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80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:55 pm
by 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.

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Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 5:01 pm
by steved
Fantastic post. The topside Dutch F-104 is brilliant and I really like the Danish F-104s with Sidewinders. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 5:03 pm
by gkeeley
Luv those 104's. Thanks for posting

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 5:04 pm
by Sparts99
Wow, that first shot, and then Starfighter, Lightning and Phantom all in the same frame.

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 5:05 pm
by michael
Rare a F111 with Pylon-Tanks .
Great pics :clap:

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 6:40 pm
by The Phantom
Cracking assortment of aircraft :Wow:

We'll never see the like again :'(

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

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 7:02 pm
by timb
Great stuff !!

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:26 pm
by paulh
Binbrook at it's very best - great post :thumb: :clap:

Paul.

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 9:15 pm
by 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

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 9:22 pm
by Ridge Runner
Very, very nice :)

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 1:03 pm
by 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 :thumbs:

Thanks for posting, great memories

3Greens :thumb:

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 4:00 pm
by paddyboy
What an awesome post :Wow:

You HAVE to love a Hooter :thumbs:

Thanks for posting :thumb:

Paddyboy :clap:

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:26 pm
by LM47
Superb!
Thanks for posting

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:13 pm
by TankBuster
Glory days :thumbs:.
Thanks for sharing these!

TankBuster

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:40 pm
by 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!

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2017 10:40 am
by 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!

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 6:08 pm
by Petepilot
Wowwwwww, :Wow: my kind of nostalgia (ah, the memories!). Can anyone advise what the 104 in pic 5 is carrying?

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:24 pm
by 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.

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:37 pm
by david14
Very good nostalgic stuff - I remember MB from the 80s too, great stuff

Re: 80s Air Exercises @ Binbrook

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:48 am
by 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!