Lakenheath

[PaulHP]

Good close up shoot of you both Richard!

http://www.lakenheath.af.mil/shared/med ... 0G-048.jpg

[REF]

Good close up shoot of you both Richard!

http://www.lakenheath.af.mil/shared/...-8220G-048.jpg

Yep, Me and my Mclaren Jacket get everywhere!!!!

[92fis]

92Fis, on of the photos on that article has norwichpaul and myself in!

Amazing how bad the inside of the tower looks after a few years of not being used.

[mawganmad]

Cracking old photos there, I absolutely love the F-105 'Cheif! Are those French Mysteres in the top pic Mike?

[Mike]

Cracking old photos there, I absolutely love the F-105 'Cheif! Are those French Mysteres in the top pic Mike?

I think they are Mysteres, though what they were doing there I have no idea. It's quite a strange line up really what with a USAF F4 and F105, two USN F4s and all the Mysteres.

[PNK]

Didn't realise F-105's were still in use in 1993.

[PNK]

On another thread it was suggested that the 1941-1944 tower was sited near the VHB tower. Do we know what type it was and exactly where it was?
I am trying to piece together a rough sketch of Lakenheath just prior to rebuild in 1944 and after the sketch I posted earlier.
Some remnants of the older airfield can be seen in norwichpaul's drawing and bits are still visible today.

[92fis]

Didn't realise F-105's were still in use in 1993.

All the aircraft in those pic's were used for decoys or BDRT, none were operational. The Phantoms and F-105 were scrapped in May 1996 and the Mysteres went sometime before them, they started receiving F-15A's for BDRT in 1994.

[PNK]

That would explain it then. Thanks.
I am a bit behind in some of the modern stuff. I still think F-15's and F-14s are new! Mind you at some of the Farnborough airshows I went to in the early 1970's a lot of US planes had Y prefixes!

[Hornchurch]

Cracking old photos there, I absolutely love the F-105 'Cheif! Are those French Mysteres in the top pic Mike?

I think they are Mysteres, though what they were doing there I have no idea. It's quite a strange line up really what with a USAF F4 and F105, two USN F4's and all the Mysteres.

`

Trust me (my luck ) to get in on this thread rather too late !

Of all the pix I've taken over the last 20 years, some of my fave's were taken of "this lot" during several visits (Aug-'88 to 'July/Aug-'92)

Luckily my pix were clearer & closer, so I managed to 'track' the a/c down
Good to see you posting yours, Mike, as many enthusiasts didn't get to see 'em.

Mike; those two 'USN' F.4's are actually USAF Air-National-Guard F.4 Phantoms of the 'Michigan' ANG - painted-up in the standard USAF Air-Defence (A.D.C.) colour (Federal-spec F.S.16473).

That's why you mistook them for US.Navy Phantoms ! lol

It's the same colour that used to adorn Daggers/Voodoo's/Dart's etc

For any a/c enthusiasts reading this, the a/c involved are.....

Michigan ANG F.4; Bu.No. 63-7610

Michigan ANG F.4; Bu.No. 64-0707

USAF marked F.4-C; Bu.No. 63-7471

USAF F.105-G , ex-'Wild-Weasel', Bu.No. 67-0494

They were there for BRDT duties & like fellow-forumite '92-fis' said, they were (sadly ) scrapped, tho' I didn't know the date of that (thanx)

A friend of mine who was a retired High-Ranking USAF Officer (ex-Mildenhall) explained to me one afternoon at an IPMS-show (when, in mid-conversation) I'd explained about these - that he actually tried to "pull some strings" to get that particular F.105-G ('494) saved...

He DID go on to explain that '494 had seen active service as a "S.A.M-suppresor" (105-G, 'Weasel') in Vietnam itself, hence his interest to save the ol'-Girl, sadly, to no avail, as it turned out.

I was laughing myself hoarse, after two fellow neighbouring a/c 'nuts' with decent camera-equip't were excitedly discussing about the "camouflaged Super-Sabres" (Mystere's) & taking countless pix....
(I didn't have the heart to tell 'em, (wicked-Git !)

Oh, PNK,
the F.105 Thud's were retired State-side in late-'83 thru/till early'84, the last base being Hill-AFB.