Pyestock - March 2013

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MrDan

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Location
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Pyestock
March 2013
A visit with sweet_pea, Cachewoo and 2 others (not sure if they're on the forum yet)


I'm sure you guys are familiar with the location, so I'll just shamelessly copy and paste some information on the site:
The National Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE Pyestock) in Fleet, part of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), was the prime site in the UK for design and development of gas turbine and jet engines. It was created by merging the design teams of Frank Whittle's Power Jets and the RAE turbine development team run by Hayne Constant. NGTE spent most of its lifetime as a testing and development centre, both for experimental developments and to support commercial engine companies. The newly merged venture was nationalised. Pyestock, a former golf course in a secluded wooded spot between Farnborough and Fleet was chosen as the turbine development site, as the activities at the NGTE would be top secret and the surrounding woodland would dampen the noise.

Construction began in 1949 with small test "cubicles" inside buildings like the Plant House. When the possibility of supersonic jets arose, the site was expanded to the north west, with the Air House and several large test cells built circa 1961. For over 50 years Pyestock was at the forefront of gas turbine development. It was probably the largest site of its kind in the world. V bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines were tested on site. The power of the air house allowed Concorde's engines to be tested at 2,000 mph. Every gas turbine installed in Royal Navy ships was checked here; captured Soviet engines were discreetly examined. NGTE Pyestock closed down in 2000 and decommissioned to make way for a business park.



Our Trip
This was a great explore, I rolled up to sweet's house at around 5am, to find the 3 of them waiting in the car for me, we set off for the drive to meet
Cachewoo at the motorway services where we enjoyed some much needed caffeine and properly introduced ourselves once we'd finally woken up.
With the 2 cars in convoy, we pulled up and parked ready to make the trek towards the perimeter of Pyestock, a security van pulled up next to us and got a dog
out of the back just as I was acting a fool in an anonymous mask and a penguin hat! Luckily they weren't related to Pyestock, and were just walking their dog :lol:

We spent a good 4+ hours in here, and as we were about to leave the first building, we quickly realised
that the workmen were turning up for work. It just so happened that they had decided to start work just a few feet from our exit from the building.
After attempting to wait it out for a little while, we decided to look for another way out, and success! Like the ninjas we are, we managed to climb
and clamber around the buildings, under pipes and through the bushes undetected!

I have to say a massive thank you to my fellow explorers, for their help with my battle with the barbed wire!



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Last edited:
Great photos both. I appreciate reports and photos from here much more than I did before having seen the place. It's HUGE!

Loving the DOF shots :)
 
Wow, some real positive feedback there, thanks very much to all of you :p

Yeah sweet_pea, really gutted for you. I still can't get my head around how your memory card got wiped :/
 
The photos should still be on there as long as you haven't taken any other photos since...take it to a specialist
 
Thanks all for the comments, appreciate it. It was a really fun and interesting day. Industrial normally isn't my cuppa tea, but I genuinely found myself walking around on my own smiling to myself.
 

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