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10 RVs visit Loring AFB - 25 year of closing the base

Dvalcik

Well Known Member
Sponsor
We got permission from Loring Development Authority to land at ME16 formerly Loring Air Force Base (which is closed except with permission on special occasions.) The Loring Military Heritage Center hosted the 25-year celebration and most of the visitors were stationed there or had family that was. A few hundred visitors joined in to remember this large base in Northern Maine.


We had a flight of 10 trek up from Belfast Maine, mostly local, but Vlad, Brent, and Jim from NJ joined us.

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I am sure Vlad and Brent will add some photos. :)
 
Very cool!

Looks like a great time.

My Dad was stationed there (pilot) in the early to mid 50's, and I was born in Limestone (just a stones throw away) some 65 years ago.

Great to see a bunch of RV's there!

Tom
 
Spent three very long years there. Flying up there in those winter conditions made a real pilot out of me. My youngest son was born at Loring.

If you guys do this again next year please post the event a couple of months in advance and maybe a few more folks will attend.
 
Flew past Loring twice yesterday, eastbound and westbound with a landing in Grand Falls just across the river in New Brunswick.

On the outbound flight I was listening on 123.00MHz, the CTAF for Grand Falls. Luckily I heard a "heavy" broadcasting their intentions to use the airspace around Loring. We kept talking to each other and crossed paths maybe a couple of thousand feet apart.

Who was that "heavy"? A B-52 practicing approaches at Loring! Was kinda cool mixing it up in the air with a Buff. Great communications between us ensured safety.

One of these fine days I will find a way to land at Loring, or at least do a 'low and over'... That's a LOT of runway!
 
Looks like a great time. Wish I knew about it ahead of time. I?m sure a few Boston area RVs might have tried to join. Thanks for sharing.

Brian
 
Loring

A quick check shows that Loring was originally a B36 base, then B52. Also KC97 and then KC135 tankers. The largest hangar which is not shown in pictures would accommodate six B52's.
The location is the closest US base to Europe.
 
I believe it would hold 3 B-52 - one of the guys also stated each of the arches were a continuous concrete pour. The concrete was brought up by rail.

The echo from the acoustics is unbelievable

The Arch Hangar at Loring Air Force Base (AFB) was one of the first structures specifically built as an element of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) mission of deterring the enemy through retaliatory strike capability. The first hangar completed at Loring AFB, it was an integral part of the early aircraft maintenance system and was built in response to the demand for efficient aircraft service facilities. The Arch Hangar was one of two structures simultaneously built as the largest monolithic arch roof structures up to that time in the United States. The hangar contained several unique construction features including the foundation set on bedrock, the extensive column-on-pedestal-on-footing abutment construction, the intricate formwork required, the elaborate system of rail and jacks required to move the formwork, the thinness of the concrete slab roof, and the 340-foot span of the arch.

Photos from the library of congress - https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.me0309.photos/?sp=1
 
I flew over Limestone AFB six years ago. Couldn't get permission to land that time. David Valcik did a great job organizing a private visit to the legendary airfield and a dozen airplanes were granted landing rights.

Weather was marginal that day. I started trekking toward ME16 from Bethel ME while Governor led his squadron from Belfast. There was a solid overcast for most of the trip.



I enjoyed smooth air on top while Belfast guys stayed under the deck for a good beating. My autopilot Leo was bored. He trimmed the airplane off and once in a while put light pressure on rudder to keep heading precise. RV9 is a very stable airframe in smooth air.





Hour and half flew quick. The radio on schoolhouse frequency told everybody what to do. There were 10 RVs, a Piper, a Cessna and a Bonanza in the group. There was a hole in the sky over the airbase and I made a wide turn over Canada to fit in.







Weapons storage.





Left crosswind runway one.




Look at those parking spots.





Control tower and concrete bunker/hangar.




Maintenance hangar which could house up to six B52 bombers. Our parking area was nearby.




Left base RWY 1.


 
Governor instructed us to fly over Museum. Being a sweeper for the group I did a low pass and flew as instructed.





Final rwy 1.





There was a nice headwind component. It allowed to stop on the numbers and exit the taxiway by the apron. No need to drive quarter mile to first taxiway.





Old friends glad to see.








A bus to the festivities was provided by organizers.





Very cool Museum. I want a magnetic compass like this.





 
Good time was had. Thanks Governor for organizing this mini air venture!





We decided to take a walk back to the flight line.





Visited a hangar worth a story by itself.







The cameraman behind all those cool RV videos.





Departed shortly. If anyone local is interested in future event I would recommend to contact David Valcik directly. It's not a regular flyin and requires a lot of coordination. There are no services or aircraft support of any kind at that airfield. Often weather is an issue.














 
Awesome !

Now that?s the kind of ?Special Occasion? I?d love to fly too.
On my Bucket list to land at a Military base. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, I?m not picky. :D
 
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