Locking Airfield

green satin · Locking Airfield

First of all , Tony , you have done a marvellous job with the maps ! I think they are stunning , and bring the memories flooding back !

Down on the Airfield , where you have got the "Blob" marking Weston Airport , is actually where Westland Helicopters were . It was an experimental "secret" site , and we had no access to it . We used the hanger and workshops up at the top near the Locking Road , and some aircraft that we worked on were in this hanger , and others were in the hanger on the opposite side of Runway 07/25 . The buildings on the South side of 25 which we used , look as if it is now a container depot today from the Google images .

One day , in this hanger on the South side , whilst out the back when having our NAAFI break , looking towards the Westland Works , we were watching a wierd "propeller" with jet pods attached to the ends , rotating at an incredible speed , and this was mounted on top of a cone shaped building . Suddenly , there was a big "bang!" , and then silence , and this "propeller" with jet pods on the end had dissappeared ! We could then see loads of little dark figures in the distance walking around looking for the remains !

Can anyone remember this incident ?

Cheers ,

MONTY.

PS. Does anyone know what happened to all the aircraft we worked on down at the airfield ?

admin

Although I set up the maps, Chuck and one or two others had a lot to do with identifying the content (I don't even remember most of the places).

Your 'incident' sounds like testing the flying bedstead or some other vertical lift-off experiment. If I ever find the missing parts of my brain, I may be able to contribute to all these feats of memory that the rest of you seem to possess.

There are a couple of pics of the airfield aircraft on either the 99th or 98th web site. I'll have a look later.

green satin

I did find out a while ago off the internet , of where the Weston Airport "blob" dart is , that this was actually the site for the testing grounds for Westland Helicopters' Rotor Blades . They must have been testing rotor blades fitted with rocket pods on the ends , when it all went "Bang!" I have come across pictures of rocket pods fitted to Helicopter Rotor blades , but maybe Chuck can enlighten us on this ?

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

I expect there will be some mention in the Helicopter Museum but they don't give anything away for free on their web site http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/

Airfield aircraft here http://www.98thlocking.co.uk/modu...&file=thumbnails&album=17

green satin

Tony , I tried and ended up joining the 98th Entry Site , as there are some good photo's there of the airfield . Problem is , when you click on the photo's for enlargement , you get "Selected Photo/Album does not exist !"

Doug Fenwick (98th.) used to be with me at RAF Coningsby .

It looks as if their site has not been active for quite some time unfortunately .

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Just checked again. The site is active, but they've made the photo gallery password protected.

green satin · Aircraft in the Hangars at Locking

Is it possible , Tony , to see on those photo's of the aircraft in the hangars there at Locking , to zoom in and see the registration numbers on them ?

Then it would be fairly easy to trace their whereabouts today .

I don't remember a DH Venom there , which is in the 99th/98th pages . There was a Victor , a Javelin , a Hunter and a Shackleton as far as I can remember . Possibly a Canberra too , but I would not be certain about that .

In the hangers on the other side of the airfield (South side) , the Varsity and Avro Anson were kept .

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Those pics are very grainy. The Javelin looks something like XA 684. The Shack is MC or MO something. Nothing on the Hunter, Victor or Venom.

chuck shenton · Weston Airport Hangers and Aircraft

Hi Monty.

The 'north' hanger is at grid reference 51.341122,-2.943027. The aircraft it housed, as I recollect, are listed in the 100th site 'Glossary' at http://100th-entry-locking.org.uk/100_glossary.html under 'Weston Hanger'. Just can't remember much about the aircraft in the 'south hanger'. But I can remember watching Westland Helicopters doing rotor tests during tea breaks when we were being instructed in the 'south hanger'.

green satin

I think in the South side hangar , was the work benches where we had to repair faults on various equipments that were fitted to the aircraft in the North hanger , as well as learn all the stores paperwork procedures . In the North Hanger was the aircraft we worked on (played hangar pilots with !) , and we had to learn how to diagnose faults that the instructors put on , replace the equipment , calibrate the new equipment and do functionals and then complete all the paperwork which was most laborious !

It was in the South Hangar , outside at the back , looking West , that I observed Westlands trying out a large helicopter rotary wing which had rocket pods or jet engines fitted in the rotor tips . These were mounted on top of a Pyramid shaped concrete building . They had often done very noisy "runs" on this , but during our NAAFI break , we witnessed this "contraption" accelerating to a colossal speed , and then there was a huge explosion , and when the smoke cleared , everything had disappeared , apart from a few tiny figures darting around looking for any pieces left of the device ! Quite funny we all thought at the time !

Inside the hangar on the South side , I THINK only our Varsity and Avro Anson were kept there , along with a few gliders and the famous finger eating winch ! I was there gliding , when Chris Waller lost a finger in the winch ! After that , it was decided that no Apprentices would be allowed to operate the winch any more , and suddenly huge metal guards were all welded in place around the drum ! There was a lot of shit to play about the incident I remember !

Cheers,

MONTY.

PS. An interesting piece of useless information here , the Officer i/c Gliding was named F/Off Williamson , whose father wrote Tartar the Otter and other animal stories . The younger Williamson came to South Africa , long before I did , and started off a highly lucrative Radio /Hi-Fi/TV Electronics company . I've never met him since unfortunately !

green satin

A strange thought has just occurred to me ! I wonder if the Hunter , Javelin , Victor and the old Mk1 Shack are still there in the hangar ???

Tony , I seem to have lost the web site for looking up RAF Aircraft registrations . It was a wonderful site , and you only had to put in the registration of the aircraft , press "search" , and Bingo! , there it gave its entire history and how it was disposed of etc . It worked for every single aircraft that was on the RAF's charge , right back to WW1 ! Can't find the bloody site again now !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Haven't heard of that site Monty. The Yanks have something here http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/ and here http://www.qrz.com/air.html , but nothing for RAF. Possibly something here http://www.aviation-links.co.uk/ .

green satin

I lost the original url and links when fixing my Google Earth problem . But it was a site similar to that American FAA one . The "Aviation-links.co.uk" won't open ! Says I don't have "permission" !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

It opens OK for me. Try this 'old' page http://www.aviation-links.co.uk/oldindex.html

green satin

Got in OK now . I had something turned "off" , about "Internet Content" in the Internet Properties ! I will have a read through this afternoon .

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

It seems there was a "UK Military Aircraft Serials Resource Centre" at http://www.serials.uk.com/ which did what you want, but it doesn't exist any more.

chuck shenton · north and south hangers

Hi Monty,

No, the aircraft have long gone from the north hanger; I have been there a few times since 1964. Not certain when they were removed but possibly when air trade training transferred to Cosford (some of the aircraft may have gone there). You know, I just can't remember a Shack being in the north hanger.

In our day, a wall divided one of the hangers and I'm fairly sure it was the north one. The west part of the divided hanger was used by EMI/Racal/Thales for research. Around 2002 Thales bought the north hanger outright from one of the government research establishments.

Your description of the south hanger now matches my vague memory of it. Could you post the exact grid ref for the south hanger?

green satin

Hi! Chuck ,

I e-mailed Tony the grid ref numbers to stick pins in on the Google earth map , for the North Hanger where the Hunter , Javelin , Shack and Victor were , but I thought the hanger doors faced Northwards , but there appears to be some old buildings directly to the north . Maybe the hangar doors faced East . The Grid Ref is : 51.341202,-2.942694

When it comes to the South Hangar , there appears to be two possibilities . The hangar had a small concrete dispersal in front I remember . Photo's show this of guys boarding the Varsity . But the Hangar I have pin pointed is right on the grass verge , and the Google shot looks as if that Hangar is pretty new to me . The Grid Ref for this hangar is : 51.339265,-2.931054

BUT , if you look further South , across from what is obviously now a container depot , there is a much older Hangar building , and I think this might be the actual one we worked in , and could observe out the back , Westlands in the far distance to the West . This Grid Ref is : 51.338434,-2.930517

I see on Sky News just now , that there is a huge Court Case going on in London with our RAF Veterans Association and the MOD about receiving Nuclear radiation doses during the 1950's and '60's . I wonder if I can put a claim in , as many a time on QRA at RAF Cottesmore , I had to slide on my belly over the full length of the 22,000 pounder nuclear weapon , to pressurise the STR18B HF Radio Aerial Tuning Unit in the fuselage roof at the far end of the bomb bay on our Vulcan B2's ?

Cheers ,

MONTY.

green satin · Aircraft hangar at Locking

Click to see full size image

I think where I have put the pin , Ref : 51.341554,-2.942697 , is the part of the original hangar our aircraft were in . I know it was a hell of a tight squeeze fit for the aircraft in there , and going by the scale of nearby vehicles , this could be the spot . The main hangar looks a bit too new to me !

There is a building to the right attached to the main hangar , with two smoke stacks sticking out . Was this the building that housed a massive LISTER Diesel Generator set ? I remember being instructed in how to start the damn thing , all by hand , and this precious knowledge certainly came in handy 25 YEARS later , when I managed to start a huge Rolls Royce Diesel Generator at Jwaneng Diamond Mine in Botswana during a power outage !

There seems to be something amiss with the map when selecting a "GO _ TO" Grid Ref , as for Chuck's ref for the above hangar , although the ref was correct in the window , it took me to a field half a mile away ! .....and YES , I have done a F5 Re-fresh !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Looks like something has gone wrong with the 'Tools' map. If I put the lat/long into the actual 'Locking' map code, it shows up in the right place but on the 'Tools' map it is way out (the lat/long in the marker 'bubble' is different to the one you put in the input box!!!). I haven't touched anything so maybe Google have been messing with the commands. I'll look into it some time.

admin

Right, I've found the reason on a Google Maps forum but so far not the CURE! The following is not compulsory reading...
"On 10 Nov 2008, there was a significant change to the geocoder and
reverse geocoder. Before that, if you entered a string containing
lat/lng coordinates it went through the geocoder. To use the reverse
geocoder you had to pass a GLatLng().

Since then, passing such a string calls the reverse geocoder.

The reverse geocoder returns details of a nearby point which has an
address. If the point is close to a street address, then that nearby
point could be quite close. If the point is over a certain distance from
a known street, then the centre of the nearest town is returned".

green satin

green satin

admin

I thought that would grab your interest Monty.

admin

Try the 'Tools' map now. I have re-written the code for the "Go to Lat Long" button. It SHOULD work accurately, but let me know if you have any problems.

chuck shenton

Tony you are a star- don't know how you do all this tech stuff.

chuck shenton

Monty- mention of Westland rotor-tip mounted jet engines here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westland_Westminster#cite_note-WA1915-0

green satin

Nah! It still wanting to stick pins in the middle of fields when you put a "Go - To" address in the window !

TRY ..... TRY ...... TRY AGAIN !

"BARMAN ! Just pass the bluuddy bottle this time !!!"

admin

Try putting some water in it Monty, or refresh the Maps page a couple of times. The markers are spot on now. These are the 4 refs from your earlier posts - are they right or wrong??...

Chuck, I would like to think that my training at Locking is paying off at last but, as I don't remember ever being there, I have to assume that I was just born a genius.

green satin

They appear to be in the right places on your picture Tony , but nothing new at this end on Maps . F5'd God knows how many times , still the same !

Some tin is broken ! Pleeze fix Mista Geenie !

admin

What needs fixing, Monty, is your browser. It appears to be using old pages stored in cache and is refusing to check for newer versions. Clean it out, update to IE7 or get Firefox.

Maybe somebody else can confirm that the 'Tools' map functions are working OK now. Chuck?

green satin

I've got IE7 Tony ! Including all the updates etc . Firefox is not very popular out here , I don't know why ! I'll do a clean out again of the browser later this evening and let you know what happens . Last time I did it , I even lost all my on line banking , mind you , there's not exactly much in there anyway ! Loosing all the urls I use is a pain though !

Cheers,

MONTY.

chuck shenton · Firefox

Monty, I was reluctant to change over to Firefox but on Tony's advice finally did it about a year ago. Don't know why I didn't do it before: Firefox is much faster and has far fewer problems. Its a breeze to copy over all your favourites (bookmarks in Firefox). You can still keep Internet Explorer too. In fact, you need to keep it installed on your PC because certain functions, like Microsoft update, insist on using it.

admin

Monty, you don't have to lose URLs, cookies, history, passwords, etc. Just go to TOOLS > INTERNET OPTIONS > BROWSING HISTORY > DELETE > TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES (click on DELETE FILES). Do NOT select any of the other options (cookies, history, form data, passwords; and definately NOT "Delete All"!!!!!).

This action will only clear out web pages that are stored on your computer, allowing later versions to be downloaded. It should not in any way affect on-line banking, log-ins, or anything else. You don't have to do it at all because the pages will update eventually anyway. Just wait first and see if anyone else confirms if the new map page is OK or not. Incidentally, it's a good idea to flush your temporary files out regularly because this is where most "nasty" files park themselves.

The other thing you could do is go to TOOLS > INTERNET OPTIONS > BROWSING HISTORY > SETTINGS and, under "Check for newer versions of stored pages", select "EVERY TIME I VISIT THE WEB PAGE". If you have a large hard disk, increase the cache size in the box below that section.

Good luck, Tony

admin

Try this experiment.

This is the original Tools map which definately puts markers in the wrong place....
http://100th-entry-locking.org.uk/GoogleMapToolsORIG.html

...and this is the modified version on the web site now, which seems to work for me...
http://100th-entry-locking.org.uk/GoogleMapTools.html

Using 51.341554,-2.942697
in the original map the marker ends up in a field

but in the new map it ends up where it should on a hangar in Weston airfield

Please give me any examples of refs that don't work for you, so that I can investigate further.

chuck shenton · Map ok

Hi Tony

Map 'tools' function now working ok this end in Firefox, even when accessed from 100th site home page (General> Maps> Tools). Just tested North Hangar area, built up areas, open areas, sea, and rivers. All worked fine. Also now tested ok in IE7 (version 7.0.5730.11), but map scrolling much slower.

green satin

With the first url , everything still wants to point to the middle of the field again .

With your second url Tony , if I put in the co-ordinates for the different pin points (3) that I gave you for the hangars , the pin points show up correctly in the original co-ordinates that I gave .

I haven't as yet done a complete clean out of the browser . What I actually loose when doing this , is the drop down Google History of sites visited on the net . The "Favourites" list still seems to stay intact .

Cheers ,

MONTY.

(Sorry for the delay , just been watching our South African victory over the Aussies with the ODI Cricket in Sydney !)

admin

Thanks Chuck.

Monty, that test proves that the new page is not being picked up by your browser within the 100th web site Maps page, although it may do now that you have accessed the new page directly (and therefore put it in your cache). I have Googlebar Lite and there is an option under the Search History tab to select "Ask before clearing search history".

GeoffW

Hi Tony, just trying Firefox, and I love it....however I can't login to this site on FF, I'm using IE7 to write this. Any ideas????

admin

Not sure what you mean by not being able to log on Geoff. If you are expecting to see your log on details displayed automatically in Firefox, this won't happen until you type them in manually the first time. Once you have done that, a cookie will be placed in your temp files and you should be able to log on as before. You can also import all your cookies, bookmarks/favourites etc from Internet Explorer (it won't affect you using IE as well). Although you can import/export all your settings between Firefox and IE, they operate independently and use seperate cache folders. I run FF and IE at the same time and can be logged in to the forum on one browser but not in the other so that I can use admin privaleges but also view the forum as if I was not logged in.

Not sure if that is clear or answers your question, but let me know and I will try and re-phrase it.

green satin

BARMAN ! This friggin' bottle's empty again !

I have carried out your explicit instructions most meticulously , to find now that if I insert an address into the box on the maps page , it goes directly to it !

DON'T JUMP FOR JOY JUST YET ! .................................

HOLD IT ! .... HOLD IT ! .............. as Cpl. Melville would say !

Now I find that the darts that indicated our Pub in Congresbury and my old flat in Bristol , have gone AWOL !

To top it all , I've had the sneezes and a runny nose all day today , in the middle of SUMMER ! The temperature dropped very suddenly last night , but I took no notice , and carried on parading around the house in jock strap and gaiters ! (Not a pretty sight) . Next time this happens , maybe I should increase my apparel by wearing a bow-tie !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Flippin heck Monty, are you sure there isn't a family of gremlins in the house with you? I've checked the Bristol map in IE7 and Firefox3; both your flat and the PofW pub are still there. This is the problem you had a few days ago which seemed to have been resolved. Whatever you did last time, do it again.

green satin

I can't remember that far back ! But 1962/64 is like only yesterday !

admin

This is the Bristol map viewed directly http://100th-entry-locking.org.uk/GoogleMapBristol.html can you see the pub and your flat?

green satin

I have not touched ANYTHING !

I DON'T BELIEVE IT ! ..... to quote Victor Meldrew !

I now see my old flat and the P of W pub , but no new pins for the airfield hangars , or have these not been added yet ?

..... I think I'll dress up for supper tonight , and wear a bow-tie to keep the chilly air out ! The temperature outside has suddenly dropped again from 35 degrees C to 22 degrees C again ! Trouble is , is to pick one to match the jock strap and gaiters ! ...... Oh ! You say that's not my jock strap !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

green satin

Re the above Bristol Map .

NO ! Well , not until I do a "Control R" reset , now all is OK !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Hangars not added yet, I'm waiting for final agreement on location and description.

Don't wear a green bow-tie, it might clash with the gremlins.

GeoffW

GeoffW

Bl***y cookies Rolling Eyes

admin

Geoff, are cookies enabled in Firefox (Tools > Options >Cookies)? Try using 'Log in' at the top of the forum page. If that doesn't work, import your IE settings & cookies (File > Import).

GeoffW

Sorted now thanks to Tony and Chuck---

chuck shenton

Geoff, don't forget to get your 'I'm cooking with Firefox' badge, Firefox underpants, and Firefox train spotter's book- they are all free. Cool

green satin

chuck shenton

Haven't had a willie warmer for years now Monty.

green satin

We only have the Firefox Willie Cooler (Tropical Version) out here . It incorporates a small electric fan mounted on top .

chuck shenton

So it's true what they say- sounds an awful lot bigger than the UK version.

green satin

Everything South of the Equator is always a "little bigger" in most aspects .

Must be something to do with the weather , or Global Warming !

admin

I have added the hangars to the Locking map. TEST version here http://100th-entry-locking.org.uk/GoogleMapLocking.html
Weston Airport, Hangar North 51.341202,-2.942694
Weston Airport, Hangar South (1st stab) 51.339265,-2.931054
Weston Airport, Hangar South (2nd stab) 51.338434,-2.930517

The locations can be accessed from the bottom of the left menu panel. Comments please, plus suggestions for descriptions. I will then update the main Locking map page.

Monty, the hockey pitches are on there as well.

Now that all seems to be sorted with Firefox, a genuine 'goody' is FEBE (Firefox Environment Backup Extension) which backs up all your Firefox settings, including extensions, bookmarks, preferences, cookies, user names & passwords, browse history, permissions, etc. You can schedule automatic backups, or just backup what and when you want. All your Firefox settings can be completely restored if it goes tits up. I use V 6.0.3 with automatic daily backups. Get it here https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2109 (if you don't like it, it's easy to disable or uninstall).

chuck shenton · Hanger N & S

Hi Tony

Hangar North grid ref spot on. Original wording for 'Hangar' is probably about right for the time being- but of course it can be revised as necessary.
By the way, I'm fairly sure the hangar doors faced NE and that the additional building in the middle was added later and is a civvy guard room.
Not sure of the smaller south building function or if it was there in our time.

Im just not clear about the exact location of the South Hangar, but do agree with Monty's later description of what we did there. Maybe there are some pics of the area as it was. There is certainly one of Westland's rotor test facility in a library book but am having a problem finding the book.

(Hanger spelling corrected Monty- never could spell)

green satin

Tony ,

I think the NORTH Hangar should be : 51.341554,-2.942697 .

Where the blob is at present , the roof looks too new to me ! AND , it was a very SMALL half of the hangar we were in with the aircraft all very tightly packed in . If you take into consideration the scale of parked cars nearby , I think I might be right . Also I am positive the hangar doors faced North too .

Persevering somehow with this bout of "Summer Flu" ! Still sneezing , runny nose , and coughing my lungs up with every cigarette ! Yuk ! Everybody tells me to have a "Hot Toddy" or three , but unfortunately I no longer drink alcohol !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

OK, I've moved the North Hangar marker to 51.341554,-2.942697.

Keep persevering with with the flu. Put on an extra jock strap and bow tie; can't be too careful at your age.

green satin

The South side 1st stab pointer , the hangar has HELICOPTER MUSEUM written on it , and if a closer inspection could be made , I think this WAS our hangar we used for aircraft equipment training . The two dispersal's I mentioned earlier , for parking the Anson and Varsity on , are to the front right of the hangar . It looks as if you might be able to drive right up to the hangar , as there appears to be no gates there .

The second stab pointer , has got me wondering . The more I look at the picture and zoom in and out , the less it looks like a hangar ! BUT , it looks as it you can drive right up close to it on the road there , to have a closer inspection .

The servicing and equipment bays we worked in , were very ordinary bays , with equipment benches round each room and each had small windows on the outside , very similar to squadron offices in bigger RAF Hangars .

The mystery deepens !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

green satin · HANGAR and HANGER ! Spelling thereof

HANGAR is the correct spelling by the way , for an "aircraft containment building" !

HANGER is the spelling for a device on which to hang your clothes up on !

How about that for a bit of useless information !

I DID get my GCE "O" Levels in the English Language !

admin

I thought you were the only one who spelt it "hanger".

There is a photo of the Varsity here

. Don't know if this was its normal parking position, but you can see the control tower etc in the background. I can add a "blob" roughly where you suggest as pin-point accuracy isn't necessary. Will also include a photo of the aircraft in the North Hangar marker 'bubble'.

chuck shenton

admin

I have put the aircraft dispersal at 51.339858,-2.930297, removed South Hangar 2nd Stab, put some words in South Hangar 'bubble', and added a photo to North Hangar marker bubble. All subject to change depending on comments received.

green satin

I think our Instructors down at the airfield looked after the Varsity and Anson . The Varsities were rotated fairly frequently from their original base (RAF Benson???). I remember going up to a Corporal Instructor , and asking him a very technical question , to be met by very wide eyes and a look of astonishment , to which I got an answer of :

"Don't f*ckin' ask me mate , I'm f*ckin' engines !"

If those small buildings in front of the North Hangar (where Tony kindly moved the dart to) have only been installed recently , them we must ask Tony to kindly move the thing back again to its original position .

I believe the tower on the airfield was demolished quite some time ago , but I did come across pictures of it on one web site all about Control Towers Past and Present . Forgot to save the bloody pictures , also there were pictures of the small Officers Mess on the airfield . I'll have to have another look through all the web history that I've visited recently !

The dispersal (circular pan) that the above picture was taken of Chris Hubbard & Co , is the closest one to the hangar , next to the old Locking Moor Road as Chuck says . Looks a bit overgrown in Google Earth , but it is there !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

chuck shenton

Yeah Monty- I've seen those pics of the Airport too and can't relocate them.
Your above post makes complete sense to me.

Didn't we have pre-flight briefings in a hut near the control tower (see Johnny Sefton's pic at top right of 'Varsity Flight' post).

Like you, I have had the lerg, but for about three months. When it finally goes and the weather improves maybe an airport reccy will be in order.

green satin

Found it ! Totally by accident !

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/W-Z/Weston_Super_Mare.htm

Cheers ,

MONTY.

chuck shenton

Well done Monty!

Another link, but not many of the images are working:

http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/m...title=ww2sw:RAF+Weston+Super+Mare

admin

green satin

YES !

green satin

Quickly download that Helicopter Museum Panoramic thingy ! Have a good look at it ! Tilt it UP , and look at the lights and the roof ! Recognise them ???

I always remember both hangars (North and South) as being very dark , cold and damp inside . It's amazing what a coat of bright shiny paint will do !

Also , if you pan round , you will see two big sliding green doors , with "HELI MUSEUM" painted up at the top . Look through those doors !

That was where our little Servicing Equipment Bays were I am sure !

Have a good look through all those little photos on the site , most of which I can't manage to zoom in on , but they all give clues about the airfield !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

green satin

chuck shenton

Thanks Monty didn't think of that- at one time the images were available without signing up.

Here is a rough image to show what I think about the Airport North Hangar (excuse writing). I'm least sure about where the hangar door was.

http://i199.photobucket.com/album.../imgs730_airport_n_hangar_100.jpg

green satin

Yes , that looks right Chuck . Did you have a look at that Panoramic of the South hangar with the Heli Museum ?

Got the sniffles and sneezes really bad , so loads of aspirin and some Vick's Medinite along with my sleeping pill should hopefully do the trick !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

If you go to Microsoft Maps ( http://maps.live.com/ ) and use the "Bird's Eye" view, they have some pretty clear views of the airport hangars etc. It will accept lat/long in the right-hand search box. You can rotate the views to see a location from different angles. This is 51.341202,-2.942694 in Bird's Eye view...

In Aerial view, the images are 10-15 years old and still show RAF Locking before demolition.

green satin

Chuck , I think the hangar doors were on the North side , opening up to where those "Stores" buildings are now . I say this , as I can remember seeing trees out the front and steam trains going past in the distance through the hangar doors ! I was at the time trying to get the AI17 in the Javelin to pick up a train going past !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

PS. One thing that does seem clear in my mind (apart from the Summer Flu) is in the South hangar , looking through those big green doors with HELI MUSEUM painted at the top , is the concertina doors in the distance . For some reason or other , as soon as I saw them , they got my memory cells working ! These sliding/dividing doors used to have a small perspex window in them , and we used it to look through into each "lab" to see where the Instructors were fitting the faults on the equipment !

green satin

Wow! Those Bird's eye view images are excellent !

I have just been having a very long thinking session after studying the airfield area in the Bird's Eye View .

That South side hangar has got me stumped , so much so , that I don't believe we did any "work" there at all ! I think it was purely used to store the Varsity and the Anson , Ground Equipment along with the Gliders and winching equipment . Looking at some of the photos of the Varsity , it has been fitted with all its covers , even wheel covers , for parking outside ! So maybe it just stayed outside ! Remember the Varsity has quite a high tail . The tower I can now remember , a very low building next to the airfield perimeter and Locking Road .

QUESTION: Why did we wear Best Blues for flying in ??? Surely we would have known that aircraft are filthy dirty creatures , oil and grease everywhere , not to mention razor sharp locking wire all over the show just waiting to rip your uniform apart ???

The North Hangar . Yes , our minds do play tricks I have to admit , but look closely at those Bird's Eye Images , and you can see everything that we have mentioned on this thread . The "labs" down the East side of the building , and out the back , you can line it up zooming out , to where that Westland's Rotor Test Bed contraption was on the far side of the airfield . I think it was at the rear of THIS hangar where we would go out for a smoke/NAAFI break etc. Have a close look at the small building on the North-East corner of the hangar . It DOES have two white/silver exhaust stacks running up the side , and this must either have been that big Lister Diesel Generator , or a boiler house . Though I can't remember there being any heating in the hangar ! It was always cold, dark and damp !

There is an area South of the South Hangar , that appears to be bulldozed flat . On one map I found last night , this was marked as a "Technical Area" ! Any ideas ?

I tried out this Bird's Eye View for out here , but the zoom level is very bad for South Africa , you can hardly make anything out at all ! But it is excellent for the Locking area ! Well done Tony !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Before setting up the 100th Maps pages, I looked into the Microsoft maps in some detail before going for Google Maps which are much more useable and allow you to write your own code to manipulate them. The only 'plus' for the MS version is the Bird's Eye view and the fact that some of their Aerial view imagery is very old (eg RAF Locking camp pre-demolition).

Some more Weston Airfield more photos...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2009/2493399140_b4f6069f76_b.jpg

http://worldwar2airfields.fotopic.net/c257193.html

Interestingly (annoyingly if you are doing a search), there is also a Weston Airfield/Airport near Dublin.

The Varsity and Anson were not based at Weston were they? They flew in from somewhere else for our air experience flights.

green satin

This has now got me really puzzled after seeing all those photos of the airfield . I think they are all taken on the SOUTH side of the runway .

I also now don't think that the Helicopter Museum Hangar was there either in 1962/64 !

I think the only hangar that was there , was that old side opening "VR1" HANGAR as the author calls it . I think when we went for pre-flight briefing , and looked at all the wall maps etc , that was in the building alongside the Control Tower .

The author does mention a "Power House" Building attached to one of the hangars , but I think the hangar shown is one of Westland's old ones , on the South West side of the airfield . The same goes for all the other hangar pictures , they are all on the South side of the runway .

The inside of the Helicopter Museum Hangar , looks as if it is constructed to the original period designs , but it could be a refurbished hangar from somewhere else . Those concertina doors inside could have come from other hangars , or even one of the "T" Blocks at Locking itself ! The Museum is funded by the Lotto people , so they have ample funds for restoration .

Last night I came across more photos of Locking itself , from the sprog 104th Entry ! Locking seems to have changed one hell of a lot after we left , before it was finally demolished .

Cheers ,

MONTY.

chuck shenton

green satin wrote:

'Chuck , I think the hangar doors were on the North side , opening up to where those "Stores" buildings are now . I say this , as I can remember seeing trees out the front and steam trains going past in the distance through the hangar doors! I was at the time trying to get the AI17 in the Javelin to pick up a train going past!'

Monty, now pretty sure you are right about the hangar door being on the north- you just activated a memory cell. I can now remember where the Jav and Hunter were too. Another thing, looking at typical RAF hangars, the relationship between the doors and the roof layout backs up what you say. The 'stores' buildings must have been added after the aircraft were removed or they would have blocked the aircraft exit.

Still trying to get my head around the other aspects of the airport. MS Map looks excellent Tony.

admin

There is quite a long-winded history of the helicopter museum at http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/ here are a some extracts...
"1988 was to be one of the most significant year in the history of the Museum, with an agreement being signed with Westland Helicopters Ltd. for the current site, and therefore the establishment of a permanent museum site at Weston-super-Mare.................The agreement with Westland Helicopters Ltd. was for the long term lease of a 4.5 acre site on the South-Eastern edge of the airfield at Weston-super-Mare.........Volunteers then quickly set about refurbishing a 1940s vintage wooden building on the site, which had been the former Achilles flying club. Other work included erecting and refurbishing 3500 sq. ft of buildings that had been donated, these were necessary to house the now large collection of artifacts and some of the more delicate aircraft exhibits with the aim of opening that summer to the public. A souvenir shop, cafeteria and toilets were also to be built along with several interior displays........1996 was to be a very busy year on museum development activities. January saw the opening of the new display hangar, now named the Cierva Memorial Building.....

If you look at the pictures down the right-hand side of http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/91-01.htm you can see the display hangar under construction??

green satin

It seems clear from the above url's , that the Helicopter Museum Hangar is definitely "new" , in that it was not there in its current position when we were there 1962/64 .

Cheers ,

MONTY.

Frank

The first time we went to the airfield, there was also a Valetta. Does anyone else remember it?

Also, there was a Canberra but it was parked outside the hangar we worked on the side nearest Locking Moor Road but it was not used.

green satin

Yes , Frank , I do remember a Canberra being there outside the North Hangar . It was fitted with Blue Silk instead of Green Satin , and I remember an Instructor giving us a "demo" of it working . I can't remember us doing any actual "work" on it though .

I'm afraid I don't recollect flying in a Valletta at Locking , only the fairly frequent flights in the Varsity , Anson , and the rather old decrepit Slingsby Gliders at the Gliding Club ! I think I was fortunate there at Locking , in "volunteering" to take other people's places for "Aircraft Familiarisation Flights" from the airfield at Locking !

I do recall having a horrendous flight in a Valletta long before we signed up , when I was a Cadet at school in the CCF (RAF) . This was a flight back to RAF Leuchars after a week or so's Camp at RAF Wildenrath , in Germany . The weather was horrific over the North Sea , and we were all made to don our parachutes ! The aircraft Captain didn't think we were going to make it ! Even the crew were being sick everywhere ! But I thought that it was great fun !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

Frank

I don't think any of us flew in the Valetta, Monty. I think t was just for show!

admin

Original post deleted.

Looks like I repeated Chuck's post here http://100thentrylocking.myfreeforum.org/ftopic169-25.php

green satin

admin

Monty, re your search for aircraft serials and history. According to this, the Victor at Locking could have been XA919...
http://www.avrovulcan.org.uk/crown_copyright/boscombe_formation.htm
More info about it's life and death here...
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=XA
"XA919 Victor B1 d/d 19/09/1957, to Locking 15/05/1961, to 7724M, to Radlett 09/1966, scr. 07/1970"

I think if you went through every page of 'ukserials.com' and searched for "Locking" you might find all the Weston Airfield aircraft.

admin

This is the best I can do with the Javelin

green satin

I think the Javelin FAW1 must be XA564 , and it currently resides at the RAF Museum at Cosford !

At least ONE of our training aircraft from RAF Locking still survives !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

Spot on...
http://209.85.129.132/search?q=ca...ng&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1
and
http://navigator.rafmuseum.org/re...detail&db=object&id=18775

green satin

SHE FLIES !!!

admin

...and again...
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1097769/
http://rightstuffphotography.com/unitedkingdom/raf/XA564.htm

green satin

I wonder if my old Parker fountain pen is still stuck under the Nav's ejection seat ???

green satin

Click to see full size image

This is the GATE GUARDIAN to Thunder City at AFB Ysterplaat , in Cape Town . How the hell it got there , God knows ! Nothing surprises me any more out here in South Africa !!!

In fact it wouldn't surprise me if the Hunter from Locking was actually flying out here ! We have a full squadron of Lightnings , one of Buccaneers and a Hunter squadron operating out of Thunder City !

Cheers ,

MONTY.

admin

The Hunter?...
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivor.php?id=16
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hawker...etters/hanewsletter002/wt555.html

green satin

I wonder if our old Shack survived ??? She was a very early Mark 1 model .

admin

Haven't found the Shack or Venom yet, but...

WD936 Canberra B2 d/d 25/05/1951, s.o.c. 28/10/1963, to No.1 Radio School, Locking fo G/I, 7589M 25/09/1958, s.o.c 28/10/1963, sold BAC 18/10/66 w.f.u. 10/11/67 broken up Samlesbury 1968

WD171 Valetta C1 d/d 08/02/1951, to No.1 Radio School, Locking as 7642M 24/05/1960, to Manston Fire School 24/04/1962, s.o.c. 30/12/1964 and scrapped

Locking Airfield

Aircraft in the Hangars at Locking

Weston Airport Hangers and Aircraft

north and south hangers

Aircraft hangar at Locking

Firefox

Map ok

Hanger N & S

HANGAR and HANGER ! Spelling thereof