RAF Cottesmore 1938-2012

Today sees the RAF flag lowered at the RAF base in Cottesmore and bring to a end seventy four years of history. The Harriers that were at the based have long gone, sold by the Government for peanuts to the Americans who must be rubbing their hands on buying a whole fleet of serviceable combat aircraft for so little.

The base will be missed by many people in Rutland as will the RAF personal that maned it. The relationship between the base and the people of area has, as far I know, always be warm and they have fitted in so perfectly with the way of life of the area. Some, of course, won't be missing the noise of the fast jets but they use to be able to take comfort that normally only one or two operations were flown from the base each day. It was hardly like living near a airport in terms of noise. Others of course do miss the aircraft already, but those of us that did, use to see or hear the odd Typhoon or Tornado as they popped into the base. That will all come to an end as of this weekend.

The shame of it all was their was actually no need for it to happen in the first place. The Harriers and the Aircraft Carriers were scraped/sold off, all because we are involved in conflicts we can't afford and in the case of Afghanistan can't and won't win. The savings of one billion pounds made by the cutting our armed forces in such a way will fund the war in Afghanistan for between 4 and 6 months at current rates of expenditure on the conflict. In a nine year period, from 2001 to 2010, both the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan cost over 20 million pounds. If we hadn't spent so much on these conflicts, especially in the case of Afghanistan where no military campaign has ever been successful used to resolve the issues of the region, then the money could have been used else where within the Mistry of Defence and the Harriers and the Aircraft Carriers saved. 

It will be a sad for the people of Rutland and for those that have memories of the RAF base and who have served at the there over the years. Of course there will always be a reminder of the bravery of those who died will working at based, because of the service graveyard in Corresmore will be there for centuries to come, but that will be about it. I feel for the families whose lives have been changed by the closure, those forced to move from the area as well as those that have lost their jobs. I also feel for the loss of tradition in an area with a long history of RAF bases then last one will be closed today. 

The Last Harrier

The last BAE Systems Harrier GR9 to leave RAF Cottesmore finds an new home at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. It didn't arrive by air but on the back of a low loader, and it landed vertically by virtue of a crane after having it wings refitted to the airframe.

The aircraft, ZD461, was grounded after suffering damage from brake fire during an exercise in the United States. It was returned to RAF Cottesmore for repairs which were never carried out after the announcement of the grounding and eventual sale of the Harrier flee in service with the RAF. Hopefully it will soon be on display and be a tribute to all those who flew this type of aircraft over it's long years of service in both the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm.

What a Waste

The Harriers that have been stored in hangers for the last eleven months have finally been sold to the United States of American. One of the many counties that still see this aircraft as a capable warbird ready to defend it lands and interests. While we are left without a carrier force for the nearly twenty years if the rumours are right about the construction of the new carriers to replace those sold by the Government.

Of course the Harriers have been sold at a fraction of there real value. The Americans have brought seventy two aircraft complete with spare parts and support equipment for one hundred and ten million pounds. According to reports the spare parts alone are worth an estimated thirty million pound meaning that if take account of the support equipment that each aircraft was sold for under a million pounds each. Rear Admiral Mark Heinrich, chief of the US Navy's supply corps, said "We're taking advantage of all the money the Brits have spent on them. It's like we're buying a car with maybe 15,000 miles on it. These are very good platforms.". It certainly makes you think about the wisdom scrapping a Harrier fleet which the Americans intend to use until 2025, especially when you think that the Harriers were all recently upgraded and have  excellent serviceability.

Of course none of it makes sense when you look at the figures and the facts. For starters, the Harrier has performed better in Afghanistan than the Tornado and it is a newer airframe and has far fewer serviceability problems. They are cheaper to run and maintain than the Tornado fleet and they are more versatile and being carrier capable and they can be deployed rapidly to maintain our overseas interests. They would have been better aircraft to use in the recent Libyan crisis as they would have been able to fly more sorties than the Tornado aircraft that were deployed. The Harrier when combined with a carrier is better placed than the Tornado to maintain British political and military power and influence on the global stage.

Of course the British Governments of recent years haven't been known for there wisdom. When it costs three hundred and forty million pounds to buy just one Typhoon, just reducing the number of these aircraft ordered by four would have saved over two hundred million pounds more than the one billion pounds saved by scraping the Harriers and the Aircraft Carriers, but that didn't occur to them, nor did the fact that a lot of support jobs and trained flight crew are now unemployed. It is just such a waste.

Remeberance

In the post a few days ago there popped through door a letter from The Royal British Legion in it there was a wooden cross of remembrance. Catherine was asking about it and what it was for so I explained and asked her if she would like to place it in one of the war graves in Cottesmore and she said yes.

Although it is a long time until remembrance Sunday today after school we all headed out to Cottesmore with our little wooden cross. They picked the grave of Sergeant (553190) Anthony Greenaway a wireless operator/air gunner who died at the age of 18 on 17th June 1941 and we placed our little cross by his grave. I tried looking him up on the internet but there really nothing about him other that he was the son of Walter and Rosalyn Greenaway of Rugeley in Staffordshire. There was nothing about how he died or what he was doing when he died.

Emily was shocked at the ages of the people that died, the number of teenagers is relatively high especially among the members of the British forces.  Anthony Greenaway, after all, was only just over 5 years older than her when he died which Catherine pointed out. I explained what they were fighting for and why we remember them even now. What I rather liked about the grave they picked where the words at bottom of the stone which read "At the setting of the sun we will remember him". It wasn't quite sunset but he was remembered today.

Arrows Lose One of their Own

Today the RAF display team lost one of it aircraft and sadly one of it pilots too. The reason why I blogging about it is not only my interest in aviation but the fact the pilot came from Rutland.

Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging was taking part in a display in Dorset where it was taking part in the Bournemouth Air Festival. Originally a Harrier GR9 pilot based at RAF Cottesmore he flew supported missions for coalition ground forces in Afghanistan before joining the Red Arrows last year as red four. Air Vice Marshal Mark Green said of Jon's "Professionalism, enthusiasm for life and a willingness to help others that transcended all boundaries." before going on to say he will be "sorely missed by all those that had the privilege to know him. "

I just want to add my deepest condolences went to the pilot's family and all the Red Arrows team.

Army Base for Cottesmore

After much speculation about what was to become of the RAF Cottesmore after the Royal Air Force leave the base in 2012 it was today announced that the base would be taken over by the army.

Personally I would rather the base had remained as a active RAF base preserving the history of the site and allowing flying to continue, however that was never going to happen with the Government determined to off selling at a loss one of the most versatile aircraft in service. 

Having a army base at least will provide some employment for local people on the site and bring income into the county, which is better than it closing altogether as many people feared would happen. Will it be as good for the county as the RAF base was, I guess only time will tell. Just let us hope this isn't a political smoke screen and that after more cuts in a few years time the army base is closed down or turned in to some reservist training camp.

Iconic or Ironic?

Is it Iconic or Ironic that a shinny Harrier GR9 has become the new gate guard at RAF Wittering, when these magnificent could be serving their country in Libya and protecting civilians from a corrupt government. What a waste of an aircraft other counties still have in service because it can do what other aircraft can't. It is even rumored the Chinese are developing such an aircraft while we prepare to cut them up for scrap. 

It has been reported in Peterborough Evening Telegraph that an RAF spokesman said: “The placement of a Harrier GR9 at the RAF Wittering gate is a fitting tribute to the sterling service given by the Harrier force over the years." It's just a shame the RAF don't actually speak their mind and like the Navy and say they still need this aircraft to carry out the work they do instead of relying totally on the Tornadoes and Typhoons which aren't even a ground attack aircraft as such.

I just hope there is some truth in the story that Liam Fox is in talks to save the Harrier that I published yesterday in the blog. Even if we lose RAF Cottesmore, knowing that at least the naval versions of the aircraft are still in service would make me feel that at least we can defend our country.

Harriers Return?

Now there is talk of saving at least some of the Harrier fleet at least in the short term. Maybe the time has come again for these magnificent aircraft which still have so much work they can do until they are replaced with a more modern equivalent in 2020.

Within the last twenty four hour there have been reports coming from the The Portsmouth News that Liam Fox is holding talks to put jets on HMS Illustrious. It claims that aircraft carrier will retain it ramps making it possible for the Harriers to fly from her decks once again. As anyone interested in the fate of these aircraft will know they are still in tip top condition and could be made to fly again within months if not sooner if there is green light to go ahead with Liam Fox's plan. 

It will be interesting to see what happens. In my view it would make sense to bring them back. Being able to have aircraft within 15 minutes of Libya would be a big bonus for NATO. It would mean that they would have a very reactive air strike capability ready to react to any situation. Lets hope that people that run this country see sense and bring back the Harrier.

Just when we needed them.

I guess it had to happen, in fact I knew it would, we get rid of the Harriers and now we need them and the aircraft carriers more than ever. The country has been put at a strategic disadvantage because the Government decided to bin one of the most versatile aircraft that was in service and the platforms it flew from.

The situation in Libya and the proposed no fly zone combined with the UN directive means that we really need a carrier based off the coast of the country with aircraft fly combat missions of all kinds. Be it in the air combat role or the ground attack role. We also need rescue helicopters for search and rescue should one of the aircraft get shot down. The ideal aircraft to have in this theater would be the Harrier combined with the now retired aircraft carriers. Yes we can use land based aircraft, but the problem will still be that the rescue helicopters will be having to fly long distances, making response times poor, and their will be a greater risk that the helicopters will be intercepted. Really the aircraft we need today is the harrier.

This situation proves how short sighted the move by the Government was to get rid of the harrier fleet in this uncertain world that we live in at the moment.

Harriers last flight

Today was a sad day for the people of RAF Cottesmore and the people of Rutland it saw the last flight of the Harriers that are based at the RAF base that is due to be closed in 2013. The base itself was closed by the previous Labour Government but the Collation Government have decided to sell off the aircraft that are based there with 14 aircraft rumoured to be going to India. The Government have said it was the hardest defence decision they have taken but it in reality it might just turn out to be the most stupid. The country is building new carriers with no planes to put on them and it will make us look like fools, and for what a small saving when bigger savings could be achieved by retiring other aircraft with poorer serviceability. 

It even came as a surprise to me that the over ninety five percent of the Harrier force is serviceable at one time compared to the ageing Tornados with only seventy five percent of the fleet able to fly and then with on going problems of engine oil leaks that limits there range. It is reported that the last batch of Tornados that went to the Falkland Islands had to go by sea because their engines wouldn't make the flight without running out of oil. But that is not the whole story, the Harriers are one of the top ten combat aircraft in service and in the Falklands war were nicknamed the black death. They shot down over twenty aircraft in air to air combat without losing a single aircraft. Since then they have gone on to fight in the Gulf ways and more recently in Afghanistan. The Harrier is unique it can fly from anywhere and doesn't need a base as such. It is ideal for the current actions be fought by the United kingdom even if it lacks the weapon load of more conventional aircraft. You don't need concert runways, just a clearing and firm ground for them to fly from and trees to hide them in. There can be deployed anywhere.

I have said this before and I will say it again, the reason why we can't afford these aircraft is that we had to bail out the banks and the mess they have caused. They are the biggest threat to this country and without regulation they will continue to be so. They have done more to damage the UK than any terrorist group could hope for. What we are seeing in terms of cuts and the affect it will have on the nation is monumental. They have done to the UK what the terrorists we are fighting could only dream of doing know that it was nothing but a dream.  

I will miss the Harriers over the skies of Rutland and I feel sorry all the jobs that will be lost. These are people families with children. I know what it is like to live on thin air. They have that to come and it is not a nice place to be. What is worse it make the plans Hawksmeed and the planed developments in the North West of Oakham look like a fool hardy at best, but more of that in a later post. For now it is a sad day to see such a wonderful aircraft leave our skies forever.

Defence Review

Having looked at the news reports about the defense review all I can say is the fat cat bankers have done more to destroy the British forces than the Afghans and Iraqi insurgents could ever do.

Soon the skies around Rutland will soon fall silent and the sound of a Harrier squadron coming into land will just be a distant memory. Over thirty million pounds will be lost to the local economy and hundreds of jobs will be gone when RAF Cottesmore closes and why because of the people who messed up the national economy. If the terrorist could do what was done to British Forces in this review it would be their greatest victory, as it is that victory has been achieved to bailout the greedy and the risk takers. 

Trains and Planes

When I had planned to day over the weekend the weather forecast was a lot different than it turned out to be in reality, for the promised sun was gone and the day started dull and wet, however that wasn't going to stop me and I was all prepared as long as it didn't rain. Lucy was off to see the trains and I had already asked her mummy for her wellington boots.

One nice thing about this Tuesday was I managed to have a little bit of a lay in. Without Emily being here there was no need to drive into Oakham to take her to school, she was having a sleep over at her friends house. Catherine is very easy to get ready for school compared to Emily, she just does it and never needs reminding of the time, Emily on the other hand needs hurrying along if she is tired and doesn't want to get up. I'm sure she is a practicing to be a teenager in years and bits time. 

With Catherine gone to school there was time for a wash and brush up and a nice quiet cup of coffee before it was out to get Lucy from her mummies. Today when I picked her up she was extra colourful in a new striped cardigan and Peppa Pig trousers. She looked lovely and she was so proud of herself. It is just a shame I forgot to take picture to share on the blog, maybe next time she  is wearing them and I pick her up. As we walked to the car chatted about the things she had been doing and soon we were headed for the shops.

The goal at the shops was to get Lucy a toilet training seat as the night before I got a email saying she was using one at her mummies now. We had been working on using he potty for a while but we couldn't interest her in using it for more than a morning or a afternoon before she slipped back to using her pull-up. Hopefully this will work and we can get her out of pull-up's for good. When we were at the shop I let Lucy decide on the seat she wanted and what colour it was hoping that it would make her feel it was hers and she had ownership of it. We also got some sweets for everyone, which looking back on should have used Lucy's as an incentive for using her seat. It is something I going to use in future, just a bag of lollipops will do.

Once we got home she wanted to try out the seat, and when I asked if she need to use the toilet she was soon on it and then straight off it. She thought she was going to fall down the toilet. I remember that Catherine thought the same when she was first toilet training and I had a devil of job getting her to use the toilet rather than the potty. I tried to reassure her that she was going to fall, but although I got her back on the seat she was too unsure to stay there for long enough to use it. All day I kept asking her if she need the toilet and the only time she said yes was when we were in the car and miles from home. I'm sure if we all keep at this weekend we will make some ground, it is just going to take time to make her confident. I know she so wants to be like her sisters and wear pants.

Most of Lucy's morning to lunch time was spent around the house playing games and watching a bit of Peppa Pig on the computer for a few minutes at a time. All the time she just chatted and chatted. Her use of language is really coming on and she is starting construct more complex sentences now. I'm so proud of all she achieves and she is coming on leaps and bounds in every area.

For lunch we had a bacon, eggs, beens and potato wedges for a change, from the usual food we have for lunch. I must say that everyone seemed to enjoy it and Lucy loved her eggs as always. When we finished that, we did some bread making so we had fresh bread for dinner. Lucy helped again with putting in the ingredients, other than the flour and then took delight in watching the machine do it's magic before we went out for the afternoon.

Todays outing was to the Rutland Railway Museum which is on the road from Ashwell to Cottesmore. It is an open air museum and given the weather we have been having the reason why I ask Lucy's mummy for the wellington boots, I knew there would be plenty of mud about and I didn't want to ruin Lucy's Peppa Pig shoes. The museum is dedicated the now extinct iron ore industry of the the East Midlands and is themed accordingly with most of the exhibits being old engines used in the quarry's around the region. It is set out to recreate the essential elements of a quarry during hay day's of the industry back in the 1950's and as a living museum allows people to experience working practices at the time. It has wonderful plans for the future and it is entirely funded by donations for visitors and various grants. Of course all of this was lost on Lucy all she was interested in was the trains. 

We started out at the engine shed and had a look at the trains that are currently being restored. These included a break van, a diesel engine and a steam train. Of course Lucy was more interested in the steam train and was soon pointing at bits and asking what they were called and I was so explaining what they did as well. All that playing with trains and reading about trains as kid was paying off and I was able to answer her questions. From the engine shop we moved out into the main museum and had a look at the army engine they have there. Lucy noticed the engine pit under the train and I explained what it was for and that she had to be careful where she went and to stick with me. 

Next we head off to look at the rolling stock. They have a large collection of iorn ore trucks from various periods but what Lucy wanted to see more than anything was the large crane she had spotted. What I love about the place was the decay of some of the rolling stock awaiting restoration and how it blended into the nature that surrounded them. It was like nature was eating them and returning them to the earth as the weather and natural forces wore them away. When you look at the state that some of the rolling stock is in and you compare it to the renovated rolling stock you can see what a great job they are doing there. Lucy was keen to see all she could and was happy to match down the line side walk until we ran out of things to see.

Returning to the main museum we head off to look at all the engines they have there. Like the rolling stock they are in various states of repair. Some are in working order and look like they did when they were working in the quarries, while others are not more than rusting hunks of metal and are far from there former glory. All the staff there seems so dedicated that although there are years if not decades of work to be done, it will get done. Lucy loved the engines and was soon asking questions again about what bits are called and I was explaining again complete with the noises the trains make. 

The last area of the museum we went to was the platform which Lucy wanted to go and stand on. It was while we were standing on the platform that we got a free air display from the Harriers at RAF Cottesmore. I'm not sure what was going on at the base but while we were there we had seen a couple of Harriers coming into land very low. Now that isn't that unusual but what followed was. It wasn't just two coming back to the base but what appeared to be a whole squadron of twelve or more aircraft all with long range tanks. The most impressive sight of all was four coming into land in formation. It is a sight I had never seen before, two yes but never four. Lucy seemed impressed too, but I did have to cover her ears as much as possible as she found it far too noisy with her young sensitive ears. As we left one of the people at the museum told me where to watch them coming in, but later I couldn't find place. I will have to look on google maps and work it out.

Before heading home we set off for the supermarket. The idea for dinner was a simple pasta and tomato based sauce combined with warm homemade bread to clean the bowls. All we had to get was what we need to make dinner, the sauce and the pasta. It didn't take long, in fact Lucy probably spent more time on the rides outside the shop.

We got back home about five minutes after Langham School had finished for the day although it didn't matter as Catherine had already said she wanted to go out on her new bike after school for half an hour so we weren't expecting her home straight away. When Catherine did get home she got a royal Lucy welcome, a massive hug and a kiss and then Lucy started following Catherine everywhere as they played around the house. 

Soon the beep beep of the bread maker told us the bread was ready and off we went to see the results. It looked lovely and the bread turned out to be the best we have made yet and here is the recipe I used to make a 1kg loaf:

• 600g Strong white flour (Hovis)
• 28-30g Butter
• 7g Fast acting dried yeast (Tesco's)
• 330ml Semi skimmed milk
• 1 Tablespoon of salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar

On our bread maker we just used program 2 which makes standard white or brown loaf. As a guide it takes about 3 hours 20 minutes to make with a light crust. 

At about five Emily came home from her sleep over full of stories of what she had been doing. Lucy was so pleased to see her and went through same procedure of hugs and kisses before following up to her room while she got change back into her home clothes. 

Soon it was time for dinner and I cooked the pasta in a tomato sauce and served it with fresh bread. It something the girls haven't had in ages. For some reason I just hadn't thought of doing it as a meal. Lucy of course loved it and probably has it at her mummies, she use to cook it for lunch sometimes. With dinner out of the way there was just over an hour for the girls to play all together before Lucy went home. Of corse they made the most of it but it was soon time to take Lucy back to her mummies after a kiss and a cuddle from Emily and Catherine.

With Lucy back in Oakham the house fell quite as Emily got on with her homework in the bedroom and Catherine went into the family room to watch some television and the played on the computer. She really wanted to go out on her bike but it was just too dark. The nights are really drawing in now and at the end of next month there will be hardly any time to play out after the clocks change. All too soon it was bedtime for Emily and Catherine off they went to the land of nod as I settled down to relax.

It has been a lovely day and I was glad that little Lucy said she wanted to go to the museum again. It just gives something else we can do and given it is free other than what you can afford it is ideal. Personally I wonder how you get involved. If I had the time then doing something for them would be a worth while thing to do. It is like someone needs to take care of the museum and add extra enthusiasm and energy to the place and I could do that!

Save RAF Cottesmore

If you haven't seen the news in ages or just forgotten all that has been going on then you might not know that RAF Cottesmore is closing in a few years time. If you are on Facebook you a can help by joining this group.

Link - Save RAF Cottesmore Campaign

I know I will miss the sound of the aircraft if they close the base. It will be a sad loss for Rutland and the end to many years of the RAF being based in Rutland.