The 'Introduce yourself' Thread

Hello Diego, welcome to AiX. I think that you are our first member from South America. What has made you interested in British airfield architecture?

I will love to build a TACR..!

TACR 1 or 2 ??

1, those are a couple of samples... correct? dedox

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Thanks for the welcome! Glad to be the first memebr that hails from these exotic lands... in fact I'm a regular modeller, with a preference for WW1 and "Golden Age" aircraft and a side interest in WW2. Currently I'm a bit burned up of making multi-wing aircraft and wanted to try something else. I picked an Airfix Austin ambulance kit, to make company to my prior model of a Ford Model T ambulance, but soon realized that the best way to display it would be to make as well other Airfix kit, the RAF control Tower, and put the bloody thing parked at the entrance door.
I got the kit, that has no interior details whatsoever (I love to detail cockpit interiors, so this is a smorgasbord of tiny detail opportunities) and then as I researched I realized that the shapes of the kit weren't exactly faithful to real watch tower designs and that the placement of windows and doors do little help to show off the innner bits. So I looked for a compromise: show a plausible architecture, yet optimize the chances of peeking what's going on inside. Here I attach a sketch I made of the possible interior arrangement, and after this, I choose which rooms shall be "closed" (empty) and which ones should have open windows or even new windows cut on the walls. More on this later, perhaps in a new thread!
[IMG]/community/113486=10458-control tower.jpg[/img]

Hello - I have an interest in airfield history relating to those in the vicinity of Braintree in Essex -

Earls ColneWethersfieldAndrewsfieldGt DunmowRivenhallRidgewellGosfieldGt SampfordDebdenBoreham

[IMG]/community/113631=10475-Screenshot from 2012-10-28 05:20:22.png[/img]

I am especially interested in Gt Sampford (Sampford landing ground as it appears to have been known) as my Grandfather Herbert Overall was involved in the construction whilst working for Frederick J French Ltd. building contractors.

regards Kev

Welcome to AiX 1skitty1, you are a bit far west to be able to visit the Essex airfields but most, if not all, feature in discussion threads here on AiX; just use the Search box.

Great Sampford was always a grass airfield although it did have (and still has) a paved perimeter track, a few hardstandings and some Blister Hangars but only temporary accommodation. Very little left to see unless you know otherwise.

I do remember visiting the airfield in the mid-60s when the farmer ploughed up a couple of practice bombs. How they got to be there is another wartime mystery! I was on RAF BD at Debden then.

Thanks. I am finding that is true. The site seems to have been Maintenance Unit MU1. Thanks to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I now have a good ordnance map of the buildings in 1951. That has given me a clear map of the area. One brick building is still there. Not being on the spot I cannot visit it. I have asked for help in the local Thomas Tallis School where there is said to be a Blue Plaque about the site being an RAF Base.

So I a making some progress. I hope to get over the UK soon and will be visiting a lot of archives on the issue.

Thanks to all

Peter

Thanks for the hints. I have indeed been using Wikipedia and geograph. The latter revealed a recent photo of an abandoned red brick building on the site. www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2640269

Not being able to visit the site in person I am trying to enlist the local school to help me log buildings etc. on the site. I expect to get over to the UK soon to follow up the research.

It seems there is a Blue Plaque put up inside the Thomas Tallis School on the site of RAF Kidbrooke that mentions it is on the RAF site. I have asked for a photo of it.

I am also in comms with a planner at Greenwich Borough.

I will indeed try the Southwark link. Collecting maps and detail of use of the site is a current research drive of mine.

Thanks.

PeterS