The mound.

Location : n.e lincolnshire Spotter Watch Member : no

The guy on the left in the picture was doing the same thing at new york end aswell earlier in the day, and its strange because he also had his ladders doubled up as steps, back a bit from the fence at one point, which gave him a clear view over the barbed wire Unsure/Confused

. He obviously got fed up with balancing on the top step, or he thought oooh if i lean it against the fence, i can get 3ft closer to the aircraft. SAD. Roll Eyes

How desperate are some people for a photo

I think a good way of stopping the offenders is if you see someone being naughty against the fence, 2 or 3 likeminded spotters should approach and batter em. Shock

only joking lol Roll Eyes

,,,, Just ask politly and inform him of the situation at the base, and then if he just shrugs his shoulders, demand that he takes his ladder down. If that dos'nt work, take a photo, shame him on a forum, and tell him that you're about to inform the police.

That would stop most people, would'nt it ???

Subject: Re: The mound. 2009-07-07, 11:11

Beefsteak wrote:: Raf Police 01526 347928
MOD Police 01526 347482
Lincs Police 01522 532222

These are the phone-numbers,do NOT take the law into your own hands.
Keep a note of them everytime you go to Coningsby.

Subject: Re: The mound. 2009-07-07, 13:16

I've only got a 90-300mm lens and get photos like these from the mound:-

The mound. - Page 4 IMG_5330r

aren't these close enough?

Don't really want to get into a 'heated discussion' but you can get decent shots without having to lean on a fence and just by using the available resources eg: the mound.

Rich

Subject: Re: The mound. 2009-07-14, 09:32

Still at it at the end of 26 this morning. A group of visitors German and Dutch with various steps and one against the fence. However a brief and friendly word and the guy removed them. Whether they went back up after I left is another matter. But they did understand the reasoning - I think!!

Richard Brown

Location : tathwell Spotter Watch Member : 0609

About all this with the mound,look if the RAF where bothered about the ladders and all this,dont you think they would sort it out.They can see all thats going on from the caravan and tower,and if it bothered them they would send police round.You can have them with ladders up for ages without ant sign of police or anything,maybe if it did bother them they would send troops over as at Yank bases.
But i do agree with not parking in field or bothering the farmer,as itis him that lets us park here,As long as we keep it clear for him to get passed i am sure he is ok,so enjoy and let it be.

Admin Location : East Midlands Spotter Watch Member : Yes

Personally I would have an extra 2 electrified wires on top.

Yes the MOD are perfectly legal to have these as the ROF Factory in Nottingham had an electrified fence fitted and Heckler and Kock in Nottingham have also had an electrified fence fitted as well.

Because apparently latest media reports have Nottm residents in uproar about an arms company being based in Nottingham. And there has been a demonstration outside the H&K Nottingham factory. Yet ROF Nottingham closed in the 90's and made everything from SA-80's to Challenger Tanks. Crying

Rolls Royce Marine division in Derby next to Balfour Beatty has had an electric fence fitted for years. Inner and Outer.

Location : Gainsborough Spotter Watch Member : no

Street Hawk wrote:: Personally I would have an extra 2 electrified wires on top.

Yes the MOD are perfectly legal to have these as the ROF Factory in Nottingham had an electrified fence fitted and Heckler and Kock in Nottingham have also had an electrified fence fitted as well.

Because apparently latest media reports have Nottm residents in uproar about an arms company being based in Nottingham. And there has been a demonstration outside the H&K Nottingham factory. Yet ROF Nottingham closed in the 90's and made everything from SA-80's to Challenger Tanks.

Rolls Royce Marine division in Derby next to Balfour Beatty has had an electric fence fitted for years. Inner and Outer.

I thought most residents of Nottingham were armed to the teeth!?!

Location : T' North Spotter Watch Member : No

big greg wrote:: Hi,just to add to this topic about the mound.Well all spotting places around the base,ive notice when been there to watch night flying that you get ther local teenagers in there cars in and out of theses places.And as can be seen you get beer cans all over aswell as litter,ive not seen any spoters drinking beer.Yes we have all been young and many of you still are i know,but just saying dont put the blame on us spotters.There are many day trippers aswell that come,and at school holidays,i dont have to tell you.Thge picnics come out and some litter left or gets blown away.
As for the sods that put ladders up fences then i think we should take it on ourselfs to tell them,ok ask first.Then tell,and if they then dont take them down pull the buggers down and smack them.(yes i know this wont work,but it would make me feel better)
Greg.

Thats very true big greg. Although its a different base, I suspect that the cans of special brew often seen lying on Old Bawtry Road at DSA are mainly local "yoof" or yobbos. Secret

On one visit on a Sunday there was even a group of them in a clapped out Fiesta kicking a football against the fence.

Location : LINCOLN Spotter Watch Member : ??

big greg wrote:: About all this with the mound,look if the RAF where bothered about the ladders and all this,dont you think they would sort it out.They can see all thats going on from the caravan and tower,and if it bothered them they would send police round.You can have them with ladders up for ages without ant sign of police or anything,maybe if it did bother them they would send troops over as at Yank bases.
But i do agree with not parking in field or bothering the farmer,as itis him that lets us park here,As long as we keep it clear for him to get passed i am sure he is ok,so enjoy and let it be.

I can't see the problem either,aslong as people do not discard rubbish etc.

Location : Luton Spotter Watch Member : No

To boff180 and others of the self proclaimed Coningsby police, I would like to wade in here and defend my “sly” friend of many years and his silver Bora against your incorrect allegations; I was standing next to him on the day in question when the MOD Police came and requested that he did not rest them on the fence, a request which he complied with.

We have both been taking photographs for many decades, during that time we have rested our steps against a whole host of fences without them falling apart but I can sympathise with base security concerns.

This gentleman is still shooting slide film (no in camera magnification) and does not wish to get an excess of heat haze or fencing in his photographs, something I can understand, many of the shots I have seen from the mound during the F-15 detachment are of poor quality, being so distorted by heat haze as to be worthless to serious photographers.

We all understand the need to keep the farmers and land owners happy, keep off the crops, not to leave litter and to park with consideration, certainly the man you attacked to my knowledge has always done so.

I do not think he visits this forum, hence my reply.

I have just had three glasses of wine and am feeling mellow now, otherwise my response would have been much stronger, I dislike the direction some of these postings are taking, judge, jury and executioner rolled into one, it is very easy to attack people on the internet, the anonymity of screen names allows things to be said that are not always correct, it is best to get the facts right before making an @ss of ones self.

Subject: Re: The mound. 2009-07-17, 19:31

What an absolute pile of poppy cock...talk about a mound made into a mountain, if the RAF were that bothered military and civil police would be moving us on continualy, steps would be taken to remove all parking areas including the viewing area. If people want to put there ladders against the fence let them. It is after all a free country supposedly. I recon that if a coach load of tourists wearing strange vests turned up and started putting ladders up against the fence things would be slightly different but there not so they are'nt.

Tailslides well said that man i've also been on the pop and really dont care what some people are putting on this thread but 90% of it is absolute B******T, i suspect the real reason for this thread was to scare people into behaving themselves while the Eagles were at Coningsby, so now they've gone the whole thing is nearly and completely irrelevant.

One more thing never drink and drive a computer terrible things can and will happen!!!

One more thing Big Greg get out of that whisky bottle i've run out of Malibu Crying

Location : T' North Spotter Watch Member : No

Whether he's shooting on slide or not is no excuse for resting ladders on the fence. There are many other locations to get photos.
Also, if its warm day, you're going to get heat haze even from your friend's location on the fence. Surely someone with as much experience would already realise that.

Why not get a smaller diameter fence and shoot through the existing holes in the chickenwire? Works well and no damage done. Whistle

Location : Luton Spotter Watch Member : No

PR9 wrote:: Whether he's shooting on slide or not is no excuse for resting ladders on the fence. There are many other locations to get photos.
Also, if its warm day, you're going to get heat haze even from your friend's location on the fence. Surely someone with as much experience would already realise that.

Why not get a smaller diameter fence and shoot through the existing holes in the chickenwire? Works well and no damage done.

As I posted earlier, once he realised the MOD Police were upset he did not rest the ladder against the fence, the comment about slide film was in response to the statement that we all have long focal capabilities.

The relative heat haze from that part of the fence to the taxi-way is close to zero, that's the experience we have gained from roughly thirty years of shooting in that location. We always endeavour to reduce the distance between the lens and the subject when haze is a problem, simple!

Many keen photographers buy "good glass" lenses, the end element of these is usually larger than the fence mesh and it is not possible to pan smoothly, that is why the ladders come out.

The only reason for my posting was in response to the falsehoods and personal attacks being made in this public place, not to argue about photographic ability, people gave their reasons why we should not photograph there, I just explained some of the reasons that we choose to do so.

Moderator Location : Between Coventry and Leicester

tailslides wrote:

PR9 wrote:: Whether he's shooting on slide or not is no excuse for resting ladders on the fence. There are many other locations to get photos.
Also, if its warm day, you're going to get heat haze even from your friend's location on the fence. Surely someone with as much experience would already realise that.

Why not get a smaller diameter fence and shoot through the existing holes in the chickenwire? Works well and no damage done.

As I posted earlier, once he realised the MOD Police were upset he did not rest the ladder against the fence, the comment about slide film was in response to the statement that we all have long focal capabilities.

The relative heat haze from that part of the fence to the taxi-way is close to zero, that's the experience we have gained from roughly thirty years of shooting in that location. We always endeavour to reduce the distance between the lens and the subject when haze is a problem, simple!

Many keen photographers buy "good glass" lenses, the end element of these is usually larger than the fence mesh and it is not possible to pan smoothly, that is why the ladders come out.

The only reason for my posting was in response to the falsehoods and personal attacks being made in this public place, not to argue about photographic ability, people gave their reasons why we should not photograph there, I just explained some of the reasons that we choose to do so.

Got to agree there is no reason to do it.
the rules and law say you must not climb or scale the fence or tamper with it.

Bet you a tenner none of them would do it at Lakenheath. same points could be raised for this base, so why does no one do it there, i think we no the reason why .
the Yanks enforce the law a lot better then us Brits.

Location : tathwell Spotter Watch Member : 0609

last lightning wrote:: What an absolute pile of poppy cock...talk about a mound made into a mountain, if the RAF were that bothered military and civil police would be moving us on continualy, steps would be taken to remove all parking areas including the viewing area. If people want to put there ladders against the fence let them. It is after all a free country supposedly. I recon that if a coach load of tourists wearing strange vests turned up and started putting ladders up against the fence things would be slightly different but there not so they are'nt.

Tailslides well said that man i've also been on the pop and really dont care what some people are putting on this thread but 90% of it is absolute B******T, i suspect the real reason for this thread was to scare people into behaving themselves while the Eagles were at Coningsby, so now they've gone the whole thing is nearly and completely irrelevant.

One more thing never drink and drive a computer terrible things can and will happen!!!

One more thing Big Greg get out of that whisky bottle i've run out of Malibu

Location : Immingham Spotter Watch Member : yes

well guys just got this info in the last half hr the the farmer has started to pull down the mound
so far at least a third of it has gone...............the digger is still there so well see tomorrow how much more will go from it.

Terry

Moderator Location : UK Spotter Watch Member : No

Just had a re-read of this thread at the request of several members.

I must say that there are good points and bad points in what has been raised.

Ultimately, as an adult, it is your responsibility to act in a way which portrays the enthusiast in a positive light.

Terry, if there are anymore updates as to the mounds condition please pm me.

Moderator Location : Between Coventry and Leicester

Some pictures here of the Mound being torn down.
http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13449

Location : coningsby Spotter Watch Member : No

Mr Casey is using the soil from the mound to replace areas in his fields where the crops don't grow,It has nothing to do with spotters,ladders or people parking this is a store for soil that comes off the base when building work goes on.He has now taken the soil he needs at this moment in time but tells me it will all be used up in the next twelve months.If and when soil comes available it will be put back into the soil store IE the mound.

Cheers Kevin.

ps This info came from a conversation i had with Mr Casey this morning.

Location : Immingham Spotter Watch Member : yes

yes said same thing to goose this morning when the farmer did the same 5yrs ago took the soil he need for the land..............
terry

Moderator Location : Between Coventry and Leicester

Looks like we need to start up
OPERATION MARKET GARDEN. Clap

.

Please if you visit the mound area fill your pockets with soil to empty on the mound. Laughing

it will be like a scene from the film the Great escape, with people dropping soil out of there pockets.
We can rebuild it.

Location : Lincs

vulcan558 wrote:: Looks like we need to start up
OPERATION MARKET GARDEN. .

Please if you visit the mound area fill your pockets with soil to empty on the mound.

it will be like a scene from the film the Great escape, with people dropping soil out of there pockets.
We can rebuild it.

LOL! Shouldn't that be OPERATION MEERKAT GARDEN?

Found this one on the web.

https://2img.net/h/i17.photobucket.com/albums/b83/Tweek3d/Coningsby/CbyMound.jpg

TJ

Subject: Re: The mound. 2009-07-28, 13:00

SIMPLES

!

Subject: Re: The mound. 2009-07-28, 13:08

TJ wrote:: LOL! Shouldn't that be OPERATION MEERKAT GARDEN?

Found this one on the web.

https://2img.net/h/i17.photobucket.com/albums/b83/Tweek3d/Coningsby/CbyMound.jpg

TJ

From this pic then definitely. Otherwise there must be a blooming great big queue for 'taxi (have you seen me dancin'? I mean REALLY dancin?)

Subject: Re: The mound. 2009-07-29, 03:15

Hmm large number of anoraks in view there, or should it be large anoraks in view.......