RAF Binbrook 1988 til Runway Removal

[pug]

Hope this post is relevant to this subforum, if not please advise.

It’s great to see so many posts popping up on the historic section re. Lightning’s and the twilight years of binbrook as a front line station. Was in the area yesterday and drove up to the old crash gate 3 to try to get a sense of the place, unfortunately all farm land now and little sign of a fairly recent jet fighter station!

I haven’t been able to find out much about Binbrook after the Lightning’s left. I know that some of the filming of Memphis Belle was shot there in 89, and that Global Aviation occupied the Qsheds to turn around retired JP’s, but I know little of what sort of use it got as an RLG for Scampton, when fixed wing flying actually ceased completely and when the runways were torn up.

I’m guessing after the Lightning’s went, spotters were less inclined to make the journey up there, but if anyone can provide any detailed history or anecdotes up until the very end of the runways being in existence I would like to hear it. Hopefully others may be interested too?

[binbrook87]

I'm really interested. I made a trip up there a couple of years ago and I agree it's really hard to get your bearings with the runways gone. I drove around the apron area where the hangars are still being used by some industrial units, but despite this you could get a feel for the place and could have easily stepped back in time. I took some photos of various buildings and of the sorry looking Lightning that was under tarpaulin, then got chatting to a guy who was a local and quite interested to see what I was up to and then discussed the lightnings and memphis belle etc.
This is an old website but shows what it was like 10 years after it closed. Really brilliant read......

http://homepages.force9.net/ffour/Oldst ... nbrook.htm

[paulh]

Not sure if it was before or after Memphis Belle there were a few Strikemasters housed in one of the hangars having some work carried out on them.
Had a couple of brief trips up there but never saw them, I'm sure someone will have a bit more knowledge about those.
Not aircraft related but over a number of years we had Special Stage Car Rallies perhaps 4-5 times a year out on the airfield - until there was no tarmac left!

At least we have some happy memories of the place as a front line Fighter Station.

Cheers - Paul.

[pug]

Thanks for the replies so far. I do recall my first time passing through Binbrook, I had approached from the Caistor side. Must have been 2005/6 and seem to remember rubble banks visible above the hedge line. In fact I think the first thing I saw was the old engine hush house (?) similar to the one at Leconfield. Would that have been on the north west side of the runway? Unfortunately, though I did drive up the hill to the old main entrance, that’s as far as I got, the industrial estate at the time didn’t feel too welcoming. Monday was my first visit to Crash Gate 3 though, and although there is nothing left I did get the impression it must have been a great vantage point. Shame I wasn’t old enough to appreciate it when it was active!

[binbrook87]

A couple of years ago I drove up that hill to the old main gate area where the industrial estate is and just went between a couple of those large red white barriers then onto the apron.... but the entrance wasn't blocked or prohibited and there was no security on there. Nobody bothered me at all.
Pop these coordinates into Google maps and this is the entrance
53.440699,-0.199905

[pug]

A couple of years ago I drove up that hill to the old main gate area where the industrial estate is and just went between a couple of those large red white barriers then onto the apron.... but the entrance wasn't blocked or prohibited and there was no security on there. Nobody bothered me at all.
Pop these coordinates into Google maps and this is the entrance
53.440699,-0.199905

Thanks for those, I think that’s the entrance I’ve driven up a couple of years ago on another visit, drove up towards the hangars and saw the 5sqn (?) emblem still painted onto the hangar. Also saw the lightning looking sorry inside the Heritage Centre compound. Kicking myself for not having visited earlier when there was much more to see. Similar fate the only time I was in the area of Coltishall (pre closure) must have been 97ish, no activity as the aircraft were bolt holed somewhere else so that the runway could be resurfaced!

For a sense of scale, was it busier than Coningsby was back then? I know Coningsby has seen significant investment since.

[Ghastly Whisper]

Quite a bit of the old runway was used for Peak Parks Way, what is now the main way into Grimsby heading from Louth.

[pug]

Quite a bit of the old runway was used for Peak Parks Way, what is now the main way into Grimsby heading from Louth.

Was that not North Coates? The timeline doesn’t fit for binbrook as I know the hardstandings were still there into the year 2000, a couple of years after Peaks Parkway opened.

[Arty]

Not sure if it was before or after Memphis Belle there were a few Strikemasters housed in one of the hangars having some work carried out on them.
Had a couple of brief trips up there but never saw them, I'm sure someone will have a bit more knowledge about those.
Not aircraft related but over a number of years we had Special Stage Car Rallies perhaps 4-5 times a year out on the airfield - until there was no tarmac left!

At least we have some happy memories of the place as a front line Fighter Station.

Cheers - Paul.

I went to Binbrook in October '97 and there were eight ex-Botswana Defence Force Strikemasters in, as you said Paul, one of the hangars. Also logged Provost T1 WW421 and Lightning XR724.

Rgds

Robin

[f-4]

I'm really interested. I made a trip up there a couple of years ago and I agree it's really hard to get your bearings with the runways gone. I drove around the apron area where the hangars are still being used by some industrial units, but despite this you could get a feel for the place and could have easily stepped back in time. I took some photos of various buildings and of the sorry looking Lightning that was under tarpaulin, then got chatting to a guy who was a local and quite interested to see what I was up to and then discussed the lightnings and memphis belle etc.
This is an old website but shows what it was like 10 years after it closed. Really brilliant read......

http://homepages.force9.net/ffour/Oldst ... nbrook.htm

Wow - didn't realise that link was still active. I wrote it some 22 years ago

I roamed the runways in the early 2000s and salvaged a couple of runway marker boards which had been vandalised. I had great intentions of setting them up in my garden but a divorce put paid to that idea and they lie abandoned at my parents house - I must do something with them. I recall they were the 6/1 and 5/2 from the 20 end. They are quite large but just fitted into a Ford Escort!

[pug]

Interesting Arty and F4, thanks for your memories. I had some time looking through the RAF Binbrook Facebook group yesterday and someone had posted about a trip up there in 1989 and camping out at CG3. During their stay a Victor did a touch and go as did it seems a Tornado (unsure of Mk). Also a pic of a number of Hercules on exercise one Saturday in the same year. So seems it was still used by military heavy stuff even then?

[Ghastly Whisper]

Quite a bit of the old runway was used for Peak Parks Way, what is now the main way into Grimsby heading from Louth.

Was that not North Coates? The timeline doesn’t fit for binbrook as I know the hardstandings were still there into the year 2000, a couple of years after Peaks Parkway opened.

Happy to be wrong lol one sometimes is told duff gen.

[pug]

Quite a bit of the old runway was used for Peak Parks Way, what is now the main way into Grimsby heading from Louth.

Was that not North Coates? The timeline doesn’t fit for binbrook as I know the hardstandings were still there into the year 2000, a couple of years after Peaks Parkway opened.

Happy to be wrong lol one sometimes is told duff gen.

Not at all, it’s nice to have people’s input. More the merrier.

[22A]

Two railway locos were taken there for restoration.
One soon left, but the other is missing some major components and is reportedly still there.

About twenty years ago, the MoD stored 5 or 6 of it's diesel shunting locos there for a while, but they're all gone now now.

[roughcutter]

Wow - didn't realise that link was still active. I wrote it some 22 years ago

I roamed the runways in the early 2000s and salvaged a couple of runway marker boards which had been vandalised. I had great intentions of setting them up in my garden but a divorce put paid to that idea and they lie abandoned at my parents house - I must do something with them. I recall they were the 6/1 and 5/2 from the 20 end. They are quite large but just fitted into a Ford Escort!
[/quote]

You could probably get a few bob from Drew Pritchard (Salvage Hunters) for them