Full Description
Having been classified by the Air Ministry as a 'Master Diversion' airfield, RAF Manston was for many years open twenty-four hours a day and available to both civil and military aircraft 365 days a year. It was also later equipped with the Pyrene foam system, which both civil and military aircraft could use when they had problems with their undercarriage: there is no doubt that the foam carpet saved many lives. The most spectacular occasion that it was used was on 20 April 1967 when a British Eagle Britannia made a complete wheels-up landing. It is claimed that Manston was the only station to serve in every command of the RAF and until its closure in 1999; it probably dealt with more diverse types of aircraft than any other station. During its eighty-three years as a Royal Naval/ RAF airfield, it played host to the Sopwith Camel, Spitfire, Bf 109, He 111, B-29, B-47, Tu-104, F-84 and Concorde, plus many other types that are too numerous to mention.
Contents
Foreword; Mighty Manston; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 The Czech Invasion; 2 567 Squadron; 3 High-Speed Flight; 4 A New Role for Manston; 5 The First Civil Traffic; 6 Transport Command; 7 A Mixed Bag; 8 Czech Mates; 9 Disaster at Manston; 10 The Station is Honoured; 11 Battle of Britain Day; 12 The American Years; 13 The Manston Spitfire; 14 The RAF Return; 15 New Units, New Faces; 16 Manston on the Big Screen; 17 Helicopters Galore; 18 White Foam and White Horses; 19 A Troubled Year; 20 G-ANCG; 21 A Personal Experience; 22 Rebuilding a Gate Guardian; 23 An Uncertain Future; 24 Countdown to Closure; 25 The Final Days; Bibliography.
