Gloster Javelin Sightings

The one at the Norfolk & Suffolk museum in Flixton should be easy to get to the next time your work takes you to the UK.

There is a good section on it Bill Gunston’s very worthwhile book Fighters of the Fifties.

Wouldn’t we all like to see one running or preferably flying but it seems that the engines are as rare as hens teeth. Would a different, more readily available give the same sound? Would it be legal to fit a different motor. Don’t see why not except for the price.

I’d love to HEAR the”howl” of it’s engines.

Hi All,
SADSACK,
Your absolutely correct but I would still love to see one where it belongs no harm in fantasising at least I won’t go blind though!…..:D

Geoff.

re:

Hi All,
Great pictures everybody :eagerness: anybody else on here love to see one of these flying again ? 😎

Geoff.

It would be a miracle to even see one ground run. The type has been retired for 49 years and spares must be non existent.

Hi All,
Great pictures everybody :eagerness: anybody else on here love to see one of these flying again ? 😎

Geoff.

Back to Javelins.

The “hanging” discussion is one we have held frequently and isn’t one that will be resolved. I am sorry for leading us off down that well-trodden path, it’s just the Cosford one looks so ‘right’ (to me)

Moggy

Generally I am not a fan of hung aircraft, especially ones that you can only see from one angle. I like to be able to walk around an aircraft and view from many angles and see unique details. Distance is also an issue with some hung airframes and you can’t see details at all. I get the space limitations issues, but hanging should only be done for dramatic entrance displays. Some are better than others. The USMC Museum at Quantico is one of the worst offenders, with some hung way up high. and others on top of displays and you can only see the belly of some aircraft.

There’s that, but I also feel that I often cannot get a good view of a suspended aircraft. The Javelin at Cosford is one exception as there is a viewing platform right next to it. I would love to get a good view of the U-2 at Duxford but as that has always been suspended from the ceiling, it might just as well have flown past. I would have seen just as much. Had it been standing on its gear I would have gotten a better impression of its size, I would have been able to see more detail. But that’s just my two cents. These Javelin photos show that we can have both: several examples on its gear and one suspended.

I never understand why people dislike hanging aircraft.

It usually comes down to the modifications required / damage done to provide the strong points for hanging.

That looks far more ‘alive’ than the ones standing on their gear. I never understand why people dislike hanging aircraft.

Moggy

Nice photo! I’ve found a second photo but Flickr is not cooperating…

[edit] Here we go:

DSC_5755_resize_copy by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

I just added another picture of the Cosford example in my earlier post above.

The one at Cosford is hidden up in the rafters of the Cold War building, here’s my attempt from a year ago at photographing XA564.

DSC_5697_resize by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

I saw two yesterday

Here’s one of them

Moggy

A more up to date list here, with pictures of most:

http://www.demobbed.org.uk/aircraft.php?type=632

Thank you. Brilliant pictures.

A few of the ones mentioned above….

Duxford IWM

Newark Air Museum

Yorkshire Air Museum

Midland Air Museum Coventry

RAF Cosford – Cold War Building

Oh that’s great news about the new book. I bought and read the first volume on the Phantom and it was great! I just finished Javelin from the Cockpit and it was a very enjoyable read.

I suppose it’s lesser known than other RAF types, but I do find it to be an interesting airplane.

Can’t help you with this quest but if you’re interested, there’s a new book just out, “Javelin Boys” by Steve Bond. You’ll be able to get a copy from Amazon (who are already advertising it) or Grub Street Publishing who are taking orders. I have given him my 2cent worth of info and it appears in chapter 5.