INFO: Spadeadam stored aircraft

[dannyboyo20]

Hi all,after a lot of searching and 'google mapping', i have finally pinned down the locatiion of the stored aircraft on Spadeadam Range. It looks like they are on the old airfield, although i'm not yet sure exactly if you can view them from anywhere. here is a screenshot from google earth of the location, with lattitude and longitude at the bottom if you would like to have a look. the single t-33 can also be seen just to the left of the road leading to Wiley Sike.
Hope this is of some use! any futher info i will post, we are also hoping to pop up sometime soon, so any info from that i will pass on also, Rgds, Dan B.

[POL]

Simple answer is no, you can't see the aircraft from any public area (Many people have tried!)

[PeteHemsley]

Simple answer is no, you can't see the aircraft from any public area (Many people have tried!)

.....and have been arrested on site

the whole range is marshland so if theres no roads theres no access.

[dannyboyo20]

Hi guys, cheers for the replies! May well save us a wasted trip! I was lucky enough to be able to fly over Spade a couple of years ago on a flight from Newcastle to Carlisle, being a Sunday the range was shut so we could fly down and have a look.


Thankyou again for your replies guys, always much appreciated!


Rgds, Dan

[johnhowe]

Some interesting facts about Spadeadam http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/s/s ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; click on Thor.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/gall ... fm?start=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/gall ... ayboys.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/gall ... ipment.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/gall ... ctures.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PeteHemsley]

Steve, you'll find that 2 mig23s did show up. One is on the range and the other went to the test site on the range and was destroyed during explosive testing. I will get some shots on thursday coming to update records.

[POL]

Would apprecaite photos of everything that's there if you can Pete?

[michael1970]

Well hopefully they will allow us to snap all the airframes, just hope the visit gets us to the mock airfield

[catkins]

Well hopefully they will allow us to snap all the airframes, just hope the visit gets us to the mock airfield

And let's hope that the weather improves for you too - full weatherproofing and someone to hold the umbrella might be useful!

[michael1970]

Ha no need we managed to dodge the showers getting dropped off at certain points. Sadly never got to the mock airfield but did snap and had a look in the hind

[Arthur Tee]

All,

I've just located some photos and notes that I took in 2004.
Hope to post them on here sometime tomorrow (not going to interrupt Worlds Most Dangerous Airports AND Ice Pilots) just for you lot!


Arthur

[catkins]

Ha no need we managed to dodge the showers getting dropped off at certain points. Sadly never got to the mock airfield but did snap and had a look in the hind

What, you mean Spade's own weather system did good for you? Hope you had fun on your recce about the various sites, and looking forward to hopefully seeing some of the resulting photos.

[Arthur Tee]

Dan (and ALL),

As promised here are some pictures from Spadeadam - taken in May 2004.
These images were scanned from prints.
This was an organised visit which started at about 1830hrs after the range had closed.

You refer to 'the old airfield' - there is (and was) no airfield at Spadeadam! The 'runways' you see on Google Earth are where bulldozers have simply cleared a path through a huge area of tree stumps - to represent the ficticious airfield of Collinski (named after a former Station Commander).

Anyway on with the pics...

Firstly the two T-33's at Wiley Sike

Apparently these are the only aircraft that can be viewed from public areas outside of the station - but you have to know where to look! They are also some distance from the nearest tarmac road on the station. A round trip to see the aircraft was effectively a 50 minute speed march over some very rough terrain and even included fording a small river!

FT-29 T-33A


FT-01


The following were shot on Collinski...




Mystere IV 207 - illustrating the immaculate runway surface!






This shot of Mystere's 64 and 61 is a favourite of mine - and was published on the rear cover of Wrecks & Relics 20th Edition


T-33's FT-10 and FT-11
Although only yards from a vehicle track - it took a good ten minutes (or more) to reach this pair of aircraft due to the terrain. What looks like rough grass is actually bog and the rotting remains of tree stumps and roots - it's absolutely shattering to cover any distance!




This T-33A is FT-02 and was noted at Prior Lancey
(

I am sceptical of the reports of MiG-23's. Most civilians that have seen a Russian fighter claim that it is a MiG!
But I'd be more than happy to be proved wrong on this one!

And here's Su-22M 98+10 to finish off!


Arthur