again for the 1988 edition with the base
receiving more than 60 USAFE ghter
aircraft from 12 squadrons.
Launching from their home bases, teams
of four aircraft, including F-111Fs from
Lakenheath, ew through the Spadeadam
electronic warfare range in northern England
before recovering to Lakenheath for the
debrief. An F-16C Fighting Falcon from the
313th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the
50th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at Hahn
AB, West Germany, mistakenly landed at
nearby RAF Mildenhall and the team was
disquali ed as a result. The aircraft all night-
stopped at Lakenheath with some leaving for
their home bases on the Saturday and the
rest on Monday.
I made an early-morning visit on
Sunday, May 1. They were parked on the
southeastern side of the base in the usual
area used for visiting aircraft – what a sight it
was to see so many USAFE ghters together.It was only a brief stop as I was en route
to RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, for a
photocall to raise funds for the restoration
work on the Airmens’ Chapel in Lincoln
Cathedral. There were 35 aircraft present,
including types from six nations. It was
primarily a static event although a Royal
Danish Air Force Sk.35XD Draken gave a
short display and an RAF Hercules C3P
performed a yby while on a test ight from
Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge.
An Air Force Reserve KC-135E
Stratotanker from the 336th Air Refueling
Squadron at March AFB, California,
was persuaded to undertake a practice
diversion while on a mission from
Mildenhall. It carried out a low ypast
down the runway, wheels up and boom
lowered. At the time there were no ying
units based at Waddington though four
Nimrod AEW.3s from the failed project were
in storage there.SPANISH PHANTOM
EXCHANGE
On the 3rd I made a short visit to RAF
Marham, Norfolk, where Spanish Air Force
F-4C Phantom IIs from Ala 12 at Torrejón Air
Base were undertaking a NATO exchange
with the Tornado GR1s of 27 Sqn. I also
logged a visiting RAF Germany (RAFG)
GR1 from 15 Sqn. At the time the base was
also home to GR1s of 617 Sqn and Victor
tankers of 55 Sqn.
The following day I headed up to a wet
and windy Lincolnshire to see the eight CF-
188 Hornets from the 1st Canadian Air Group
at Baden-Soellingen in West Germany that
were also undertaking an exchange with the
Tornado F3s of 229 Operational Conversion
Unit (OCU)/65 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF
Coningsby. The base was also home to
other F3 units – 5, 29 and the F3 Operational
Evaluation Unit – as well as of course the
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.78 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft May 2016By May 1988 the RAF only operated a single Victor squadron. This was 55 Sqn based at
Marham where XH671 is seen landing on the author’s visit to see the Spanish Phantoms.One of the more unusual NATO squadron exchanges in the 1980s to be seen in the UK was between the Spanish Air Force’s F-4Cs of Ala 12 and
27 Sqn ying the Tornado GR1 from RAF Marham. One of the Phantoms is pictured on approach to the Norfolk base on May 3.77-82_talesDCMFDC.indd 78 07/04/2016 17:24