RAF Leeming: Northern England's go-to airbase crucial to UK defence
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- RAF Leeming, located near the A1 in North Yorkshire, oversees a multitude of tasks and has been described as crucial to UK defence.
Among the many units calling the base home, 11 Squadron Qatari Emiri Air Force, sees the next generation of Qatari and British fighter pilots learning their craft, side-by-side, on Hawk T2 jets.
But this task, vital as it is to both the air forces of Qatar and the UK, is just one part of a much wider defence picture operating out of the base. It's also home to one of the country's busiest Mountain Rescue teams and its runway handles 22,000 aircraft movements per year - more than some civilian airports.
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When I was a kid, I got to sit in a Jet Provost at RAF Leeming.
It's an experience that you don't forget growing up.
A big thank you to the pilots who volunteered their time.
Was posted into Leeming on my return from Germany in 1988, first thing they issued me on arrival was a pair of Wellington boots and a couple of pairs of seaboot socks, it turned out the base was just one huge construction site at the time, I spent the first six months there working out of what used to be the rugby clubhouse until they actually finished building our maintenance bay.
Thank you, RAF!
Of all those involved in the early days of WW2, Flight Lieutenant George Desmond Graham, is credited with taking the most prominent role in the creation of the MRS by constantly bombarding the Air Ministry with requests for equipment and training; he had been posted to RAF Llandwrog in North Wales (now Caernarvon airfield) in 1941 and by the end of 1942 his ad-hoc activities had resulted in 10 lives being saved. His pertinacity resulted in the creation of the RAF MRS in 1943 and he opened his unofficial log book* for the Llandwrog team on 6th July 1943; he was awarded the MBE for services to Mountain Rescue.
When i was a kid late 70's i lived next to the airfield at leeming great fun growing up there as my father was a aircraft refueler i got to sit in most aircraft including f4's volcan bomber hawker hurrycane wonderfull times
Might be me, but this actually shows how desperate we’ve become….two from six pilots are trained for the RAF. I genuinely doubt our ability to defend ourselves.
2 of 6 on that particular Leeming course. RAF Valley hawk courses are predominantly filled with UK trainees. Nothing to do with desperation, just using available resources efficiently.
😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 fancying inside of raf!
how thing have changed in 15 years!!!
RAF Leeming != One one the busiest bases.
No mention of 90SU? The comms backbone of the RAF?
tbf 90 could probably have its own dedicated video as theyve got so many functions and roles
Its a very good base
Missed off any mention of what is probably the largest unit located on the station!
Not a fan of us training Qatar airforce. HAMAS leaders are known to be hiding there.
money is money.
@@ashleygoggs5679 weak argument plenty of countries out there that aren't hiding terrorists
@@ashleygoggs5679 L take. Lots of countries out there not hiding hamas
not hiding. living openly and in luxury.
I think Qatar directly funds them if I'm not mistaken.
Missed opportunity to also introduce the University air Squadrons.
Beards , a Wing Commander pilot that doesn't comb his hair, and a chicken farm. Things certainly have changed in the 50 + years since I was there.
I think you ll find that is a popular hairstyle for men under 25 at this time. Guaranteed to irriate traditional staff, and not a great idea from a safety pov.
Luckily things have indeed changed in the last 50 years. The Haddon-Cave inquiry is a good indicator that things were not exactly better in the old days
I'm thinking of trying RAF life out as a reserve driver, and Leeming is my nearest reserve base. Anyone know what it's like as a driver there?
missed a few exclusive sqdrns because i visited leeming in my cadets as it’s my local base
I hate to admit this but I am really unlucky at RAF Leeming, it always seems to unfortunately rain when I either pass or visit the viewing area, I even went to an Airshow at Leeming and it was really horrid half way through the Flying Display so unfortunately I can no longer go near the place....
Why is it that Leeming isn't shown on Flight Radar when all other bases are?
Defence makes a lot more sense since fence is a word that is synonymous with protection now for some tea and biscuits with clotted cream
Isn't a fence also a sword?
Currently training four Qatari's and two Brits
Sums up the state of Uk defence in one sentence
no it dosnt at all. Qatar has been an ally to the uk and they are buying typhoons as their QR aircraft and platform. They are paying the RAF to train their pilots. This isnt a state of our defence this is our defence actively making money or reinvesting tax payers money. Your comment wreaks of ignorance.
We are training Ukraine pilots too
@@ashleygoggs5679 I guess you've never lived or worked in Qatar then....???
That’s one of the best things about the UK military
@@ashleygoggs5679 Reinvesting our Tax money umm ok ..another 3 billion to Zelinsky to buy another Yacht or house in lake Como ...lol
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤. Your video
Never thought i would hear a Station Commander refer to his Station as a 'base' 😢
Yep, things sure have changed.
It is the slavish following of things American. Circuits and bumps are now known by the American expression: Touch and go.
Times change, better to get over it than worry too hard about what a station commander decides to call their base
"i'll bet you a tenner I can do the whole piece to camera on helium....watch this.."
😂😂😂😂
7:49 - Panel on aircraft: ‘RVSM Critical Area’. What’s that?
@@PowerfulMJ - Thank you. How does that apply to the small panel on the fuselage? (Sorry to sound daft).
@@AtheistOrphanits a critical area so if its damaged the aircraft can no longer comply with RVSM flight rules which in simple terms means airspace from Flight Level 290-410 (29000’-41000’ on a standard altimeter setting of 1013 millibars) where RVSM compliant aircraft can fly at a reduced 1000’ vertical separation from one another. This is the same on airliners too.
@@nothinglessness - Thank you for the explanation. I guess there’s some delicate and critical gubbins behind that panel!
What is the eagle carrying a sword patch 6:45? Not seen it beforre...
That’s the badge identifying him as a member of No 2 Force Protection Wing.
@@mrjockt Many thanks :)
Yes many need to be prosecuted
RAF Leeming...The WORST food ever served up in their main canteen, we were all grateful the food came on bizarre small plates & in children's portion sizes... thankfully that probably saved us all...! 🤢
Worst food I ever ad was at RAF Uxbridge, absolutely disgusting and practically inedible. Best was Shawbury and Lyneham. All prior to PAYD.
@@kevinnorthfield5097 We ate there thankfully on a Friday, & all of us were individually ill over the weekend, we couldn't believe on Monday morning that everyone had the same sickness...what a nightmare that was.
how nice, they teach soldiers to fly for war that work for the regime that houses the leaders of hamas.
A little like some of the IRA sheltering in the USA during Op Banner and US Citizens sending money to Sin Fein to give to the IRA in the 70s / 80s to fight Britain .
Every country has its alleged faults .
Hmmm.
It doesn't seem particularly crucial. Presumably most of the 60 movements per day are the same few planes on training loops. I have no problem at all with the Qatari guests but this station offers very little in the defence of Northern England. I presume that we have to rely on our good friends from Coningsby.
C.I.A. PROBE CASSINNI (5)
Why train qataris, the home of Hamas leadership?
The Neurofen Hawks 😂😂
😂😂😂 yes!
Yeah good lads... eggs...
Cool
🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
J'espère qu'ils ont installé la marche arrière pour d'étaler plus vite qu'à Dunkerque les lâche 😂
(PUINT)
Drones are a danger to seagulls and should be banned.
Seagulls should be fined for trespassing
Do the Brits speak Arabic?
Knew a few ex RAF that spoke fluent Arabic, but then again we were working on a defence contract in the Middle East so it came in handy.
Some choose to learn some conversational phrases, but the Qatari standard of English is way higher than our standard of Arabic
@@Orbital_Inclination😂 I've often heard the instructor have to give the correct readback to approach when the qatari student hasn't, after more than one attempt.
How is any of this "crucial to UK defence" exactly?
being able to fly planes seems pretty important
@@verynormalperson7003 That happens at Valley. This is a side-show.
@@EvoraGT430RAF advanced fast jet training is split between Valley and Leeming, albeit not an equal split. Leeming's RAF pilot output is still crucial, as are the programmes in Italy, the US and others that also produce our fast jet pilots
Look at a map. Strategic significance of Leeming is obvious. Next stop south, Waddo. Next stop north, Lossie! Give or take the odd civi airport, Leuchars notwithstanding. Not to mention Europe's biggest garrison on the doorstep.
Incredible that we are still flying these relics. The Russians must howl with laughter at these videos.
It's always good to learn in inferior equipment, it produces better pilots, drivers etc. For example if you take a kid and teach them to drive in a classic mini, they're going to be far more competent than someone who learns to drive in a single pedal Tesla. Same things applies to jets.
and is there even a plan to replace them? are they expected to serve 50 years?!
@@fToo So you agree with my point? Thanks :)
Those hawks are far from relics, unreliable? Maybe, but the RAFs version, the T2 is far from a relic, based on the T1 of course and looks vaguely similar apart from the wings and nose but it boasts a modern avionics suite and glass cockpit. The Russians are really the ones with relics.
@@RetroC12 "In 2009, the RAF began receiving the first Hawk T2, in the long term, T2 aircraft will replace the ageing T1s. Training operations on the Hawk T2 began in April 2012" i didn't realise the T2s were relatively new.
An RAF Station not an Airbase, that is an american expression. The oldest independent air force in the world, the RAF, calls them stations.
Hi, I’m the reporter who made the piece, the station commander called the base an ‘airbase’
Thanks
@@JW-2023A shame when even the Station Commander gets it wrong. Fills us with confidence. 😂😅
@@chrishowells4182Or a good indicator that some people just refuse to move with the times. Airbase or station both work perfectly fine to convey meaning here.
bye bye pilots
Is this presenter a competition winner? As obviously not a professional.
What do you mean? He’s done plenty of videos on this channel
Liberal attitude towards hair styles I see.
We realised that there are more important things than worrying about hair styles, like air safety for example.
SSFX3JANZODF
Britain barely has an active military anymore though 😂