WIX Archives
Re: There were rumours that Brize was to close...
Posted by TonyD on Fri Nov 01, 2002 03:43:58 PM
In reply top Re: There were rumours that Brize was to close... posted by Ron Henry on Fri Nov 01, 2002 01:33:29 PM
I don't think it is an urban myth at all. We found the other dump site in that area. The maintenance unit was No.6 and it handled tons of stuff. As a boy I used to buy huge numbers of aircraft wheels (many Spitfire tailwheels) from local farmers etc.
: : Brize? Surely not...
: :
: : But then, I suppose if they are hell-bent on shedding ou
: r
: : Air Force, then we won't need airfields... Well, perhaps
: t
: : hree self-propelled aquatic ones, but I hear they won't
: ha
: : ve anything to fly off them for a couple of years...
:
:
: Yes, that was an official concept at one time within the l
: ast couple of years. It was all tied in with the curious i
: dea (still current) of having civil contractors purchase,
: and operate, a new fleet of AA tankers for the RAF. There
: is at least a couple of consortia bidding for it. IIRC, on
: e of them was going to base the fleet at Boscombe Down, an
: d, in that case, Brize could have been surplus. Anyhow, th
: e Boscombe idea has fallen at the first hurdle, and I beli
: eve there has now been an official announcement that Brize
: will not close.
:
: As for German aircraft buried beneath the runway.... I'm i
: nclined to suggest that this may be an aviation myth. The
: aircraft in question are the captured aircraft that were b
: rought from Germany to Farnborough at the end of WW2. They
: were despatched to Brize (then a RAF Maintenance Unit - N
: o 32??)by late 1946. In those times, UK was near-bankrupt,
: and I think that scrap aluminium was probably regarded as
: a valuable resource - so why bury it? Burying scrap aircr
: aft also involves the extra cost and labour of making a la
: rge hole, putting the aircraft into it, and then filling i
: t in again!