1984 - Cadets, Chinooks and a Control room

The year began in an unusual fashion with the dumping and burning of a stolen car in February. Thieves parked the stolen Porsche on Hangar Road behind a hangar then set fire to it, without doubt not realising the damage they could have done had the fire spread. This sadly was not to be the only time this was to happen, the fact that Hangar Road is not overlooked and the remoteness of the aerodrome from populated areas made it an attractive proposition for criminal activity, it is only since the advent of CCTV systems and their installation all along the road that problem has been solved.

This Porsche was dumped by thieves then burnt out on Hangar Road.

During May a most unusual group of visitors arrived at Denham in the shape of four Boeing-Vertol CH-47D Chinooks of the United States Army and their crews. The helicopters came to deliver the United States Marines Band, and had wanted to go to RAF Northolt but this was closed at the weekend. The four twin-rotor helicopters were easily the largest aircraft on the airfield and by far the loudest, which is an interesting point as during their tenure at Denham not a single noise complaint was received!

Civil engineer Ian Paul has a close look at the four massive visitors.

The crew and band members show the sheer scale of the Chinook. The crews came fully equipped to operate without support, hence the step-ladder to reach the upper areas of the aircraft.

As mentioned in the previous year, before the Gulfstream School of Aviation could move into the newly vacated south side offices some major changes had to be made to the building. The ground floor was extensively modified in layout after planning permission was received in April, but by far the biggest of these changes began in October after planning permission had been recieved in July. The air to ground radio operator had previously sat on the ground floor of the building, but this was now considered too restricted a view for safety. It was decided to build an additional storey to form a dedicated radio room with unrestricted views across the aerodrome. Work began at the beginning of October and was completed in that month.

The new radio room under construction on the roof of the south side office building.

The completed radio room on the roof of the south side office building. Note the original signs left by the recently departed Denham School of Flying Training.

The local Air Cadet unit, 2370 (Denham) Squadron, received a very welcome boost towards the end of the year. As has been been previously related, the Squadron had been forced to move several times over the previous seven years as changing circumstances affected the building they were in. In order to give them a much needed permanent home, it was decided that a new building designed for their purposes would be the best solution. Planning permission was negotiated with South Bucks District Council and the project was quickly approved for such a worthy cause. An area of land in the south east corner of the aerodrome was selected, with construction due to begin in the spring of 1985.

The south east corner of the aerodrome, near White Plains residential care home, was chosen as the ideal site for the new Air Training Corps building.

A view across the aerodrome from the west in late 1984. The new radio room is visible on the south side buildings but construction of the Air Training Corps building has not yet begun.

The 1980s certainly were a time of steady change at the aerodrome and this was a trend that was to continue throughout the decade, as will be related next.