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The
main entrance to the Technical Site at RAF Bentwaters, taken through
the locked gates, 20 July 1997 |
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The rather
overgrown and shabby entrance to the domestic site. Behind the trees,
the long low greenish building was the PX/BX. |
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The Mission
Support Building |
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This
is a panorama from "Commie Corner" - it is a composite from
three pix, starting on the left by the AGE buildings. Click on
the small image to see the big picture - you'll need to scroll across. |
AGE Maintenance Office & Hangar 74
Shots taken through the perimeter fence just
by Wantisden Church.
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The AGE Maintenance
Office with the JEM shop behind. |
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In the background
is Hangar 74 - PMS. |
Contributed
information about the pix above: |
| Ron Burrell: |
The
pictures are of the AGE branch office, the small brick building. The
green building in back of the AGE branch was the engine maintenance
shop. That's where the A-10 engines were maintained. The other older
looking building across the way was the fabrication/welding/sheet metal
shops and mobility center.
The building in photo is the Aerospace Ground Equipment Branch office
(AGE). The large building behind it was the Jet Engine Shop. Both were
part of the 81st Equipment Maintenance Squadron in the 1980's and 90's.
Back in 1960, it was then part of the 81st Maintenance Squadron where
the Voodoo maintenance men did their magic. |
| Rob Hopkins: |
The
green hangar in the picture is Hangar 74. This hangar was used for Phase
inspections, heavy maintenance and the transfer of the A-10s to Spangdahlem
AB, Germany prior to closure.
The brick building on this side of the hangar housed the sheet metal
and welding shops. On the other side of the hangar is a similar brick
building. This building contained the Metal shop and NDI.
The corner you shot the picture from which captured the AGE Office and
Hangar is called commie corner. A lot of Blokes took pictures there
of A-10s and anything else that flew into Bentwaters (which was a lot
of jets and props). |
| Chuck Dalldorf: |
The
hangar shown is Hangar 74, which was utilized by the 81st
Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS) on F-4D Fighter aircraft. The hanger
was used for routine, scheduled phased inspections and several of the
81st FMS shops used the hanger including aircraft hydraulics/pneudraulics,
A/R, sheetmetal, tire shop, and aircraft fuel systems repair.
I was stationed at B/W from 1977-1981 in the 81st FMS as
an aircraft fuel systems mechanic. When the A-10A aircraft arrived and
the number of fighter squadrons increased to five between the twin bases,
our squadron became the 81st Equipment Maintenance Squadron
(EMS). Hangar 74 continued to provide maintenance support to the same
functions on the A-10As as it did for the F-4Ds. |
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The overgrown
baseball (softball?) diamond and bleachers outside the 81st TFW Support
Building, at the Tunstall end of the base. |