Talk:RAF Upper Heyford

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Major overhaul

I propose a major overhaul of this article, that will probably involve numerous edits and may take me several weeks - depending on how much additional research is required. However, I can already see that much of the editing is simply a matter of re-wording and re-positioning existing text so that it follows a more logical course and time-line, plus adding links to other pages on Wikipedia, and in one sentence just adding 'Upper' to 'Heyford', because 'Heyford' on its own can mean something else, particularly in the context of bomber aircraft and WWII i.e. Heyford.

Input or criticism from other editors is very welcome.

WendlingCrusader (talk) 10:54, 9 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Examples of further pruning

I always feel guilty about removing information from Wikipedia, but in some cases I feel there is simply too much trivia.

Here are two sentences where surely one should be enough?

During 1968 it was announced that the 66th TRW was to convert to the McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II in the following year. On 27 March 1969, the first two Phantoms flew into Upper Heyford. and the 66th became a mixed reconnaissance force.

Next we have a direct quote from an article, but the source doesn't even get any credit. That needs to change.

The advent of the RF-4 gave the 66th TRW a longer arm in terms of target access. In the event of a 'hot' war the longer reach of the wing's aircraft would have made many previously inaccessible targets behind the iron curtain easily acquired from the bases in West Germany to which they would have been deployed.

Since the early 1950s, the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing had been operating from the USAF station at RAF Wethersfield, but this base had a limited potential for development and was awkwardly close to the expanding civilian airport at Stansted. Now with more aircraft on the base than there had been for some time, it was necessary to transfer the 98th Strategic Wing detachment as well as Detachment 1, 6985th Security Squadron to RAF Mildenhall, thus bringing to an end the SAC/USAFSS presence on 31 Mar 1970.

I have a fairly good grasp of events at this time, but even I am struggling to follow all of this paragraph. And the situation at RAF Wethersfield is strictly incidental; all that matters is that the 20th TFW will re-locate to RAF Upper Heyford, which is covered (at length) in the next section.

The 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Upper Heyford was inactivated and 66th Combat Support Group and assigned squadrons (Without Personnel or Equipment) were relocated to RAF Wethersfield.

The first part is genuinely important, but the 66th Combat Support Group? What exactly did they do, and what was transfered if they had no aircraft, personnel, or equipment? In a Wikipedia nutshell; is it notable?

WendlingCrusader (talk) 18:26, 10 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

United States Air Force use

This section kicks off with two major & quite lengthy sub-sections headed 7509th Air Base Group and 3918th Strategic Wing, but these are in reality the same unit, renumbered/redesignated on 10th January 1952. Furthermore, the role of these units is not clearly explained for the benefit of non-US service personnel, other than "the 7509th would act as the host organisation to support the TDY aircraft and personnel detached from their home airfields in the United States of America."

From my own limited knowledge & research an indication of their function can be gleaned from the numerous units making up the Wing. These include 7509th Motor Vehicle Squadron, 7509th Air Police, 7509th Food Service, and 7509th Medical (& Infirmary & Dispensary, etc). At the "sharp end" there were also units that carried weapons (airfield defense), and assisted with the servicing of visiting aircraft & their weapons. But none of these units flew aircraft as such.

Whilst these two units are a part of the history of RAF Upper Heyford, currently the amount of text covering these support units exceeds the amount devoted to the two Fighter Wings that spent the following 27 years at Upper Heyford. I believe WP:WEIGHT dictates that these sections should be combined, and given less prominence.

Part of the solution would be to create a different sub-section headed TDY deployments (1951-1965), gathering together the more significant parcels of existing text covering aircraft activity during this period. Unfortunately at this time I am unable to add any citations, but I am unwilling to delete what appears to be solid (and significant) information. A sprinkling of ((cn)) is probably the best I can offer at this time, but I hope at least I will have weeded out most of the excess of trivia.

. WendlingCrusader (talk) 17:16, 11 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]