Tristan Cork goes behind the scenes at RAF Fairford, a home

from home for hundreds of Americans and the world's emergency

landing site for space shuttles

IT boasts the longest runway in the country, what is

rumoured to be the biggest munitions store in Europe and plays

host to the biggest military air show in the world.

But RAF Fairford, which spans the Wiltshire-Gloucestershire

border, is an enigma. For while other airbases in the West are

busy hives of activity, there are no planes or squadrons

stationed at this great Tarmac Mecca permanently.

Lyneham has its Hercs, Boscombe Down is a busy training

centre and Yeovilton has its choppers. But RAF Fairford is

known as a sleeping giant, just waiting, ready at the drop of a

hat – or a President's order – to come alive.

It is technically an RAF base, but here the Americans are in

charge. Fairford's official status is as a standby forward

operating base for the US Air Force, and the 500 or so American

servicemen and women who live and work there are the USAF

equivalent of caretakers, maintaining the base and its

readiness.

And when that order is made, when Fairford becomes “active”,

it does so in a huge way. It was the place where American

bombers were based for both the 1991 and 2003 campaigns in Iraq

– and the focus for the subsequent anti-war demonstrations.

The base commander, Colonel Joseph C Dill, of the 420th Air

Base Group, knows all about those bombers – he flew B1s for

decades before being assigned here.

“I'd heard people call it Sleepy Hollow but it's not, there

are always things going on – always things that make you busy,”

he said.

At the moment, the focus is on two huge events in Fairford's

life – the annual Royal International Air Tattoo, which takes

place on July 12 and 13 this year – and the historic ceremony

that will take place the day before.

On Friday, July 11, before about 200,000 people come to

marvel at the world's fastest, biggest and most powerful

military aircraft, the Queen will attend a different kind of

event.

For Fairford has been chosen as the location for the Queen's

Colour ceremony, an occasion when the monarch presents new silk

flags to the air force, as a symbol of the relationship between

the armed forces and their commander. For the RAF, it's a big

deal – unlike the annual trooping the colour, this grander RAF

version hasn't happened since 1993.

The ceremony will comprise 800 RAF personnel, watched by

5,000 invited guests. It will involve flypasts, displays and

parades and is being held now to mark the RAF's 90th birthday –

a major theme of the public air tattoo which will take place on

the following two days.

It will be a baptism of fire for Col Dill, who took over as

base commander at Fairford the week after last year's tattoo.

On seeing that the list of celebrities who had supported the

tattoo in the past included Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickenson,

he irreverently confessed to being excited if he got to meet

the Queen, but more excited if he got to meet Iron Maiden.

He said: “I'd been to Fairford before – I flew the first B1

bomber here in 1993. I stayed here for a few days and I

remember I said to my colleagues then: 'How does anybody get to

be stationed here, this is a lovely place, and now I'm here,

and in command.

“I haven't been out enough, I need to get out more and see

the surrounding area. I know there are some amazing places

around here, but it's busy on the base,” he smiled.

Among those duties is one that the men and women at Fairford

take very seriously indeed. For the past 25 years, the base has

been an emergency landing site for the space shuttle. It has

never been used, of course, although a space shuttle did land

on the back of a jumbo jet here before it made its first flight

into orbit.

But whenever you hear on the news that the shuttle is about

to be launched, have a thought for the base crews at Fairford

who, religiously each and every time, get into position with

fire engines, medic teams and the emergency crews, and wait.

The shuttle goes up, and from seven minutes from the launch to

14 minutes in, it's Fairford that's on alert to respond.

For if something was to happen to the shuttle which meant

Mission Control in Florida had to abort, the huge reusable

spaceship would glide automatically back down to Earth – with

Fairford as its landing site.

“It's something that we take seriously – we have to be ready

if we are called upon,” explained Col Dill.

“We're linked up with Mission Control and for a few minutes

we're all ready. It's complicated, and it depends on how far

into the mission that they find the problem and the trajectory,

and all sorts. But we have to be ready.”

The last shuttle launch took place a fortnight ago, and now

attention has turned to the air tattoo, which promises to be

bigger and better than ever before.

“I can't wait. I'm a big fan of air shows anyway, and it's

fabulous to be involved now,” said Col Dill. “Look at that

fighter jet there – that's why people come to air shows: it's

all about the technology, the way man can push the limits of

what machines can do. When you see something like that, you get

goosebumps, it's just unbelievable.”