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Posted: 30 May 2006, 13:53
by T6flyer
I finally managed to get there on Sunday morning in AOP.9 XR241 and stayed over until Monday when I went home in the famous Auster G-AMMS. Weather was a lot better on Sunday and even better it didnt rain in the night (hate sleeping in a wet tent).
About 270 aeroplanes turned up on Sunday, but the conditions at Keevil were shall we say a little less than ideal with very uneven ground including some lovely nice holes into which aeroplanes kept falling into.
Unsure of how Monday went as we left quite early in the day due to the ever increasing wind speeds back home.
So the Pembroke there wasnt the AA one then? (suppose was the old Martin Willing one?).
Best wishes,
Martin
Posted: 30 May 2006, 15:19
by TobyV
I hadnt heard of Keevil before, looking on multimap, I see that all six runway ends are marked with "X"s, whats the status of the airfield?
Posted: 30 May 2006, 15:26
by Garry Russell
Nor had I Toby
I still don't know where it is
Garry
Posted: 30 May 2006, 15:31
by TobyV
Its just east of Trowbirdge in Wiltshire. From the looks of it, its a full-on WWII three runway with peritrack and dispersals layout. The three runways appear to be marked as closed at both ends though, although the site looks in good condition and not partitioned.
Posted: 30 May 2006, 15:40
by Garry Russell
Thanks Toby
Has it been closed a long time or was it in use under another name for a while?
Garry
Posted: 30 May 2006, 16:20
by TobyV
From Bones' UK Airfields site:
Final assembly and testing of Spitfires. Used until recently by Military and GA the airfield is mostly intact.
Posted: 30 May 2006, 17:21
by T6flyer
The Airfield is still home to a RAF/ATC Gliding School (saw that they still had a Eon and 3 Sedburghs in the silver with yellow band schemes - thought everyone flew Grobs these days) and a very busy civilian gliding school. Also used for trials and training work with Hercules and C-17s from Lyneham and Brize Norton.
There was during the war a MAP Spitfire factory to the north of the airfield which was linked to the site via a rather long taxiway. The building is still there today but is used as an industrial unit. Only buildings that seem to exist are the main glider hangar, a few admin blocks and the control tower.
It was also used as a base for Albemarles, Stirlings and Horsas prior to D-Day and Arnhem.
Martin