Dummy Decks

Having read the Stretton thread about the Dummy Deck on the runway, this has prompted me to ask what other airfields had them?

I know there was one at Henstridge (HMS Dipper), Somerset as well.

Arbroath, East Haven and Henstridge had full ADDL (Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landing) facilities, with arrester wires and associated carrier equipment.

I think it's possible that several other stations had a section of runway marked out appropriately, but without the hardware. Stretton may have been one of these. Any further info on the latter ?

Culdrose has one for deck handling training for the Invincible Class carriers. I have a few photos of it from when went there in 1996 with the Sea Cadets.

I think Yeovilton probably has one as well.

Yeovilton has got a ski-jump deck they use, I think it is still there as I couldn't see it last week when I was there.

REF wrote:

Yeovilton has got a ski-jump deck they use, I think it is still there as I couldn't see it last week when I was there.

So does Wittering

Probably wide of the mark here but didn't Farnborough have a ski-jump for the very early trials of that system? Perhaps I should dig through some of the old magazines at some point!

Chris

Cheers Peter - I thought I hadn't dreamed it. Somewhere about I've a picture of it though where eludes me at the moment!

Chris

Culdrose has always had a dummy deck for the School of Aircraft Handling and is to teach deck crews to handle and marshall aircraft on a busy carrier deck. A good friend of mine is employed purely to drive Harriers around on the ground.
This is distinct from Stretton where pilots would use the dummy deck to practice landing on to a carrier.

I thought the Yeovilton ski jump had been removed, especially as it hasn't operated Harriers for a while now. The FAA share RAF GR.9s at Wittering and Cottesmore now.

I thought I couldn't see it at Yeovilton, but then I hadn't been for years so I could have been looking in the wrong direction!!

Is there a ski jump at Wittering / Cottesmore in that case?