Weather
Snoopy will be grounded
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Thursday 3rd May 2001.
HERCULES aircraft, which were affectionately nicknamed Snoopy, because their pronounced nose cones were likened to the cartoon character, have been disbanded after 25 years service at RAF Lyneham and Boscombe Down.
The Mark Two Hercules was used for meterological research. It spent most of its time flying over Wiltshire but has seen service in other parts of the world.
"We nicknamed it Snoopy through a combination of how it looks and the fact that it goes around snooping on people," said Lyneham's Community Relations Officer, Squadron Leader Christopher Bartle.
It was originally based at Farnborough, and was then based at Boscombe Down, but most of its servicing was done at Lyneham.
Scientists used to work on instruments in the fuselage of the plane to carry out research on the weather.
"Snoopy" has a distinctive white and grey livery and a red and white air-sampling probe on the front, which gave rise to its nickname.
The RAF has decided Snoopy is no longer needed, but it has not yet been replaced.
l The largest aircraft to ever land at RAF Lyneham flew in a special delivery of four incinerators to help clear the country's backlog of animal carcasses at the weekend. The Russian Antonov 124, which is equivalent in size to a Boeing 747, brought the incinerators from Florida on Sunday.
"It is a very large aeroplane," said spokesman Squadron Leader Christopher Bartle.
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