Visited with UkMayhem, random mate and Speedio.
A little trip to Upper Heyford in the middle of October that I'd forgotten I'd even taken photos of. Lovely operating theatres
Cheers for letting us tag along Uk Mayhem!
History rudely and blatantly stolen from Wikipedia
RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. The base was brought into use for flying in July 1918 by the Royal Flying Corps. During World War II it was used by many units of the RAF, mainly as a training facility. In September 1939 it was the home of No. 70 Wing RAF with No.s 18 and 57 Squadrons, part of No. 2 Group RAF. From March 1946 until June 1950 it was the home of No.1 Parachute Training School RAF.
During the Cold War, Upper Heyford served as a base for United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) strategic bombers and United States Air Forces In Europe (USAFE) tactical reconnaissance and fighter aircraft in the UK.
Upper Heyford was unique among bases in the United Kingdom as only the flight-line area required military identification to access. The rest of the base, save the commercial facilities, was accessible to military and non-military alike.
The base was home to the Upper Heyford High School Hadites until 1977 when the school moved to RAF Croughton. The Upper Heyford/Croughton High School Hadites were renowned across DoDDS Europe high schools for their athletic legacy.
On 15 December 1993, the flight line at RAF Upper Heyford was closed. On 1 January 1994, the 20th Fighter Wing inactivated at RAF Upper Heyford and was transferred without personnel or equipment to Shaw AFB, South Carolina, where it inherited the personnel and F-16s of the inactivated 363rd Fighter Wing.
At that time, RAF Upper Heyford came under the 620th Air Base Wing, until 30 September 1994 when the base was returned to the Ministry of Defence.
The British government has toyed with ideas on what to make of the base's remains today. Unfortunately, it is now largely a ghost town with buildings long abandoned and cordoned off to the public.
The runways are now used as an automotive storage compound for new and used vehicles. Other functions include Police driving activities such as training. According to the Banbury Guardian and Banbury Cake newspapers in 2006, it may become an industrial or residential centre.
A little trip to Upper Heyford in the middle of October that I'd forgotten I'd even taken photos of. Lovely operating theatres
Cheers for letting us tag along Uk Mayhem!History rudely and blatantly stolen from Wikipedia
RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. The base was brought into use for flying in July 1918 by the Royal Flying Corps. During World War II it was used by many units of the RAF, mainly as a training facility. In September 1939 it was the home of No. 70 Wing RAF with No.s 18 and 57 Squadrons, part of No. 2 Group RAF. From March 1946 until June 1950 it was the home of No.1 Parachute Training School RAF.
During the Cold War, Upper Heyford served as a base for United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) strategic bombers and United States Air Forces In Europe (USAFE) tactical reconnaissance and fighter aircraft in the UK.
Upper Heyford was unique among bases in the United Kingdom as only the flight-line area required military identification to access. The rest of the base, save the commercial facilities, was accessible to military and non-military alike.
The base was home to the Upper Heyford High School Hadites until 1977 when the school moved to RAF Croughton. The Upper Heyford/Croughton High School Hadites were renowned across DoDDS Europe high schools for their athletic legacy.
On 15 December 1993, the flight line at RAF Upper Heyford was closed. On 1 January 1994, the 20th Fighter Wing inactivated at RAF Upper Heyford and was transferred without personnel or equipment to Shaw AFB, South Carolina, where it inherited the personnel and F-16s of the inactivated 363rd Fighter Wing.
At that time, RAF Upper Heyford came under the 620th Air Base Wing, until 30 September 1994 when the base was returned to the Ministry of Defence.
The British government has toyed with ideas on what to make of the base's remains today. Unfortunately, it is now largely a ghost town with buildings long abandoned and cordoned off to the public.
The runways are now used as an automotive storage compound for new and used vehicles. Other functions include Police driving activities such as training. According to the Banbury Guardian and Banbury Cake newspapers in 2006, it may become an industrial or residential centre.
