Alert Sheds

Hi,

Thought I'd post these screenshots of my flight simulator versions of the three Alert Sheds that where built for Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) at Leuchars, Binbrook and Wattisham.







Stevo

Leuchars looks all right to me.

What you guys can do with the computer is great. I took the measurement of the 'Binny' QRA shed but ran out of daylight for the crew quarters. managed to draw the plan for the sheds but just wonder if the crew accom. would still be there and wonder how much they may have been altered.
Are there official plans available for such buildings ??

The QRA screenshots are absolutely amazing.

If I dare be a tiny bit trivial, Wattisham's shed had an interconnecting single door between the bays at the front of the shed to allow access without going outside. There was also a small internal room/lockup inside adjacent to the centre of each bay where loose items were stored. During Xmas 73, it also contained approx 15 1ltr bottles of rather strong homebrew - it was a huge fridge!

That Q Shed at Wattisham looks good but when I was there [29 Sqn] 67-69 there was no Camo on the Hangars, the shed is now at Bruntingthorpe.

Imagine spending one whole week in that accommodation, at the end of the runway with only breaks for meals, all for no extra dosh, I can't imagine doing that in todays 'grab society' !

During Xmas 73, it also contained approx 15 1ltr bottles of rather strong homebrew - it was a huge fridge!

That's all we need! Drunk in charge of defence of the Nation!

"Imagine spending one whole week in that accommodation, at the end of the runway with only breaks for meals,"

"That's all we need! Drunk in charge of defence of the Nation!"

One week? we did two and as for breaks for meals, we were even refused access to the Xmas lunch because we wore normal working uniform - too unsightly! The homebrew only served to dampen (not drown) our sorrows.

We also flew on Boxing Day.

Happy days

If memory serves me well, they were known as QRA Hangers by service personell. MOD may well have called them something else. I did my time in the Leuchars ones shortly after they were errected (Lightning era) but only had one 'scramble'. I don't recall having been there for a week, but my memory isn't what it was.

Cheers, Doug

I feel an anecdote coming on.

I did 'time' on QRA on a 'Middle East Airfield' where the crew accommodation was underground and connected to the surface QRA shed by a staircase.

On one shift, one of the pilots gave me a package of 'sealed orders' and asked me to put them 'in the safe downstairs'. 'What safe' says I looking puzzled. 'The one in the wall at the end of the pilots rest room' says he.

I had never been in their room so went down and found a square red painted steel door set in the wall as described. Upon opening it by turning a sturdy steel handle I found a short heading with a ladder leading to a surface hatch. It was the emergency exit!