Spitfires Past Traditional Cache
Long Man: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache, I'm archiving it.
Andy
Long Man
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Cache is a standard size clip-lock box
Plenty of free parking on site with an easy walk across a grassed park to the cache.
There are lots of muggles around here so stealth required!
When re-hiding, there are loose sticks and leaves in the vicinity, please ensure the best possible camouflage for the cache - none of us want it to get muggled!
Located in the pretty little village of Manston, this cache is at a local park where there is also an "off-lead" area for geohounds to get their excercise.
Manston is only a small village but has become known due to it's aviation history as RAF Manston.
In the winter of 1915-1916, early aircraft began to use the open farmlands at Manston as a site for emergency landings. Thus was established the Admiralty Aerodrome at Manston. Not long after, the training school, set up originally to instruct pilots in the use of the new Handley Page bombers, was established; so by the close of 1916 there were already two distinct units stationed at Manston: the Operational War Flight Command and the Handley Page Training School.
Its location near the Kent coast gave Manston some advantages over other aerodromes, and regular additions in men and machinery were soon made, particularly, in early days, from Detling. By 1917 the Royal Flying Corps was well established and taking an active part in the defence of England.
In the Second World War, after an eventful Battle of Britain during which Manston was heavily bombed, Barnes Wallis used the base to test his bouncing bomb on the coast at nearby Reculver prior to the Dambusters raid.
Hawker Typhoon and Meteor squadrons were both based at Manston during the war. Being close to the front-line and having a long and broad runway, the airfield became something of a magnet for badly damaged planes that had suffered from ground fire, collisions or air attack but retained a degree of airworthiness. The airfield also became a "graveyard" for heavy bombers and less-damaged aircraft, offering spare parts for allied aircraft in need of repair. The museums on site display some startling aerial views dating from this era and the post-war years.
During the Cold War of the 1950s, the United States Air Force used Manston as a Strategic Air Command base for its fighter and fighter-bomber units.
The USAF withdrew from Manston in 1960, and the airfield became a joint civilian and RAF airport, employed for occasional package tour and cargo flights, alongside its continuing role as an RAF base. The Air Cadets used the northern side of the airfield as a gliding site, and an Air Experience Flight flying De Havilland Chipmunks was based there. Thanks to its broad long runway, (built during the Second World War, along with Woodbridge's, to allow returning damaged bombers a longer than usual runway to land on), Manston was used as a diversionary airfield for emergency military and civilian landings.
From 1989 Manston became Kent International Airport, and a new terminal was opened by the Duchess of York. A number of charter flights operated by Dan-Air to Palma (Mallorca) were introduced on a Saturday using their BAC One Eleven during the summer season. Aviogenex the Yugoslavian carrier at the time operated a number of regular charters to the then popular beach resorts of the former Yogoslavia on behalf of the now defunct Yugotours.
It is also allegedly listed by NASA, although never used, as an emergency diversionary landing strip for the Space Shuttle programme. However, RAF Fairford is currently the only site in the United Kingdom listed as an emergency landing site.
Since then, regular flights have started with a low cost airline providing flights around the EU and, after they unfortunately went into administration, now a larger airline has daily flights to Scotland and Ireland. These too have now unfortunately stopped leaving no regular services running from Manston.
Some information has been taken from the Wikipedia article on Manston Airport.
Congrats on FTF to Team Narrowboat - 8 Hours from listing to FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oruvaq gur Orapu
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