Just been scanning my old shots from 1991 when I was at RAF Manston with the FSCTE and came across this shot of XF519.
Problem is 519 as I understand things was exported to Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) in 1966 and is stored over there somewhere.
So the question is which Hunter is it? Attached is two different versions of the same shot one medium size one large
I would also presume that the different colours would mean that were dealing with two different Hunters:confused:
By: Last Lightning - 31st March 2025 at 13:01
http://www.ukserials.com/ then go to the XF page and scroll down to 519….is the info on that page wrong or has there been two XF519s?:confused:
Also here http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivors.php scroll down to the FGA9 section
By: wieesso - 31st March 2025 at 13:01
:confused: examples of her appearance after 1966:
27. Hunter FGA 9 XF519 58 Sqn at Coningsby 26/02/76
http://www.rob.clubkawasaki.com/page6index.htm
March 1982 Movements 22nd
XF519 E Hunter FGA9 234 Sqn
http://www.wattisham.org.uk/wtm-1982-03.htm
RAF Gütersloh 1975 09.06. XF519/90 Hunter FGA.9 58.Sqn.
http://www.sg-etuo.de/index.php?n=Logs.1975
By: hunterxf382 - 31st March 2025 at 13:01
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivor.php?id=316 shows a Manston example after torching….. and the serial XJ695. It looks to be in the same gutted state as the one in your photo, so maybe the serial has been ‘doctored’ at manston for whatever reason?
By: Thunderbird167 - 31st March 2025 at 13:00
According to Wrecks and Relics 13th Edition it is XJ695 but fitted with the rear fuselage of XF519
By: lothar - 31st March 2025 at 12:59
XJ695
I see from my logbook that I was the very last person to fly XJ695. On 16th November 1978 on my second LL recce sortie of the day in XJ695 out of Brawdy I hit a seagull over the Forest of Dean (an arboreal seagull?) and diverted to BZN. The damage to the aircraft was significant. The impact was on the port intake resulting in a major dent. The bird then went into the engine, tearing the port intake skin and removing the letterbox on its way, where it impacted on the starter housing and succeeded in shifting the engine on its mountings but the ever-reliable Avon held true throughout the recovery to BZN. I went to lunch in the Officers Mess (much tut-tutting about my green grow-bag from the shiny fleet) and phoned home. They phoned me back 20′ later to say that the aircraft was deemed beyond economical repair. I was picked up some 30′ later by my boss in our JP4 and XJ695 was abandoned at Brize never to fly again (nor did the seagull).
By: Last Lightning - 31st March 2025 at 12:59
🙂 Thanks for the conformation that its two different Hunters, I can update my records now thanks:)
By: wieesso - 31st March 2025 at 12:58
XF519
But the question remains:
When was she stored in Zimbabwe? 1966? What about her later appearances at different locations? (see post #2)
By: freebird - 31st March 2025 at 12:57
Lothar
Great story
Freebird
By: Last Lightning - 31st March 2025 at 12:56
Lothar a big thank you for bringing my photo to life :);):) Thunderbird 167 thanks for the help with W&R…G-BDRC will be appearing soon;)
wieesso I have absolutely no idea:(:(
By: flyingant - 31st March 2025 at 12:56
According to ‘Hawker Hunter’ by DJ Griffin, XF519 was c/n 2180 and ex-No.1 TWU (Brawdy). Delivered to Rhodesia 10/04/84 as 8106. Crashed near Beatrice and w/o 19/02/95.
By: wieesso - 31st March 2025 at 12:56
This might explain why XF519 was arround for sometime as it apparently did not go to Zimbabwe until 1984
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ih5Vcy2PZXQC&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=hunter+xf519&source=bl&ots=BH779t2dRV&sig=tQY8qXo8Ojr6a8wKFvfj1GmisZ4&hl=en&ei=57FkS_jdFaP80wTOkp3XBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CBgQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=hunter%20xf519&f=false
Thank you 167!
By: Thunderbird167 - 31st March 2025 at 12:56
This might explain why XF519 was arround for sometime as it apparently did not go to Zimbabwe until 1984
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January 30, 2010 at 12:46 am