW’ missions along the northern Soviet border which ended abruptly in November when it was ‘closely intercepted’ by Migs firing their guns alongside. A week before my pic it had failed to wind back its weird trailing antenna which then had to be cut loose and dropped into the Arctic Ocean. See this website for the history of what was described as one of the most important recon -135 platforms before it struck a mountain in Alaska in 1985 during poor weather while on a 'RIVET DANDY' training flight out of Eielson.

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/boei ... 21jh_1.htm

* Confusingly, the -R and -T suffixes have no connection to their later use.

Precinct7
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Re: The 'Hall and the 'Heath - good neighbors

Post by Precinct7 » Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:09 pm

Proteus wrote:
Thu Jun 11, 2020 4:40 pm
graham luxton wrote:
Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:22 pm
Great stuff - I remember it. F-100D 56-2964/LS was written off at Mildenhall during that bolt hole - crashed at the West end of the base on approach to Rwy11 26 Aug'71.
nearly taking off Clive Woolards head, remember it well.

Wonderful pictures, thank you.

that F-100 hit the chimney pots on one of the houses at the bottom of Pollards Lane ,
a friend of mine was close by and through there end had come ,
could have been a a nasty incident

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