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By: - 2nd May 2012 at 11:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Spadeadam Decoys
You presumably mean THIS
and
Main problem - the pictures are dated 20 July 1989: I suspect that you are looking for pictures that are more recent. To the best of my (limited) knowledge at least two of the Belgian T-33s were scrapped in the late 1990s/early 2000s (certainly before 2005). Problem is, the markings/serials have become either faded/weathered over the years or deliberately obscured, or the aircraft photographed at an angle where the serials are not visible. So, it is hard to tell what is still there and what has gone or been scrapped.
Have you had a look at http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=spadeadam&f=hp which turns up 1,555 results. Main problem is that most of the pictures are of the now derelict Blue Streak rocket launcher facilities, and not of aircraft
However, the official picture gallery at http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/gallery/targetsanddecoys.cfm may be worth a look
Going a little deeper, this link http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/gallery/targetsanddecoys.cfm?start=1&viewmedia=12#pageContent confirms that at least two ex-Belgian T-33s were parked out on the ranges on 26 January 2007
Plus http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/gallery/targetsanddecoys.cfm?start=13&viewmedia=21#pageContent shows one Belgian T-33 on 30 October 2007 looking "the worse for wear" after some near misses/being shot up/standing out in the Cumbrian countryside for 20 years...
More pictures to look at can be found here: http://www.visitcumbria.com/car/gilsland-spadeadam.htm which is part of the Cumbria Tourists Board site(!).
An earlier (2010) thread discussing Spadeadam can be found here http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=102227 and to qoute from that: "There's the ex-Luftwaffe Su-22M4 98+10 at Prior Lancy (where the engine test area is) and a few T-33As and Mysteres at 'Collinski', Wiley Sike and the mock runway.
And of course the Mil Mi-24. They've painted over the original colourscheme and markings - better not to ask what markings it wore originally...but if you do ask and they do tell you, I'd be interested in knowing!!
And the various AFV and SAM vehicles and vehicle mock-ups"
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 11:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Also did a Mil-24 hind turn up ??Thankyou if anyone can help
Image of the Hind at following link.
http://fightercontrol.forumotion.co.uk/t12967p15-hind-at-spadeadam
Discussion at following thread.
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 12:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Many moons ago when i was a younger lad in this mans Airfarce and I was stationed at RAF Bruggen on a couple of Jaguar Squadrons, I was visiting my old Mum who lives on the outskirts of Carlisle and there is an old army camp close to the village that has long since seen all the buildings go, but being overgrown it is a pleasant place to walk, nice and peaceful..... then out of the blue Ssssssssssssssss whhhhoooooshhh rooooooooaaaaaaarrrrr a pair of Jags from 54 sqn roared over my head at low level banking to miss the village on their run in towards Spadeadam, feck me they were low, and feck me they were disturbing my holiday, so on the blower i went... Hello Mr TonyT here, your damn jets are low flying over our village...... ohh sorry sir, do you by chance know what they looked like, yes i replies, they were 54 Sqn Jags, one T bird and one GR1..... ohh he replies, you know your jets, yes I replies :o well we will see what we can do came the response :p
Incidentally as a wee TonyT of about 6 years old in height and age, we used to see, hear and feel through the ground the running of the blue streak rocket motors up on the fells at Spadadam and watch the smoke cloud rising, when in the playground of my infants school.
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 13:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Tony as someone who lives on one of the approaches to Spadeadam - they still are flying low.
Tornadoes last Friday at ca. 100 m above the house.
A400M, Chinooks, Hawks, etc. etc. all common species.
Often look down on Chinooks sneaking up the nearby valley.
As we are having our roof retiled at the moment - we have had to warn the roofers to hang on - especially as they usually come in pairs.
On the Spadeadam T33's there was the thread on the two that were scrapped at Longtown. some mangled bits there have had a happy life being re-used as film extras - a Robson film on Tyneside a couple of years ago - and shortly will be seen again pretending to be a Spitfire crash..
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 14:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Many moons ago when i was a younger lad in this mans Airfarce and I was stationed at RAF Bruggen on a couple of Jaguar Squadrons, I was visiting my old Mum who lives on the outskirts of Carlisle and there is an old army camp close to the village that has long since seen all the buildings go, but being overgrown it is a pleasant place to walk, nice and peaceful..... then out of the blue Ssssssssssssssss whhhhoooooshhh rooooooooaaaaaaarrrrr a pair of Jags from 54 sqn roared over my head at low level banking to miss the village on their run in towards Spadeadam, feck me they were low, and feck me they were disturbing my holiday, so on the blower i went... Hello Mr TonyT here, your damn jets are low flying over our village...... ohh sorry sir, do you by chance know what they looked like, yes i replies, they were 54 Sqn Jags, one T bird and one GR1..... ohh he replies, you know your jets, yes I replies :o well we will see what we can do came the response :pIncidentally as a wee TonyT of about 6 years old in height and age, we used to see, hear and feel through the ground the running of the blue streak rocket motors up on the fells at Spadadam and watch the smoke cloud rising, when in the playground of my infants school.
Please forgive me if I have missed the point here, but really, what hope is there when members of our own armed forces are complaining about low flying aircraft. Is it not an essential skill of the Royal Air Force?
If I've missed the point of your post then let me know and I will gladly delete it but really....
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 15:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I know the feeling. There i am, sat at my desk catching up on my favourite historic aviation forum, and then this bl@@dy noisy historic warbird comes low over my house turning finals to land and forces me to get up and look out of the window. I mean... come on..... who needs it ? :p:D
Sorry back on thread.
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 16:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Spadeadam Decoys
Getting back on topic, THIS website may be of help re the Belgian T-33s, http://belmilac.wetpaint.com/page/Part+1%3A+FT01+-+FT20
FT-01 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce - to Prestwick 05/11/79 to Spadeadam 13/03/80 last noted 06/2002
FT-02 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce - to Prestwick 05/11/79 to Spadeadam 10/03/80 last noted 06/2002
FT-06 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce - to Prestwick 05/11/79 to Spadeadam 19/03/80 last noted 06/2002 RAF Spadeadam , Electronic Warfare Tactics Range, Spadeadam Forest as '70' (inventory number SPA117-4)
FT-07 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce - to Prestwick 12/11/79 to Spadeadam 28/02/80 last noted 06/2002
FT-10 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce - to Prestwick 12/11/79 to Spadeadam 07/03/80 last noted 06/2002 RAF Spadeadam , Electronic Warfare Tactics Range, Spadeadam Forest (inventory number SPA117-4)
FT-11 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce - to Prestwick 05/11/79 to Spadeadam 14/03/80 last noted 06/2002 RAF Spadeadam , Electronic Warfare Tactics Range, Spadeadam Forest (inventory number SPA117-8)
FT-29 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce - to Prestwick 12/11/79 to Spadeadam 18/03/80: in 04/2010 reported scrapped at Spadeadam, parts with 'FT-29' still visible were discovered in a waste skip
Note that the above "last noted dates" of June 2002 do not mean that the aircraft are no longer at Spadeadam. The ranges are vast, and it is easy to hide aircraft in them or move them around from range to range. However, the remoteness of the ranges, plus the fact that they don't exactly encourage casual visitors, mean the updated reports are scarce...
As stated earlier, two have definitely been scrapped, but only one (FT-29) has been definitely identified. Circumstantial evidence points to one or more of the following: FT-01, FT-02 and FT-07 as having been scrapped since mid-2002. This ties in with the pics on the official website, which must be of the others (FT-06, FT-10 and FT-11)
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 16:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Would Wrecks and Relics have an entry covering the range? I'm afraid my copy won't be much help as it is 25 years old but maybe another forum member has an up to date copy.
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 16:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The 22nd edition had a list and the new one should be out very soon - no doubt you'll be able to get copies from here! ;)
The Mil was first noted in July 2009.
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 17:45 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Please forgive me if I have missed the point here, but really, what hope is there when members of our own armed forces are complaining about low flying aircraft. Is it not an essential skill of the Royal Air Force?If I've missed the point of your post then let me know and I will gladly delete it but really....
Of course one complained, it was 56 Sqn after all, good God, they weren't even a proper Jag Sqn :p It was fair game to get one up on other Squadrons, we would tend to come out on top on TACEVALs because one would stuff up the other squadrons efforts, who incidentally weRe trying to do the same :p
Oddly enough, about 4 years earlier I bummed a lift home in a Puma and was dropped off at 14 MU, on Monday I was picked up and as we departed I pointed out some buildings on the side of the said camp where my old Mum worked, we did a low level pass over the same camp :p upon being asked by the Captain what was that place, I let him know it was the local Police HQ. :p
But Of course that was totally different... :rolleyes:
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 17:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Then I still apologise!!!! Sounds like its perfectly fair game to me! Sorry!
I do tend to get on my high horse when I hear about people who complain about low flying aircraft... Like those who buy a house next to RAF Scampton and then complain about the Red's.
But if you're after getting one up on another squadron... Well, thats another issue!
Sorry!
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 18:04 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Nowt to apologise for,
Just the things you did, worked hard and played hard. :D
I remember one new lad on the Sqn, a flem, having been trained up and going out to finally do his first Jag see off etc, 1 hour 15 later he was out there to see his jet back in.... Ring ring..... Hello is that XYZ?..... speaking.... Ahh come back up the soft your jet has gone in..... Click.. Nothing he had done, but at the time he didn't know, simply the thing had hit the ground over what he believed were full size trees but were saplings, ejected on the bounce biting the end of his tongue off..... That sort if thing used to happen. I think we lost 3 in the time I was there.
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 20:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
T-33's
Anyway, notwithstanding the nostalgia attached to all this lot - back to the thread:D
When I was at Millom Museum a few years back, Merlin Pete asked "do you want a T-33 ejection seat?". We said Yes, but he had explained it was only remains.
It had come from one of the ex-Spadeadam jets that were scrapped, though I don't know which one.
The parts ended up with a collector somewhere though I would think he was scratching his head wondering what he had bought as it had been well and truly blasted to bits and was also very rusty!
Probably doesn't explain anything but it's my two penn'orth anyhow:)
Anon
By: - 2nd May 2012 at 22:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Anon on the zombie thread on two T33's in the scrapyard - I think we concluded which two were scrapped.
Proof was data plate and what was painted on the nose of one of them.
Sorry got to go out for dinner now - so can't search to find the thread.
Burp - back from dinner.
Thread was
By: - 3rd May 2012 at 22:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
ahh the hind that wasnt there when i was at spadey last year, which i didnt sit in ;) not a lovely bird :D
hopefully going back there in august too
Posts: 17
By: ClassicMan - 2nd May 2012 at 10:59
My list of decoys at RAF Spadeadam has long gone in the tooth can anyone update and maybe photo's
FT-01 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce
FT-02 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce
FT-06 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce
FT-07 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce
FT-10 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce
FT-11 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce
FT-29 T-33A ex Belgium Airforce
61 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
64 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
81 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
139 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
180 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
184 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
207 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
282 Mystere IVA ex French Airforce
98+10 Sukkoi SU-22M-4 ex German Airforce
Also did a Mil-24 hind turn up ??
Thankyou if anyone can help