Those were the days - May 1982 - Day 9 & 10

[rh226]

And so we come to a nice relaxing weekend at the 'Hall - making up for a lack of "Mickey's" for 5 days. No visitors were recorded for Lakenheath.

The following are arrivals at Mildenhall, not a complete log for each day.

Saturday 22/05/1982
Mildenhall
80034...............KC-135A............68 BW
(64-)14845.........RC-135V............55 SRW
41666...............C-130H..............463 TAW
42067...............C-130H..............463 TAW
70011...............C-141B..............437 MAW
40639...............C-141B..............438 MAW
50224...............C-141B..............438 MAW
50232...............C-141B..............62 MAW
38080...............C-141B..............438 MAW
80221...............C-5A.................60 MAW
68307...............C-5A.................436 MAW
90023...............C-5A.................60 MAW
And these two put in an appearance
17974...............SR-71A...............9 SRW
(68-)10337.........U-2R..................9 SRW

Sunday 23/05/1982
Mildenhall
42062...............C-130H..............463 TAW
40649...............C-141B..............437 MAW
50218...............C-141B..............437 MAW
70013...............C-141B..............438 MAW
40615...............C-141B..............437 MAW

Cambridge
956..................C-130H..............335 Skv/RNorAF...............in UN Markings

Wyton
053..................Mystere 20ECM.....335 Skv/RNorAF..........I didn't need it (cleared them two years earlier), but my pal did

Luton and Heathrow had nothing to offer, but....

Northolt
59+17...............Do28..................MFG-5/WG Navy

And so home to Reading after some 2400 miles and £95 worth of petrol.......and back up again the next weekend for the Air Fete.

Thank you to all those who have followed this saga. I hope that you have found it interesting - we certainly did at the time!!!

[Topspotter75]

Well done Bob really enjoyed reading these, great stuff. cheers

[Ian in Leeds]

Ditto on the Well done Bob - fantastic logs and wish I could do that many miles on £95 now.

Thanks again

IAN

[Mike]

Great logs Bob, I've really enjoyed reading them.

[rh226]

Thanks guys - glad the old days are still of interest.

[Punkrunner62]

rh226,this brings back so many memories of me and my mates trips from Aberdeen down to East Anglia and all points in between and beyond.Will maybe post some logs from our trips in the future as they appear to be of interest to a lot of people.Our local trips were to Lossiemouth,Leuchars and Kinloss,with occasional trips to Edinburgh,Glasgow,Prestwick and Maccrihanish.
Cheers from Aberdeen.

[teeonefixer]

I'm shattered reading this - couldn't do it now !
Great effort Bob
Oh happy days........

[Dave1316]

I read your diary of events with great interest. It's amazing what's no longer with us now (aircraft and bases). And as for the petrol price to distance travelled (?), those, indeed were the days!

Really enjoyed your posts.

Would you do it again?

All the best

Dave

[rh226]

Dave,

Glad you enjoyed it. It was a superb opportunity and I think you will agree that we made the most of it. As you say, It's amazing as to what (and where) is no longer with us - which is why I thought I would share it with all. If nothing else, it might bring back memories to us "silver spotters". Also, it is remotely possible that it might help to fill in the odd gap for somebody.

I'd love to do it again - but there is no way I would sleep in a car any more, and the wife certainly wouldn't. Also, I don't think towing a caravan would be exactly easy remembering some of the lanes we went down then. Give me a Tardis!!!

I think that, in current times, I would chop Scotland altogether - it's just too far for the sake of Lossiemouth. I would, however, do some of the bases that I never got to - Valley and Shawbury, for example. Those were two of just ten "bases" that I never got to back then. The others were Culdrose, Predannack, St. Mawgan, Plymouth (RN Chipmunks) , Exeter (4AEF Chipmunks), Manston (1 AEF Chipmunks and Fire School) , Woodvale (10AEF Chipmunks and UAS Bulldogs) and Ternhill (2FTS Whirlwinds/Wessex and the CFS(H)) - of which only Culdrose and Predannack are current plus Woodvale (not that I am interested in civvy Grobs). Technically, I never got to Llanbedr, but I saw all the based stuff in my travels anyway.

All the best,

Bob