Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire served as an RAF airfield from 1918, mainly for training.
As the Cold War developed, Strategic Air Command took it over in 1951 as one of 4 American bases in southern England (others being Brize Norton, RAF Fairford and RAF Greenham Common) to host bomber aircraft.
In it's 'heyday'.
Thanks to RAF-Upper-Heyford.org for the image.
Squadrons or 'wings' including bombers and reconnaissance were here flying B35s, 47s, 52s, RB36s, B58 Hustlers, then F111s (Aardvarks, Ravens) among others. It was the UK's only airbase where only the flight-line area required military identification to access (Wikipedia has a detailed history).
In the 1980s a peace camp was set up to protest at nuclear armed and ready aircraft here - around 2000 people took part and over 700 arrests were made (I enjoyed reading helvellyn's story of his or her visit there in @randomnut's report).
By the early 1990s the Cold War was over, and the base wound down.
On the south side of the main road residential buildings have been let out but the hospital and school were left to deteriorate - buildings are gradually being demolished and new houses are popping up.
Things are a bit better airside where various organisations keep busy - police training, secure storage, vehicle logistics, boat building, film recording and such take place.
Incidentally the base featured in Octopussy as the West German USAF base 'Feldstadt'.
Starting near the middle, the control tower / weather station would presumably have given clearance to take off, etc. and checked flying conditions, while the other building looks like an older RAF Orange Yeoman radar tower.
Example of a building near the control tower - every structure is numbered.
299, Avionics (west side of airstrip). According to a worker it had to be kept free of metallic matter.
Rear annex:
Another heavily defended building, north, 55th squadrons' headquarters.
Rear view, although it's hard to know which is the front and back.
Inside the offices on the left
Locked.
Further round the airfield is nuclear missiles storage. Now it's again used to keep explosives.
There are 56 hardened hangars like this.
9 are in the Quick Reaction Alert facility in the north east where attack planes sat on 24 hour standby
The HQ of this bit, where the pilots would retire following their 4 hour stints sitting in the cockpit.
Finally 126, the centre of operations - the command centre.
The door in the middle opens to reveal...
Another locked door.
And that concludes the visit, thanks for reading!
As the Cold War developed, Strategic Air Command took it over in 1951 as one of 4 American bases in southern England (others being Brize Norton, RAF Fairford and RAF Greenham Common) to host bomber aircraft.
In it's 'heyday'.
Thanks to RAF-Upper-Heyford.org for the image.
Squadrons or 'wings' including bombers and reconnaissance were here flying B35s, 47s, 52s, RB36s, B58 Hustlers, then F111s (Aardvarks, Ravens) among others. It was the UK's only airbase where only the flight-line area required military identification to access (Wikipedia has a detailed history).
In the 1980s a peace camp was set up to protest at nuclear armed and ready aircraft here - around 2000 people took part and over 700 arrests were made (I enjoyed reading helvellyn's story of his or her visit there in @randomnut's report).
By the early 1990s the Cold War was over, and the base wound down.
On the south side of the main road residential buildings have been let out but the hospital and school were left to deteriorate - buildings are gradually being demolished and new houses are popping up.
Things are a bit better airside where various organisations keep busy - police training, secure storage, vehicle logistics, boat building, film recording and such take place.
Incidentally the base featured in Octopussy as the West German USAF base 'Feldstadt'.
Starting near the middle, the control tower / weather station would presumably have given clearance to take off, etc. and checked flying conditions, while the other building looks like an older RAF Orange Yeoman radar tower.
Example of a building near the control tower - every structure is numbered.
299, Avionics (west side of airstrip). According to a worker it had to be kept free of metallic matter.
Rear annex:
Another heavily defended building, north, 55th squadrons' headquarters.
Rear view, although it's hard to know which is the front and back.
Inside the offices on the left
Locked.
Further round the airfield is nuclear missiles storage. Now it's again used to keep explosives.
There are 56 hardened hangars like this.
9 are in the Quick Reaction Alert facility in the north east where attack planes sat on 24 hour standby
The HQ of this bit, where the pilots would retire following their 4 hour stints sitting in the cockpit.
Finally 126, the centre of operations - the command centre.
The door in the middle opens to reveal...
Another locked door.
And that concludes the visit, thanks for reading!
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