Wattisham 1991 74 sqdn & Czech a/f arrival

[Gary West]

I was travelling down the A12 the day this lot arrived at Wattisham - didn't realise it but I suddenly saw this large formation heading in from the coast so diverted to Wattisham and there they were all lined up on the pan.

You were a very good boy in your last life Terry, clearly.

[duran212]

Fantastc shots Terry. You are a jammy so-and-so !!!!!

[Unknown74]

Hi guys, I saw the Czechs which were on Static at Fairford, can't remember staying for the MiG Flying - I had just finished/ left School to start at College and my dad wanted to treat me so we went for a small Aviation Tour around England so we started off at Scampton, then went to Duxford, Mildenhall, Lakenheath followed by Hendon, Heathrow, Brize Norton, Benson, Abingdon (not in that order I might add) before ending up before heading back to Scotland by going to IAT 91 at Fairford, gotta say I've only been to 2 ('91 and '93) and that '91 was my favourite of the 2. If only I'd known I would have tried to have got to Wattisham to see these guys before seeing them at Fairford, which day that week did they actually arrive?

[Snoop 95]

I was working at Wattisham that day and had a look round 56 Sqn HAS complex. Two of their F4's (and two of 74 Sqn) were going up to intercept the Czechs over the North Sea on handover from Holland and one of the P/R guys said to me give me your camera and I'll see if one of the back-seaters will do some air-to-air photos for you. Having got my hopes up he came back after a short time and said that he'd sfounf out who they were and he wasn't even going bother asking as he knew the response he'd get!
Think there were 2 Mig 29's, 2 Mig 23's, 2 L 29's a Tu134 and their Hercules equivalent.
Have to say that after 50 years being petrified of Warsaw Pact jets coming over here, I was a little uncomfortable seeing four of them land at Wattisham! Not 100% used to the idea yet!

D