NGTE Pyestock - June 2012 (images intensive)

[Priority 7]

Pretty much everyone knows this place as the reports have been numerous but here is my take and a little plagerised info on it before the photos. The day started out strangely for me, I met up with coverturbex, urbanekul and a little fiesty drove to Hemel (my old stomping ground) to pic up a non-member only for me to discover I went to school with them 33 years ago :eek:
NGTE Pyestock, part of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), UK was the primary site in the UK for design and development of gas turbine and jet engines. This was created by the merger of the design teams from Frank Whittle's Power Jets and the RAE turbine development team run by Hayne Constant. Pyestock was to spend of its existence as a major testing and development center, running experimental developments and supporting the large public engine companies.
This newly merged group was nationalised, and the search for a suitable site for turbine development began. Pyestock itself was originally a golf course near Farnborough and with secrecy being key its seclusion in a wooded area made this a perfect location for the new venture. Breaking ground on the new site began in 1949, but the site was a far cry from the one we all know today with testing initially taking place in small cubicles inside buildings.The onset of supersonic jets saw the site undergo a large expansion to the north west, which included the massive Air House and huge test "cells" being built around 1961.
Pyestock stood at the forefront of gas turbine development for 50 years and was most likely the largest site of its nature the world over. The site was responsible for strenuous testing of V bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines. The immense power of the air house allowed the testing of Concorde's engines to 2,000 mph. All of the Royal Navy's gas turbines were checked here and even captured Soviet engines were secretively examined. This all took place with the need for the engines having to take to the air,
Pyestock was eventually closed in 2000 and sadly the metal thieves and slowly dragging away anything they can carry.

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And any explore into a dark area wouldn't be complete without wire wool which thankfully a previous explorer left behind with there spinning equipment :)

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Thanks for looking :)

[Little Dave]

Cracking report fella, the last two do it for me :smclap

[birdinanaviary]

Never a chore seeing Pyestock!
Well played

[Clough]

Lovely, bloody lovely had some friends that kipped over sat night you bump into them?

[Priority 7]

Saw no one Clough, but then the place is huge and we were heading out at 11am :) we did start at 5am yawn

[ROYALBOB]

Some nice slices there chief.

[the kwan]

Lovely pictures especially the pacman doors, I really need to see this place.

[coops]

Cracking mate :thumb

[hiddenshadow]

Aye, bumped into two others here on Sunday morning, nice shots.