The 'Introduce yourself' Thread

Yes, OTAN is the French equivalent to NATO.
It is the abbreviation for: Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord

Heinz

Just a quick Hi,

New to the forum. I am a 40something year old engineer (of the computer hardware type unfortunately), who lives in Gloucestershire. Cirencester to be a little more precise, which if you don't know it is situated between and very close to active RAF Fairford and Kemble airfields. Just a few miles north of me is disused Chedworth airfield, which is why I signed up here.. I have been looking for a bit more information about that site and kept coming across this forum on my net searches. Will post in the relevant section in due course

I don't considered myself an expert in airfields existing or disused, but have a general interest in nosing around such disused places when I get a few minutes here and there. In the summer due to my location I am party to quite a few flyover treats with air shows taking place both sides of the town

Rgds,
Neal (Gackt, or whatever you want to call me)

Hi Neal, welcome aboard. You'll find people of varying expertise on here. Some seem to know absolutely everything and others like me, who after 5 years, are still only beginning to learn. I'll be headed down your way in May for the ARG visit to Yeovilton and will try and take in some local disused sites like Filton and Westernzoyland. Should be a cracking couple of days!

Thank you for the welcome Bigbear.

Gackt;158054 wrote:

In the summer due to my location I am party to quite a few flyover treats with air shows taking place both sides of the town

Rgds,
Neal (Gackt, or whatever you want to call me)

You lucky chap! I live in a village near to Duxford and apart from occasional visits (free with a "Friends of IWM" card) I greatly enjoy the air display flyovers. Unfortunately, some of my fellow-villagers are forever complaining about the noise and Duxford now tend to route the mass flights away from the villages. Ah well, there are always some killjoys around - including my brother-in-law who lives just north of Biggin Hill and is always grumbling about the aircraft. Too young to have done national-service in a flying unit!

Enjoy the forum!

Martin

Welcome to AiX Neil.

Chedworth is an odd airfield in the WW2 scheme. I used to nose around there as an aside when visiting the Roman Villa to the north but that was in the early '60s when I was based with the RAF at Gaydon.

Any images from your visits should be welcome.

Thank you for the warm welcomes everyone.

Hi Gackt/Neal - another Neil here

I think we're about the same age and I lived in Northleach though used to explore Chedworth a lot (and still do when I'm over). I remember the Scout hut as we used to do exchange camps with the Chedworth troop. The old hut was the station armoury and we'd occasionally turn up live .303 rounds which would turn our parents white.

I think it was almost right of passage growing up near there that you had to learn to drive on the runways and my mate and I also used to take our CBs up there.

Hi,

I am interested in any detail you have on the ground plan ans use of buildings for WW2 RAF Kidbrooke station. I have written a longish history of No1 Balloon Command there and researched the site to establish where V1s actually landed. My father Cpl Henry Sydenham was the only person who was not killed when one hit his hut.

I have the information on Barrage balloon site layouts from my copy of RAF, "The Royal Airforce Builds for War" HMSO 1997. If you have more in your book I would appreciate how much; it is beyond budget to buy a copy and will need to chase up a library copy.

Hope you can help

PeterS, Australia.

Paul wrote:

Hi, I am Norwichpaul, infamous for the book 'British Military Airfield Architecture'. I have made a study of airfield buildings since c.1976 and since 1994, have been using this knowledge as an income. I am self-employed and get much of my work from Defence Estates, EH, and developers.

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This is me waiting for the 'All Clear' inside a restored basement refuge underneath one of the NCO's bedrooms of a type 8/84 Barrack Block at West Raynham. I might be there some time!

I have a few web sites, four of interest are:

www.rafalconbury.4t.com/

www.rafupperheyford.4t.com/

s133.photobucket.com/albums/q51/norwichpaul/

s152.photobucket.com/albums/s167 ... ry-europe/

The Alconbury and UH sites are not updated anymore as they are ancient, but I add pics all the time to the photobucket sites. Anyone with questions regarding airfield buildings - just ask. These days I am more interested in airfields and army barracks in Europe though.