Eye
EYE: Military aerodrome later gliding site
The first two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©. The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
Military users: 8th USAAF 93rd Bombardment Wing 490th Bomb Group
848, 849, 850 & 851 Sqdns (Boeing B-17 Fortresses)
Operated by: 1980s: Eye Fly Gliding Club
Location: W of B1077, E of A140, 1nm NW of Eye, SW of Brome and NE of Yaxley, 10nm NNE of Stowmarket
Period of operation: Military: 1944 to 1945 Civil: 1980s only?
Runways: 03/21 1829x46 hard 09/27 1280x46 hard
14/32 1280x46 hard
NOTES: Hardly remembered today and only operational for a year or so. Why was so much effort, materials and money apparently squandered on many aerodromes for the USAAF which they barely used in operational time terms and when it seemed pretty clear the war in Europe was coming to a close? Evidently the US government insisted on far better conditions for their airmen than most of the British forces had to endure.
EYE was a typical example of this and it is interesting, (I think), that this USAAF base had 2894 personnel on station in late 1944. This number of people exceeds by several hundred even major RAF bomber bases of the period. I suppose the answer is that having got this vast ‘war machine’ into action it was nigh on impossible to make ‘last minute’ alterations and I suppose this is understandable given the circumstances.
And of course, until recent years when the money started running out, the military have always been hopeless at managing their affairs in terms of resources and seemingly gloried in their traditional abilities to waste resources at every level - be it in human, material or financial matters.
A TWO DAY FLY-IN 1982
In December 2021 I was kindly contacted by Mr Martin Pole, who has provided this information. On the 25th and 26th September 1982, a two-day Fly-in had been arranged by 1331 Squadron, Air Training Corps. The map, presumably based on an example published by Pooley's was prepared for the event. Three aircraft from LUTON attended, these being: Cessna 172 G-BIOB, (flown by Martin), Cessna 152 G-BFHT and the Piper Turbo Arrow N2896B.
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