RAF Boulmer Visit
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2 Boulmer 'Gate-gaurdian'
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3 Boulmer
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4 Boulmer 'Checking in'
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5 'Search & Rescue'
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6 'The Cottage'
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7 Boulmer 'Ops Room'
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8 'Listening and Watching'
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Boulmer 1
Whitley Bay Rotarians with friends and partners were recently given the opportunity of a guided tour to see the facilities at RAF Boulmer, a visit which was arranged by senior vice president David Wilkinson and his committee.
The base opens to the public for just three days a year and allowed our club the opportunity to see what goes on in deepest Northumberland!
The base, located near the picturesque market town of Alnwick, is surrounded by beautiful countryside with a stunning coastline and the magnificent Bamburgh Castle on its doorstep. However, none of us had realised what a vast space the base covered as we travelled from area to area in our requisitioned coach for the day, or indeed what secrets would be revealed to us.
RAF Boulmer has three areas of responsibility -
• UK headquarters of the Air Surveillance and Control System Force
• School of Aerospace Battle Management
• Search and Rescue.
The base opens to the public for just three days a year and allowed our club the opportunity to see what goes on in deepest Northumberland!
The base, located near the picturesque market town of Alnwick, is surrounded by beautiful countryside with a stunning coastline and the magnificent Bamburgh Castle on its doorstep. However, none of us had realised what a vast space the base covered as we travelled from area to area in our requisitioned coach for the day, or indeed what secrets would be revealed to us.
RAF Boulmer has three areas of responsibility -
• UK headquarters of the Air Surveillance and Control System Force
• School of Aerospace Battle Management
• Search and Rescue.
The base is principally the UK headquarters of the Air Surveillance and Control System Force, which uses ground based military and civilian radar to compile the recognisable 'Air Picture' of the United Kingdom airspace. Every airplane whether civil or military, that uses UK airspace has its flight movements plotted and checked through Boulmer and so it establishes and monitors any unauthorised entry into UK airspace.
The base is operational for 365 days a year and acts as the tactical control centre for the Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons at RAF Leuchars and RAF Coningsby, from which aircraft are launched to intercept unidentified aircraft.
RAF Boulmer also houses the RAF School of Aerospace Battle Management. This has over 700 students attending one of the 17 different courses each year. The school is recognised worldwide as centre of training excellence, providing UK Armed Forces, NATO and other foreign military personnel teaching in Aerospace Battle Management.
In addition to all the activities on the base Boulmer is also home to ''A' Flight 202 Squadron Search and Rescue'. This squadron is ready to scramble every day of the year in support of military or civilian personnel who find themselves in distress on the land or at sea. For many of us living at the coast in Whitley Bay, these yellow helicopters are a familiar sight.
Once we had registered on the base, our names and cars identified, we were given our special ID badges for the day which commenced with a fascinating slide introduction by the Senior Operations Manager before we were split into smaller groups and moved into 'The Cottage'.
This was the entrance to the underground bunker and the working hub of the base. 'The Cottage' was nicknamed during the cold war when dozens of personnel would be seen to mysteriously enter and disappear into this tiny Northumbrian 'cottage'! Deep underground, we were treated to a visual explanation of how the radar tracking systems were used to scan and cover all the UK airspace.
Boulmer houses this mind boggling room of personnel and computer screens, deftly scrutinising the UK air space and monitoring the activity of any unauthorised or unidentified aircraft possibly about to cross our borders.
The base is operational for 365 days a year and acts as the tactical control centre for the Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons at RAF Leuchars and RAF Coningsby, from which aircraft are launched to intercept unidentified aircraft.
RAF Boulmer also houses the RAF School of Aerospace Battle Management. This has over 700 students attending one of the 17 different courses each year. The school is recognised worldwide as centre of training excellence, providing UK Armed Forces, NATO and other foreign military personnel teaching in Aerospace Battle Management.
In addition to all the activities on the base Boulmer is also home to ''A' Flight 202 Squadron Search and Rescue'. This squadron is ready to scramble every day of the year in support of military or civilian personnel who find themselves in distress on the land or at sea. For many of us living at the coast in Whitley Bay, these yellow helicopters are a familiar sight.
Once we had registered on the base, our names and cars identified, we were given our special ID badges for the day which commenced with a fascinating slide introduction by the Senior Operations Manager before we were split into smaller groups and moved into 'The Cottage'.
This was the entrance to the underground bunker and the working hub of the base. 'The Cottage' was nicknamed during the cold war when dozens of personnel would be seen to mysteriously enter and disappear into this tiny Northumbrian 'cottage'! Deep underground, we were treated to a visual explanation of how the radar tracking systems were used to scan and cover all the UK airspace.
Boulmer houses this mind boggling room of personnel and computer screens, deftly scrutinising the UK air space and monitoring the activity of any unauthorised or unidentified aircraft possibly about to cross our borders.
After a superb lunch of fish and chips in the officers' mess, our next stop was the School of Aerospace and Battle Management. There in the well equipped and professional looking school, the training facilities were expertly explained to us.
This included a fascinating explanation of the historical development of our Radar Defence System, which since its invention in the second World War appeared to continue to use the same basic principals created by its inventor Hugh Downing seventy years ago.
As our club member Stan, an ex-wartime Mosquito navigator explained, "It was an interesting experience to see the advances in technology and to discover that many of the personnel nicknames hadn't changed that much!"
This included a fascinating explanation of the historical development of our Radar Defence System, which since its invention in the second World War appeared to continue to use the same basic principals created by its inventor Hugh Downing seventy years ago.
As our club member Stan, an ex-wartime Mosquito navigator explained, "It was an interesting experience to see the advances in technology and to discover that many of the personnel nicknames hadn't changed that much!"
Finally, to complete the school presentation we were shown a 'real' floor projected enactment - a war game scenario of how all the modern day technology might actually be used to neutralise a potential aggressor.
At about 3.15pm we left the training school and returned to our cars, grateful that we didn't have to resolve the war problem projected on the floor and even more grateful to all those Boulmer trained experts who did!
At about 3.15pm we left the training school and returned to our cars, grateful that we didn't have to resolve the war problem projected on the floor and even more grateful to all those Boulmer trained experts who did!
Our thanks must go to all the personnel that showed such an interest in our visit and in particular, our two guides for the day Kim and Anne, whose patience we probably tested!!
Many thanks to RAF Boulmer for all your kind, longsuffering and courteous attention to all of us.
Many thanks to RAF Boulmer for all your kind, longsuffering and courteous attention to all of us.
If you are interested in finding out more about Whitley Bay Rotary Club, please contact us either on enquiries@whitleybayrotaryclub.co.uk or by telephoning 07419 736989.
