TTTE

[roughcutter]

Some images of the Cottesmore residents, taken from a morning visit in May 89 (apologies for the miniatures- could only afford Fujichrome at the time );
101 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

202 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

303 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

401 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

502 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

603 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

704 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

801 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

902 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1003 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1104 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1201 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1302 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1403 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

[Fibrous Freddie]

Lovely. shots... The jet looks so different without tanks/stores etc.

[Petepilot]

Lovely. shots... The jet looks so different without tanks/stores etc.

You must be a mind-reader: exactly what I was thinking, they do look different!

[F3]

Nice to see some Cottesmore birds again. Were nt we lucky to have TTTE based over here! Their annual air show was one of the best around. Sadly I only got to one as they usually clashed with Coningsby which was one of our regulars.

[roughcutter]

Cheers guys The wonderful thing about Cottesmore were the diversity of visitors that frequented the base, especially F-104G's, I used to read the reports about them in BARG. Unfortunately (for me personally) it never seemed to happen whenever I visited - luck of the draw I guess. I certainly made up for this shortfall at the annual 'Families Day'. And that was something else, there was always a plethora of interesting visitors turning up for these events (which you would never see at the regular shows), and all for free. All it took to acquire an admission pass, was a nice letter to the PRO. In fact I wrote to him so often, that I ultimately ended up on his mailing list, receiving a pass automatically every year. The crazy thing was that one pass equated to one vehicle - didn't matter if it was a moped or a fifty two seater coach Could you imagine that in this day & age?

[roughcutter]

Here's a few more ;
1504 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1601 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1702 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1803 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

1904 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

2001 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr
2102 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

2203 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

[Sparts99]

Were all the airframes in national markings or was there a specific TTTE colour scheme?

[Nighthawke]

Standard camo and national markings for each country, code on tail (B-Britain, G-Germany, I-Italy). Small badge on fin for TTTE squadron (A,B,C or S).

[Proteus]

A fantastic “blast from the past”. Thank you.

[Hunter49]

Great days went many times open days and various other events, great days , and food ITALIAN, GERMAN AND BRIT, What great days its Very rare now for the few bases wanting the public on bases, , no more, ROB

[Nighthawke]

The big problem is security. Terrorism has been the downfall of access - mainly 9/11 but before that it started with the Mill Hill bombing in 1988. Gates were not always manned 24/7 until then after which it was armed guards with loaded weapons.

[Knife 04]

Great scans and subject matter - nice one Mark

[Sparts99]

Standard camo and national markings for each country, code on tail (B-Britain, G-Germany, I-Italy). Small badge on fin for TTTE squadron (A,B,C or S).

not long after TTTE started operating we were on a family holiday on the Norfolk Broads. A Tornado flew over very low but not very fast, I got a clear view, looked like it had roundels similar to the one applied to the TriPartite Kestrels of the 1960s. I assumed it was TTTE at the time, maybe not?

[Thunder]

The big problem is security. Terrorism has been the downfall of access - mainly 9/11 but before that it started with the Mill Hill bombing in 1988. Gates were not always manned 24/7 until then after which it was armed guards with loaded weapons.

Security due to terrorism is only part of the story, bear in mind Britain was in the grips of terror throughout the 70’, 80’s and into the 90’s from across the Irish Sea. Biggest factor is H&S and the cost of insurance for such events, combined with lack of manpower due to operational commitments and the reluctance of whatever manpower that is available to give up a weekend. The majority of Air shows don’t generate money and no one is going to run at a loss.

[Mustang531]

Some great shots and memories here. If I was heading north I always stopped off at Cottesmore to see what was about. I also attended a few Families Days, as said, great events and interesting visitors such as PD808s, Piaggio P.166 and German Hansa Jets. I think it's where I got my first close up view of a Luftwaffe MiG29. Thanks for sharing these with us.

[roughcutter]

A few souvenirs from those heady days, to get a beer from the Germans, you had to purchase a tankard from them
cottesmore by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

[roughcutter]

Afterwards we headed over to Coningsby to see the locals and the JaBo-31 deployment, and were delighted to catch a visiting 43 Sqn Phantom taxiing out (my last one);
2301 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

2402 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

2504 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

2601 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

2803 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

2901 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr
3002 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr
3104 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

3202 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr
3303 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

3401 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

3502 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

3603 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

3704 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

3903 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr
4001 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr
4102 by Mark Lewis, on Flickr

Enjoy

[3Greens]

Great TTTE selection Mark
Such a great vantage spot for photography on that bend in the lane.
Tornado's would often depart low level up the Trent Valley crossing the river near the Humber Bridge, then low level around North Yorkshire or Scotland before making approaches into Binbrook before recovering back into Cottesmore... almost daily
Thanks for posting

3Greens

[roughcutter]

I never realised until late that you could actually access the end of the runway at Cottesmore via a (hidden) footpath. Fortunately I managed to get there in the end, before the Harriers were axed. Thanks for the feedback guys, I've been meaning to do this one for ages. More to come...

[paddyboy]

Hi Mark

What a stunning set of a true legend of an aircraft

Then you go and throw some Tooms into the mix

Thanks for posting

Paddyboy

PS: I was a regular Fujichrome user too