Aerial shots of military runways in Ireland

[Frank]

In response to a question asked in another post, here's a link to an aerial shot of Finner Camp, complete with runway:

http://ims0.osiemaps.ie/website/publicviewer/main.aspx#V1,584285,860475,7

And seeing as we're at it...

Baldonnel:
http://ims0.osiemaps.ie/website/publicviewer/main.aspx#V1,703409,728950,6

Gormanston:
http://ims0.osiemaps.ie/website/publicviewer/main.aspx#V1,716958,767686,6

And before someone quotes Operational Security (OPSEC), the links are directly to the Ordnance Survey Ireland website. Doesn't get much more official than that.


Regards,

Frank.

[Fouga]

You dont miss a beat do you Frank, thanks very much.

[Frank]

I am the man 

Seriously though, no problem!

[Frank]

And for more detailed shots of Baldonnel:

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&where1=Casement%20Aerodrome%2C%20Ireland&encType=1

Select "Birds Eye" from the "Aerial" menu for a better look.


Regards,

Frank.

[Lootenant Pigeon]

Thanks Frank. Interesting that on the Gormanstown pics you can still see the grass outline shadows of what are obviously two old runways where the grass or whatever has grown in a different pattern thereby revealing them. Yes, I know, I do need to get out a bit more. Am I correct in thinking that Balbriggan is the old name for Gormanstown and that its actually the same place / airfield ?

[pym]

Can anyone identify the aircraft carcass' used for fire training?

What's rather interesting is that there's a chunk of Gazelle strewn nearby it

I think North of that may be the HF antenna for the Casa

Now for the real dunderheaded question:

What is the purpose of the circular tarmac patches on the sides of the runway ends? They seem a bit on the small side for an aircraft to do a turn (maybe not Cessna's or the PC-9's) - but is that their purpose? Or for vehicles... or maybe that emergency braking net they use at other military airfields abroad?

[Frank]

I was told before what the carcass was but I can't remember for the life of me, I think it's a small member of the Airbus family.

The Gazelle airframe is the one that was written off in a hard landing a few years back.

Not sure about the CASA HF antenna either.

As for the patches at the end of the runway, not a clue either, alert pads maybe?

[Frank]

Not to leave our Northern friends out:

City of Derry Airport, formerly RAF / RNAS Eglington

RAF Ballykelly / Shackleton Barracks

RAF Long Kesh (Turn on "Aerial View" and zoom in) This is now the Maze Prison but you can still see the outlines of runways and some taxiways are still present. There is also an aviation museum in here now.

RAF Aldergrove

[Lootenant Pigeon]

Thanks Frank.

[Irish251]

Not to leave our Northern friends out:

City of Derry Airport, formerly RAF Eglington

Frank

Just for the record, Eglinton was Royal Navy, so it was RNAS Eglinton.

SF

[Frank]

I Googled it before I posted and it came up as RAF. I'm hanging my head in shame as I type!

[Irish251]

Now for the real dunderheaded question:

What is the purpose of the circular tarmac patches on the sides of the runway ends? They seem a bit on the small side for an aircraft to do a turn (maybe not Cessna's or the PC-9's) - but is that their purpose? Or for vehicles... or maybe that emergency braking net they use at other military airfields abroad?

I had understood that these were originally provided as "alert pads" to allow aircraft to be positioned for rapid takeoffs.  However I've never seen anything to state this authoritatively and as Ireland has not, for several decades, had any aircraft that could be described as an interceptor, I wonder if they have ever been used for this purpose.

[Joe McDermott]

Here's a view of the disused runway at Gormanston Air Station as it was known, taken May 2008. Pity about the glare off the plexiglass.   

Joe

[Tony Kearns]

I Googled it before I posted and it came up as RAF. I'm hanging my head in shame as I type!

Hi Frank, no need to hang your head in shame. It was built originally as an RAF Station for Coastal Command Ops but used by RAF fighters and then later by the USAAF. It went on loan to the Royal Navy in May 1943. Ironically I believe that the first aircraft at Eglinton was a FAA aircraft, a Fairey Fulmar N4072 of 804 Sqn.  and flown by  Sub. Lt. ( Dapper) Birrell and TAG Leading Airman Sykes (Observer) which landed on 27 August 1941 low on fuel. It had been launched from the CAM Ship Ariguani to pursue a FW200 and chased it for 40 or 50 miles. It made an emergency landing at Trymore Beach nr Rosberg, Co Donegal and took off again (claiming that he got some fuel) and landed at the incompleted Eglinton much to the annoyance of the senior RAF Type there, until he heard his story.
You are very naughty for putting the airfields up, if the paranoid thought police at IMO see it you will be severly dealt with, operational security and all that !
Happy New Year all
Tony K

[Frank]

Hi Tony,

Thanks as always for the update.

Regarding Operational Security... Some of the maps are publically available on the OSI website which is a Government department so I don't think they would have published them if there was a genuine security concern.

Now, if someone started saying what exactly was in each hangar and building there would be problems but until that happens lets not worry about it.


Regards,

Frank.