Helis, November 16, 2019 - by Dave Taskis - ForcesTV has gone behind the scenes at 5 ex Royal Air Force bases to tell a little of their story and show what they are used for in 2019.
First up is Hethel in Norfolk, once a base for 389 Bomb Group USAAF, now home to the Lotus sports car plant.
At c 4mins in, the story of Elvington is told; once known as Petty France because of its high number of Free French Air Force personnel during WWII, the site is now the location for the Yorkshire Air Museum. Keep an eye out for the Museum's Halifax Mk.III, which features later on.
Nine minutes in and it's the turn of Upper Heyford, near Bicester in Oxfordshire. UH was a widely seen tail code on the F-111s of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, USAFE that were based here during the 1970/80s. Parts of the site are now a notified heritage site and it has become a popular filming location with Octopussy and Wonder Woman both having scenes shot here.
From 14 mins, is an exploration of Bawdsey Manor on the Suffolk coast, where much of the early development work on RADAR was undertaken. Later the area had a cold war bunker built and was a launch site for Bloodhound missiles. There is now an excellent museum on site.
Finally, from 21 minutes, is Lissett in Yorkshire and the story of 158 Squadron, Bomber Command is shown, on what has now become farmland and the location of an onshore wind turbine farm, with one of the turbines dedicated to the Halifax featured at Elvington..
First up is Hethel in Norfolk, once a base for 389 Bomb Group USAAF, now home to the Lotus sports car plant.
At c 4mins in, the story of Elvington is told; once known as Petty France because of its high number of Free French Air Force personnel during WWII, the site is now the location for the Yorkshire Air Museum. Keep an eye out for the Museum's Halifax Mk.III, which features later on.
Nine minutes in and it's the turn of Upper Heyford, near Bicester in Oxfordshire. UH was a widely seen tail code on the F-111s of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, USAFE that were based here during the 1970/80s. Parts of the site are now a notified heritage site and it has become a popular filming location with Octopussy and Wonder Woman both having scenes shot here.
From 14 mins, is an exploration of Bawdsey Manor on the Suffolk coast, where much of the early development work on RADAR was undertaken. Later the area had a cold war bunker built and was a launch site for Bloodhound missiles. There is now an excellent museum on site.
Finally, from 21 minutes, is Lissett in Yorkshire and the story of 158 Squadron, Bomber Command is shown, on what has now become farmland and the location of an onshore wind turbine farm, with one of the turbines dedicated to the Halifax featured at Elvington..
See also |
Royal Air Force 
Elvington Hethel Upper Heyford 
Bawdsey Manor Lissett 
