In today’s Urbandoned video, we search for
various abandoned military remains left stranded in the neglected grounds of an active RAF
base. The thrilling adventure to reach the out of
use aircraft and ground vehicles took a lot of effort, time and consideration but we are
showcasing all of it in a different style of exploration documentary. Join us on the whole mission to see what we
find. In our last episode, we asked for any memories
from the shuttered Chesterfield Hotel when it was functioning. We had some fascinating replies but are showing
this one from ryboh who explained how the closed site allowed single and working people
to stay there for a fair price. This is great to know and is definitely a
positive outcome of a popular location coming to the end of it’s lifespan. This week we would be interested to know whether
you would like to see more ‘mission’ like videos similar to this feature. They are very enjoyable to make and we have
more ideas planned soon. Let us know in the comments to possibly feature
in our next upload. Our journey begins on a winding country road
that spans around the gigantic RAF base, which is one of the largest in the UK. The land surrounding the off limits zone is
hardly populated besides the occasional farmhouse and their animals. The picturesque landscape void of humanity
created an environment relatively ideal for urban exploration. We weren’t concerned about seeing anybody
despite venturing towards an active military base. Plus there was so much coverage that it would
be very difficult for anyone to spot our unwanted presence. However, it did come with some troubles. There was zero phone signal across the whole
area so we couldn’t contact anybody or use online maps whatsoever. Ground with no attention could boast surprises
and terrain tricky to navigate, especially when attempting to stick to a path only available
in memory. In our heads, we had each chosen to memorise the route necessary
to end up at the disused remnants of war. We would start in our rural parking spot,
before departing the car and heading west through a huge forest. Our idea of the region was already mistaken
when we realised this woodland had been cut down, confusing us slightly and showing that
Google Maps was outdated in this section. Nevertheless, moving westwards still, various
rivers and larger woodland would slow us down for over three miles until we hoped to visualise
the small triangle strip of vacant runway where the planes were supposed to lay. All we could pray for is that the repetitive
layout of trees and fields we would pass through wouldn’t distract us from the planned route,
so we would safely conclude the day with an enthralling documentation of the base. Following the slight panic at the deforested
woods, you rejoin us as we prepare to enter one collection of trees still standing. At the edge of the woodland, a thin river exposed us to a vast stretch of
field with uneven ground. As long as we had successfully adhered to
the correct direction, crossing this would place us in touching distance to some planes. Excited after a couple hours of walking, we
briskly headed for a large clump of wings sighted over a banking. Despite incorrect terminology at the time,
this large fighter bomber is a Sukhoi Su-22M developed for the Soviet Military, although
this one would have flown for the East German Air Force. With a camouflaged paint scheme and an intimidating
appearance, it was the plane I was drawn to most, unique and alone compared to the others. It was incredible and saddening to see the
collection of aircraft in beautiful scenery left without aid or care, especially due to
their historical significance. This row of six are Dassault Mystere bombers,
introduced in the 1950s and primarily used by the French. Battered by the weather and natural circumstances,
the aircraft was also accompanied by an array of what is either fuel storage containers
or mock missiles, sizeable all the same. We know that most of you watching this video
will have a much better knowledge regarding the vehicles and equipment than us, so we
would love to be corrected or hear anything we missed in the comments below. The area of the RAF site we discover these
military remains in is the practice airfield, hidden away from the rest of the base by forest. It seems that the reason a British air base
stored the foreign planes would be for training and weapons testing, decommissioning them
when they became old and unusable. Whilst wandering atop the fighter jets, we
couldn’t resist peaking into the stripped cockpits. Inside, there wasn’t a great deal of interest
in comparison to some we will show later. Our next aim was to finish covering the north
peak of the runway where we had seen a small group of buildings earlier. Although away from the rest of the ensemble,
these two fighter bombers are also of the French Dassault Mystere kind. It was apparent that they had been grounded
for a lot longer than the others, having had time for foliage to develop around them. Meanwhile, Theo and Alex split up to approach
a different vehicle we had again caught wind of an hour earlier. The day was drawing to a close making us want
to cover everything available to us, which led to our separation as we scanned every
inch of the airfield. It was unknown to
us at the time but this was not a tank that ever
saw action, more so a replica of one that did. Even though we know this now, it didn’t
take away from the impressive factor looking at each detail of the model. Down towards the lower portion of the runway
led us to a few more planes, but of another make. Here we have a trio of American Lockhead TT-3s
that were nicknamed ‘Shooting Stars.’ At this point, we had been under the impression
that we were done onsite and with good time, however, one of us spotted something that
would progress the exploration to a whole other degree. Time past as we hiked over a mile to get close
to the helicopter, our fascination growing every step we took. There would be a spanner in the works though,
with a deep river blocking our path. Already soaked with water from the many marshes
we had traipsed through, Alex opted to walk through the river and reach the aircraft first,
as myself and Theo scoured for a shorter gap to jump, daylight running out fast. Having never seen any abandoned planes before
today, topping the mission off with a disused battle hind was absolutely perfect. The helicopter in question is an Mil Mi-24
attack chopper, operational since the early 1970s by the Soviet Air Force. It has capability for eight passengers with
a streamlined body and retractable undercarriage landing gear for reduced drag. With the sunset creating imposing colours
across the sky, we finally sat down and thought about what we had accomplished over the afternoon. Besides the massive helicopter and with the
faint dots of planes we had passed before in the distance, it was easy to feel as if
the hardships was finished. However, night was coming and soon we would
be in total darkness, again with no phone connection, forced to undertake a similar
path back to the car, drained. The exploration of the abandoned parts of
the RAF base has been our favourite we have experienced this year and is up there with
our all time greatest. Everything about the location, history and
adventure will make this one to remember in years to come. As for the military vehicles, they are past
being reused so will probably sit here decaying for a long time. Perhaps, the tank model, helicopter and the
conditionally better planes could be cleaned up and placed in a museum. Thankfully, we were able to reach the car
with torchlight and a revised route. Then, we could truly appreciate what we had
just endured. We hope you enjoyed coming along with us on
this mission and let us know if you like to see more inclusive videos like this in the
future. Here are some of our photographs capturing
the various abandoned vehicles. If you like the look of them, check out our
Instagram page in the description where we post images of our explores months before
they are seen on YouTube. Thanks for watching! This is my favourite video we have ever made
so I really hope you found interest in it. There is more like this planned. See you next time!
