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79th leave UH
Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:35 pm
by SW Sky Blue
Found some more naff old prints in the loft...I'm sure I have better ones than these....
..but can't find them....
79th FS leaving Upper Heyford returning to the USA in 1993.....lovely day...as per....
No doubt Graham can furnish us with the full details.....
1,
79thFS_UpperHeyford_KevinWills by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
2,
79thFS_UpperHeyord_HAS site_KevinWills by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
3,
68-080_79thFS_UpperHeyford_KevinWills2 by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
4,
68-080_79thFS_UpperHeyford_KevinWills3 by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
5,
68-075_79thFS_UpperHeyford_KevinWills by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
6,
68-080_79thFS_UpperHeyford_KevinWills by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
7,
79thFS_DepUH_KevinWills by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
8,
68-076_79thFS_UpperHeyford_KevinWills by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
9,
68-075_79thFS_UpperHeyford_KevinWills2 by
KdoubleU2017, on Flickr
Cheers,
Kev W.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:47 pm
by F3
Historic record. I notice the tail codes have been wiped prior to onward delivery of the jets. I seem to recall the Sqn. + Wing commanders personal jets were the last to leave the base and the media must have been invited along as pics appeared in the mags.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:07 pm
by Vulcanone
Nice shots Kev,
spent a couple of hours lingering at a different fence today, watching another soon to be retired type....
:-(
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:23 pm
by DanBeeden
Smashing shots - love the Tiger nose art and tail stripe on the furthest jet in the first shot.
Can’t get enough of these UH threads - thanks for sharing.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:25 pm
by vark 1.1
This was a sad day, being on that ramp was a real privilege. But better sweet. Knowing that was the End of the Tigers at Upper Heyford.
Weather really made it feel a very British goodbye. I had 100 iso in my camera, would of been better with 400 iso!!
Great to see once again, from are old local
Thank Kev
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:00 am
by derek hopkins
Great Shots,memories flooding back.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:33 am
by Knife 04
Another great Heyford thread Kev - thanks for posting these up of the final few months of the 20th FW
Nose art on the left jet in the first shot is similar to the one currently in the AAM at Duxford
I have some of the last photocall of the 55th held in October when they put a couple of jets out prior to the deactivation ceremony in October 1993 - great days!
Cheers
Darren
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 10:14 am
by Blackcat1
Those were the days! That awesome Swinger is much missed from low level in the South Wales valleys too!!
Great set
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 4:20 pm
by paddyboy
Hi Kev
I for one, don't give a monkeys for the quality (nowt wrong wi' them)
Awesome swinger shots
Thanks for posting
Paddyboy
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:15 pm
by MR TERRY GREEN
Great record of a great plane.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:38 pm
by graham luxton
Thanks for posting these Kev - the memories of that morning come flooding back. One of the perks of being in the Upper Heyford Aviation Society was being allowed access to things like this so I made sure I preserved it on plenty of video. The date was Monday the 10th May'93 and these were the last 5 of the 79th's a/c to leave. The one furthest away in the line up was the sqdn commanders a/c marked up as 68-079TH FS UH (flight lead as Retro 51) then towards the camera, 047 (Retro52), 075 (Retro53), 076 (Retro54) and 080 (Retro55). With Runway 09 in use they departed at 1000 - 1003 local, RV'ing with KC-135's out of Mildenhall over Machrihanish. First stop was Plattsburgh then onto their final destination at Cannon. As per normal, drop tanks were not required for the transatlantic crossing. Sods law about 2 and a half hours after they'd gone the sun came out!
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:20 pm
by quid21
graham luxton wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:38 pm
Thanks for posting these Kev - the memories of that morning come flooding back. One of the perks of being in the Upper Heyford Aviation Society was being allowed access to things like this so I made sure I preserved it on plenty of video. The date was Monday the 10th May'93 and these were the last 5 of the 79th's a/c to leave. The one furthest away in the line up was the sqdn commanders a/c marked up as 68-079TH FS UH (flight lead as Retro 51) then towards the camera, 047 (Retro52), 075 (Retro53), 076 (Retro54) and 080 (Retro55). With Runway 09 in use they departed at 1000 - 1003 local, RV'ing with KC-135's out of Mildenhall over Machrihanish. First stop was Plattsburgh then onto their final destination at Cannon. As per normal, drop tanks were not required for the transatlantic crossing. Sods law about 2 and a half hours after they'd gone the sun came out!
Would love to see the video.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 11:21 am
by Razzor01
Hi Kev
Was standing next to you on the ramp that morning, one thing that sticks in my mind is shot 7 showing Lt Col Mark Hyatt, CO of the 79th - he saluted us as he taxied past.
We were priveliged with being members of UHAS, great speakers every month many of them flying in from their home base, we even got flights on RAF C-130's and a Puma, great days indeed.
UHAS still lives on in the guise of the the Fairford Aviation Society with many original UHAS members still there - me for one.
Cheers
Stewart
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 1:24 pm
by alhenderson
Bet the weather made then glad to be leaving!! Interesting to note that the serial number on the data block on #7 has been scrubbed out or monkeyed with in some way...
Al.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 9:13 pm
by Sparky 119
Good memories Kev and as Stewart has said some of us originals live on.
Cheers
Steve B
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 12:36 am
by StandardTom
Lovely shots Kev, despite the weather.
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 6:21 pm
by 1marshn30
Hi Kev
Thanks for posting how we miss them those of us who grew up with the sight and sound of the mighty VARK
Ni
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 7:45 pm
by herbert
Brilliant post and comments. Amazing to think the same aircraft we there for 23 years.
Remind me, was the 79th the last squadron to go?
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 9:33 pm
by Knife 04
Herbert - think 55th were last to go - happy to be corrected though
Darren
Re: 79th leave UH
Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:17 am
by DanBeeden
You are correct Darren - the 79th first, then the 77th (remember that lovely artwork on 68-0049 'The Gamblers Last Deal'?) and finally the 55th which I think (someone can correct me no doubt) deactivated in October '93 with the last aircraft departing early that December.