RAF Upper Heyford Cold War Airbase Tour added

RAF Upper Heyford Cold War Airbase Tour

What can I see you may ask and what is the interest? I reckon a lot of us must have visited this base when it was in its prime during the 1980’s and when it was widely acknowledged to be one of the USAFE ‘Super Bases’. You were always guaranteed to see the residents flying, whatever the weather and there were always interesting visiting aircraft most days. Looking from the outside during those visits, now is your chance to get a feel for what was going on behind the scenes.

The tour will start at 10:00 am (9:30 am for administration) and last 4+ hours. It is recommended that you do not book anything time sensitive on the same day as tours may overrun if people require more time for photography, answering of questions etc. The cost of an Airbase Tour is £20.00 per person and all of this money goes to Upper Heyford Heritage.

The visit begins with a short video on the history RAF Upper Heyford Heritage Centre (Building 103). The guided tour concentrates on the USAF flying field and command operations during the height of the Cold War when RAF Upper Heyford was a target for Warsaw Pact forces.

Aircraft were dispersed around the airfield and placed in shelters to protect them from the weather. These shelters were ‘hardened’ with concrete to protect against a direct hit from a 500 lb high explosive bomb. 56 of the Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HASs) were built at Heyford and all remain. One HAS is designated for heritage use.

Between 1981 and 1986 nine HASs formed the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) area where the Victor Alert Mission kept eight aircraft fuelled and armed ready to take off in less than 15 minutes. The aircrew lived in the QRA for 72 hour shifts.

Maintenance operations had to be continued during wartime and so the 20th CRS (Component Repair Squadron) Avionics Maintenance Facility (Building 299) was opened in 1981 for maintaining F-111E TFR (terrain following radar) and other avionics. This was extended for EF-111A Raven avionics maintenance. Proof against a 1000lb bomb and with its own decontamination unit, it is one of only two such buildings in the UK and is a scheduled monument.

From 1970 three squadrons of F-111E strike aircraft were based at Heyford, joined by thirteen EF-111A Ravens in 1985. All these units had their own headquarters buildings with a ‘hardened’ site for protection against bombing and a decontamination unit.
Operational control of the aircraft, and defence of the airbase from aerial attack, was directed by the 1000 lb bombproof Hardened Command Post (Building 126).

Flying field VFR air and ground movements were directed by the Control Tower with RAPCON (Radar Approach Control) taking over instrument flight rules (IFR) approaches. Ordnance was kept in the Conventional Weapons Storage Area (Southern Bomb Store) and Sophisticated Weapons Storage Area (Northern Bomb Store).

Running order of the tour……

1. RAF UPPER HEYFORD HERITAGE CENTRE [BUILDING 103] – (CAR PARKING AND DEPARTURE POINT).
2. 20TH CRS (COMPONENT REPAIR SQUADRON) AVIONICS MAINTENANCE FACILITY, OPENED IN 1981 FOR MAINTAINING F-111E TFR (TERRAIN FOLLOWING RADAR) AND OTHER AVIONICS [BUILDING 299] – (WALK AROUND).
3. 19 SQUADRON RAF REGIMENT RAPIER MISSILE AIRFIELD DEFENCE INSTALLATION – (SLOW DRIVE PAST).
4. QUICK REACTION ALERT [QRA/ VICTOR ALERT] AREA, INCLUDING HARDENED AIRCRAFT SHELTERS (HAS) – (WALK AROUND).
5. ‘THREE BAY’ ORDNANCE LOADING BARN [BUILDING 249] – (SLOW DRIVE BY).
7. 42ND ECS (ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES SQUADRON) BUILDING [BUILDING 383] – (WALK AROUND).
8. SOPHISTICATED WEAPONS STORAGE AREA [NORTHERN BOMB STORES] – (WALK AROUND).
9. RUNWAY – (DRIVE DOWN WHEN POSSIBLE).
10. CONTROL TOWER COMPLEX/ MAGNETOMETER/ RAPCON (RADAR APPROACH CONTROL) [BUILDINGS 338, 340 & 341] – (STOP AND DEBUS).
11. NOSE DOCKING SHEDS BUILT FOR BOEING B-29 BOMBERS TOO LARGE FOR THE RAF ‘A’ TYPE HANGARS – (SLOW DRIVE BY).
12. HARDENED COMMAND POST [BUILDING 126] – (STOP AND DEBUS)
13. RAF UPPER HEYFORD HERITAGE CENTRE [BUILDING 103] – (STOP AND DEBUS).

I’ll look to arrange a private Group visit for a Sunday in May, so if interested please get in touch and indicate any Sundays that month you can’t do. Contact me on 07916 179154 or [email protected]

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Best regards,

Grant Robinson

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