Seething
SEETHING: Military aerodrome later civil aerodrome
Note: All three of these pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
The 2011 picture is especially interesting, presumably taken during a very dry period, as it clearly shows the WW2 layout of the runways.
Note. Picture scanned from Todays's Pilot magazine, March 2001.
Military user: WW2: 8th USAAF 20th Bombardment Wing 448th Bomb Group
712, 713, 714 & 715 Sqdns (Consolidated B-24 Liberators)
Note: It appears that a squadron of North American P-51 Mustangs were also based here. Can this be confirmed, and, if correct, which squadron was it?
Operated by: 1960s to 2000: Waveney Flying Group and in the 1990s up to 2001 at least .
From 1990 to 2004 (at least) then operated by Wing Task 95 Ltd
Location: In/near & S of Seething, E of the A144 (now the B1322?), WNW of Thwaite St Mary village, about 9nm SE of Norwich
Period of operation: Military 1943 to 1945. Civil from 1970s (?) to -
Note: These maps are reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways:
WW2: 07/25 1829x46 hard 01/19 1280x46 hard 12/30 1280x46 hard
1965: 07/25 914x46 hard 12/30 549x46 hard
1990: 06/24 874x23 hard
2000: 06/24 800x18 hard
NOTES: Another substantial USAAF bomber base with 2894 personnel on station in late 1944.
SEETHING today is seething with many light aircraft. Not so in 1976/77 though, In 1976 it seems only four GA aircraft were based here: The Auster J/I Autocrat G-AIPZ , DHC.1 Chipmunk G-AKDN, DH.82A Tiger Moth G-ANJA (N9389) and M.S.892A Rallye Commodore G-AYES of the Waveney Flying Group.
A REVELATION
When I first flew in here in 1993 I was astonished to find a possibly unique, but thoroughly practical and easily moveable, (I think it was powered by an electric motor), circular and almost multi-layered ‘carousel’ type arrangement for storing aircraft in one of the hangars at least. A brilliant idea and I wonder if it has been adopted elsewhere as it seemed to almost guarantee maximum use of space whilst aircraft stayed free from the danger of ‘hangar rash’. The aerodrome was alive with activity and many aircraft were based here.
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