David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
The Nimrod aeroplane, in all its various guises, is no more.
The nine, long awaited, MRA4 variants have been cancelled and the base at R.A.F. Kinloss on the Moray coast will now close. I was involved with the Nimrod starting with the MR1 from almost the very start (for me from 1970) and from there, the Airbone Early Warning Mk3 as the Senior Engineer on test flying at Woodford from 1977 until 1979 , followed with MR2 until the mid 1990's in the Reserve. The aeroplane received a lot of attention where ever it went and also a lot of bad, often ill- informed press. It had its share of accidents - some through bad handling, some through bad financial decisions, and some through bad luck on the day.
For me, it was a fantastic aeroplane to have been involved with and to have flown in and I made many life long friends as a result of the Nimrod.
With the base closing it throws so many people on to the scrap heap - not just the guys on the squadrons, but even the local butcher, baker, and candlestick maker. Everyone in the immediate area around Morayshire will feel the closure of the base - local house prices will crash heavily as there will be so many for sale now. The R.A.F. had just ordered and built loads of new quarters and refurbished the older ones which complicates the problem.
I was at Kinloss and stayed in Forres last week for various other reasons and the sky was completely silent which to me was so eery. Normally the base had several Nimrod aeroplanes coming and going and doing circuits, and the adjacent fast jet base in Lossiemouth would be contributing to the noise with the Tornadoes and Sea King Helicopters.
I drove back to London via Inverness where I saw the remains of Nimrod
XV254 in the Dalcross Aviation Museum :
XV254 - Highland Aviation Museum British Aerospace Nimrod MR.2 Aircraft @ Airplane-Pictures.net
Even my wife thought it was very sad to see it in such a forlorn state.
Enough. It's gone forever now and something else will come along when the budget and times improve again. A new generation of young guys will step forward to become the new squadrons of the future facing new challenges and new threats we haven't even heard of yet.
For me it was a great period in my life.
The nine, long awaited, MRA4 variants have been cancelled and the base at R.A.F. Kinloss on the Moray coast will now close. I was involved with the Nimrod starting with the MR1 from almost the very start (for me from 1970) and from there, the Airbone Early Warning Mk3 as the Senior Engineer on test flying at Woodford from 1977 until 1979 , followed with MR2 until the mid 1990's in the Reserve. The aeroplane received a lot of attention where ever it went and also a lot of bad, often ill- informed press. It had its share of accidents - some through bad handling, some through bad financial decisions, and some through bad luck on the day.
For me, it was a fantastic aeroplane to have been involved with and to have flown in and I made many life long friends as a result of the Nimrod.
With the base closing it throws so many people on to the scrap heap - not just the guys on the squadrons, but even the local butcher, baker, and candlestick maker. Everyone in the immediate area around Morayshire will feel the closure of the base - local house prices will crash heavily as there will be so many for sale now. The R.A.F. had just ordered and built loads of new quarters and refurbished the older ones which complicates the problem.
I was at Kinloss and stayed in Forres last week for various other reasons and the sky was completely silent which to me was so eery. Normally the base had several Nimrod aeroplanes coming and going and doing circuits, and the adjacent fast jet base in Lossiemouth would be contributing to the noise with the Tornadoes and Sea King Helicopters.
I drove back to London via Inverness where I saw the remains of Nimrod
XV254 in the Dalcross Aviation Museum :
XV254 - Highland Aviation Museum British Aerospace Nimrod MR.2 Aircraft @ Airplane-Pictures.net
Even my wife thought it was very sad to see it in such a forlorn state.
Enough. It's gone forever now and something else will come along when the budget and times improve again. A new generation of young guys will step forward to become the new squadrons of the future facing new challenges and new threats we haven't even heard of yet.
For me it was a great period in my life.
