Tuesday the 8th of November 2022 brought two of the oldest and most important professions together with our annual visit and presentation at RAF Waddington, the Farmers that feed the nation and the RAF that defend the nation.
The day commenced with a very warm and informative presentation from the Station Commander Group Captain Mark Lorriman-Hughes, who briefed us on many interesting facts about the base, which is home to around 3500 service personnel and, as one of the RAF’s busiest stations, the hub of UK Intelligence.
During his tenure, the base has already welcomed the Red Arrows, who have recently transferred from RAF Scampton. We were then briefed on plans to improve their single persons accommodation which dates back to the 1940’s and 50’s to equal that of modern University Students Accommodation, but all the quotes are coming in at double what they have budgeted for and so there would inevitably have to be some cut backs, a great example of how input cost inflation is affecting everyone!
Bird strike is an ongoing H&S issue, and to help combat this, the entire air field has recently been reseeded after discovering that the existing grass was infested with Leatherjackets which were attracting the birds. Providing that you don’t count the cost of aviation fuel as this is an essential requirement, this will help the base reach their target of Carbon Net Zero, as the new variety of grass (Fescue) is deeper rooting and so will store more carbon!
We then moved onto the awards ceremony, following the reading of the citation of the winner, the Master then presented the award to Senior Air Traffic Control Officer (SATCO) David Pickard, along with a keep sake, both of which were sponsored by Liveryman Tony Ireland.
The Master with Senior Air Traffic Control Officer David Pickard
After enjoying a three-course lunch, we then split into two parties for a tour of the control tower and the station’s Vulcan bomber.
The control tower was staffed by four personnel who are responsible for all air traffic movements in the area, as well as ground movements on the base and road traffic on the adjacent A15, where traffic lights are located which are put on red every time an aircraft is coming into land. We were very lucky to witness an F-35 Lightening Aircraft, which is one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, coming in for a test landing.
All Pilots regularly carry out practice landings as part of their training, at the same time we also witnessed the potential issue of Bird Strike by seeing a flock of Gulls feasting on hopefully the last remaining leather jackets.
We were then briefed on the base’s history with the Vulcan. Waddington was the first base to receive the ground breaking Vulcan Bomber in 1957 with No 83 Squadron. The base’s last remaining Vulcan XM 607 is one of the most famous after carrying out the bombing of the runway in Port Stanley during the Falkland Islands War. The aircraft is currently being restored for ground use only by a small but very enthusiastic team of volunteers, who have just six months of Hanger space in which to complete the task. We look forwards to seeing the results.
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