80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

[F3]

The recent post on this forum re the '87 Air Defence Ex @ Wyton brought back happy memories of days spent viewing Air Exercises @ Binbrook in the 80s. Several a year then, mostly Spring & Autumn, Priory & Mallet Blow with the major Elder Forests held on alternate years. Between 1984 & 1988 I saw many NATO aircraft either visiting (or attacking Binbrook) incl Belgian Mirage Vs, Canadian F18s, Danish F104s & Drakens, Dutch F104s & F16s, French Jags, German F104s & Phantoms,Norwegian F5s & F16s and USAF A10s, F15s & F111s. Here is a selection of surviving images taken on these exercises which are a mix of B&W and colour.

[steved]

Fantastic post. The topside Dutch F-104 is brilliant and I really like the Danish F-104s with Sidewinders.

[gkeeley]

Luv those 104's. Thanks for posting

[Sparts99]

Wow, that first shot, and then Starfighter, Lightning and Phantom all in the same frame.

[michael]

Rare a F111 with Pylon-Tanks .
Great pics

[The Phantom]

Cracking assortment of aircraft

We'll never see the like again

....so just as well we have great images like this to look at now and again

[timb]

Great stuff !!

[paulh]

Binbrook at it's very best - great post

Paul.

[Knife 04]

Mallet Blow and Elder Forest - now you are talking! Airfield attacks under full battle conditions on base! - Great times

Great post - always good looking back at these times. Nice shot of the F-111 with the tanks

All the best

Darren

[Ridge Runner]

Very, very nice

[3Greens]

Fantastic post F3, you're making me 'well up' looking back over these.
Great viewing from both ends but the Thorganby end crashgate for taxi shots when these beauties departed

Thanks for posting, great memories

3Greens

[paddyboy]

What an awesome post

You HAVE to love a Hooter

Thanks for posting

Paddyboy

[LM47]

Superb!
Thanks for posting

[TankBuster]

Glory days .
Thanks for sharing these!

TankBuster

[TS010]

I was based at Binbrook 83-87 and saw a huge variety of visiting aircraft. During exercises if I wasn't on a Squadron doing OTR'S I'd be out on guard with the best place to be being the top of the water tower, which gave you a grandstand view of the air raids.
The best raid I witnessed was 18 Luftwaffe F-4F's, a sight I will never forget!

[slogen51]

Like these a lot

A group of us used to get out and about to Mallet Blow etc in the 80's but not often enough - there was only so much skiving I could get away with!

[Petepilot]

Wowwwwww, my kind of nostalgia (ah, the memories!). Can anyone advise what the 104 in pic 5 is carrying?

[TS010]

Can anyone advise what the 104 in pic 5 is carrying?

A pair of Sidewinders. You can just make them out if you zoom in.

[david14]

Very good nostalgic stuff - I remember MB from the 80s too, great stuff

[F3]

The two Danish F104s are each carrying a single Sidewinder acquisition round which enable the pilot to lock on to an adversary and on getting the right 'tone' could thereby claim a kill. On one notable occasion on an exercise in RAF Germany a Phantom crew went a stage further and inadvertently pulled the lever releasing a missile and downed a Jaguar, which led to a much publicized court martial!