79th leave UH

[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.

[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.

[Vulcanone]

Nice shots Kev,

spent a couple of hours lingering at a different fence today, watching another soon to be retired type....

:-(

[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.

[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

[derek hopkins]

Great Shots,memories flooding back.

[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

[Blackcat1]

Those were the days! That awesome Swinger is much missed from low level in the South Wales valleys too!!

Great set

[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

[MR TERRY GREEN]

Great record of a great plane.

[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!

[quid21]

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.

[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

[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.

[Sparky 119]

Good memories Kev and as Stewart has said some of us originals live on.

Cheers
Steve B

[StandardTom]

Lovely shots Kev, despite the weather.

[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

[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?

[Knife 04]

Herbert - think 55th were last to go - happy to be corrected though

Darren

[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.