Photo recon

[Drone_pilot]

information about the drone system.

the drone (anusd501) system came into service in 1971 with 94 locating regiment, Celle Germany and 22 Gibraltar Bty Larkhill U.K.

the main purpose was fast post/pre strike analysis and photo recon.
at the time to get photo recon done required tasking an RAF flight, which was costly, time consuming (over 24 hours for info) and dangerous(to the pilot),

the cost of a drone was about £100,000 each compared with a photo recon aircraft of about £35,000,000. so the system saved money, time and lives being pilotless, (hence my nick name).

specifications
length
with booster 13 feet
without 8 feet
width 13 inches
speed 540 Kph
range approx 140 miles (depending on hight, weather, and flight path)
ceiling 50,000 feet
turn around time less than 3 hours (from flight to ready to fly again).

most of the photographs are from the R.A. Range's in the Hebrides or Hohne in germany.

nice pictures of a French tank unit Firing at the range Hohne click below.

Hohne range (http://users.skynet.be/3L/bergen_hohne.htm)

when i joined the Royal Artillery i started in 49 Field Regt 143 Bty, before being posted to 94 Locating Regt, and i must admit when i got there i was a bit perplexed an Artillery Regt with no guns??? strange, but the next 7 years were probably the best years of my life.

[Zofo]

Hey D. Pilot!
Did you serve at Heidekaserne (Celle) with 94? If so, we took the place over from you 1985/6.
Let me know mate, swap some stories of the place!!
Zofo

[Drone_pilot]

yes i lived on the second floor of block 14.

if you want to see what has happend since it was handed back to the city look here.

http://geocities.com/drone_pilot/1index.html

this is my old site it's in the middle of being closed and a new site open ;)

[Zofo]

I was on 2nd floor blk 14 too - on your picture my room was next to the left hand of the tower structure - I then had a bunk round the corner at the stairwell of the far right hand entrance door to the block.
That lake looks well bizarre - no footie pitch, square or POL point!
When were u based there?

[Drone_pilot]

i was there from 71 to 81.

i have a lot of good memory's of my time in Celle.

i remember arriving there for the first time on a wet monday morning, standing behind block 14 (the place were the sun don't shine) and thinking
W.T.F., the block looked like a left over from colditz. :).

did you ever go up into the Roof space and look at all the graffiti some of it going back over a hundred years. i should have photographed it. :)

[Zofo]

Things were somewhat more difficult by the time we got there. The crawl spaces had been secured and we couldn't get in.
I got there in '86 and suffered the worst winter in Germany for donkey's years. I remember coming out of "central stairwell" at the back of block 14 and not being able to walk - we had all those cobbles if you ken? I slid and slided into the garages opposite and had to hobble like an old man to our garages which were behind the central ones and to the right, on the back wall.
Apart from being Europe's largest free standing redbrick building, the barracks was used as a rest home for German officers coming back from the Eastern Front during WW2. We had a picture in RHQ of a German soldier (a guy stagging on) taken in block 14.
Did you do BFTs running round camp? We did, 6 times from the POL point!

[Viking]

It was in the gulf war I was with the lads that developed the foties but they were more interested in drinking fix and coke :shock: not quite like JD but nice anyway dr;

[johnduffy]

All you drone pilots- Have you visited http:www.94locating.net Over 200 serchable messages Is your name there?

[Drone_pilot]

Yes John i'm there. ;)

[eddiefrench]

Yes John i'm there. ;)
Hi Drone Pilot.
My daughter, Claire French served as a Drone Pilot/ operator with 39 Regt RA in Dortmund back in the 90's. I had many good times over there visiting, usually staying in Applebeck.