Report - Predannack Airfield, Helston, Cornwall (April 2015)

[Ulsterman]

Predannack Airfield is situated near Mullion on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula. The runways are operated by the Royal Navy and today it is used as a satellite airfield and relief landing ground for nearby RNAS Culdrose.

More interestingly, however, it is also home to the Royal Navy's School of Flight Deck Operations which, as previous reports have also shown, holds a number of retired airframes for the purposes of crash rescue training etc.

It was a good day so I thought I'd take a jaunt up there anyway.

The first aircraft to greet you is a mostly intact but slowly deteriorating BAe HS125 Dominie.

The second is a Canberra Bomber in a similar sort of condtion.

The stripped carcas of a Sea King, looks to be some HAR or HAS variant.

A pair of Wessex Helicopters. This first one is an Anti-Submarine version.

This second one looks to be simply a utility helicopter.

Another Dominie

A Harrier GR.3

A Sea Harrier, probably the newer FA.2 variant. The missing nose cone would have been the giveaway.

Another Sea King, this time an HAR.5 by the look of the radome.

That's about all there was really. I have a funny feeling there used to be more aircraft but oh well.
If you fancy going, go on a Sunday, Navy still does training there during the week.

 

[Lenston]

Pretty cool that mate

 

[A man called Martyn]

Very nice mate, like the picture of the Jetstream. i'm sure that the sea king in the last couple of pictures is a new inmate and a falklands veteran. Its got an interesting history behind it. Will need to double check.

 

[Miss Mayhem]

Cool, that's very interesting

 

[host]

Excellent stuff…nice to se this place again.

 

[A man called Martyn]

The Sea king in your last two pictures is XV654. which was used to evacuate Welsh guards from the burning RFA Sir Galahad at Port Pleasant during the Falklands war.

 

[Ulsterman]

Thanks guys.
Very interesting about that Sea King too

 

[Idle Hands]

I meant to stop by this place when I was down there last November but went to see that Spirit of the West theme park shit hole instead. Should have just gone straight down here!

Pictures are great

 

[Ulsterman]

Thanks mate

I heard they'd demolished that spirit of the west place, it never really looked good in any case like haha!

 

[Idle Hands]

Thanks mate

I heard they'd demolished that spirit of the west place, it never really looked good in any case like haha!

Still there as far as I know but I had to locate it via GPS and head into the trees... one of very few places I didn't even bother to get the camera out!

 

[WelshMoocher]

hmmm, just stumbled on this report, does anyone know if the airframes are still there? I'd like a trip down to see these.

 

[Ulsterman]

hmmm, just stumbled on this report, does anyone know if the airframes are still there? I'd like a trip down to see these.

Far as I know they're still there Just make sure you go on a Sunday

 

[Ordnance]

There has been a clear out of the more damaged airframes in the last 18 months.

Re the Sea Harrier - It is Sea Harrier FA2 ZD581 '124' ex 801 Squadron

Earler image with nose cone - https://www.flickr.com/photos/54184803@N05/5532615263

14 Sea Harrier FA2s are also still used by the School of Flight Deck Operations at RNAS Culdrose to train handlers, and 2 early trails F35's are rummered to be transferred in early 2017 to the school along with the dummy flight deck (HMS Siskin) being re-modelled.

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2015/february/19/150219-culdrose-jets

So more airframes for Predannack as they become surplus to requirements.

 

[Sean Valentine]

Thanks for sharing , great pictures! this place looks really interesting.
Do you know the closet place to park to it, and the best route to walk to the airframes?

 

[Ulsterman]

Thanks for sharing , great pictures! this place looks really interesting.
Do you know the closet place to park to it, and the best route to walk to the airframes?

Handiest place is to park at the National Trust car park at Kynance Cove, then you can follow the coast path pretty much the whole way there