Hercules fleet says farewell to RAF Lyneham 01.07.11

A fleet of Hercules will make a farewell low-level flight over Wiltshire today. Four of the planes - nicknamed Fat Alberts - are leaving RAF Lyneham for the last time before heading to RAF Brize Norton. Lyneham has been the home of the Hercules for 45 years but by the end of September, it will cease to be a flying station. Today four planes will make the 110-mile flight before heading to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The move means that the repatriations of fallen troops, which have taken place through Lyneham since 2007, will go through Brize Norton from September. The future of the base remains uncertain, although the government has said the site is in "a strong position" to become an Army base for soldiers returning from Germany. Proposals have also been made to convert the vast 1,300 acre site into a holiday theme park.