Gannet WN411

Floats? On a Gannet?:eek:

Flood

Have you no imagination Mr. Flood? :p

If there is no response on this thread, I will start a new one and hopefully provide some evidence! :rolleyes:

As a follow on it was hardly brand new as described – Air Britains FAA Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 gives it as having flown 347 hours, fairly middling when compared to its siblings built at the same time, and with just over one years service and six years storage…
Was it really found complete? Was it actually in a packing case? Was someone telling lies?

Floats? On a Gannet?:eek:

Flood

Tony,

I’ve never ever seen a photo of Barrys AEW3.

When quizzed on it, he said it was now “looking nice” but wouldn’t elaborate as to wether it was a cockpit like that at Dunkeswell or Hooten Park (shown below), or wether it was cut off at floor level etc, etc….

I can only assume that ~if~ no one has ever seen it/photographed it, that it must be small enough to be kept indoors ?

Cheers Dave

Gannet on floats.

Flood said….

” There is mention in the article of the MoD desperately searching for Gannets in 1982 for use in the South Atlantic. Without wanting to get into the possibilities of a Gannet flying off a ‘Harrier-carrier’ (which it couldn’t, what with a whopping great ramp at the front, even if there was enough wind down the deck and how was it going to land anyway? No need for arrester wires on HMS Invincible or Hermes! Ahem.) or the much discussion that took place at the time about renovating one of the retired or scrapped carriers (and that was a laugh too – HMS Ark Royal was way beyond help by then and HMS Bulwark apparently was so riddled with rust you could push your finger through the metal work), the article mentions The Sunday Telegraph did its own search and found ‘a brand new Gannet, still in its packing case, through a military dealer’ as well as loads of Mamba engines.
Have to say this is the first time I’d heard of this. Has anyone else heard this one before? What became of this Gannet – does it still exist in its packing case, stored away until the next time we have flat topped carriers and it can go back to work? Or has it been scrapped? “

I was going to keep this for a new post, but as it is sort to alluded to above, are there any photos of the Gannet that was put on floats? 😉

Barry Parkhouse had a cockpit at one stage…nice!!

Tony,

I’ve never ever seen a photo of Barrys AEW3.

When quizzed on it, he said it was now “looking nice” but wouldn’t elaborate as to wether it was a cockpit like that at Dunkeswell or Hooten Park (shown below), or wether it was cut off at floor level etc, etc….

I can only assume that ~if~ no one has ever seen it/photographed it, that it must be small enough to be kept indoors ?

This was news to me! Any more info. available on the reg. address or newspaper article? :confused:

Here’s some quotes from Flood & others from a thread of 2 years ago whilst discussing Gannets in general….

Flood said….

” There is mention in the article of the MoD desperately searching for Gannets in 1982 for use in the South Atlantic. Without wanting to get into the possibilities of a Gannet flying off a ‘Harrier-carrier’ (which it couldn’t, what with a whopping great ramp at the front, even if there was enough wind down the deck and how was it going to land anyway? No need for arrester wires on HMS Invincible or Hermes! Ahem.) or the much discussion that took place at the time about renovating one of the retired or scrapped carriers (and that was a laugh too – HMS Ark Royal was way beyond help by then and HMS Bulwark apparently was so riddled with rust you could push your finger through the metal work), the article mentions The Sunday Telegraph did its own search and found ‘a brand new Gannet, still in its packing case, through a military dealer’ as well as loads of Mamba engines.
Have to say this is the first time I’d heard of this. Has anyone else heard this one before? What became of this Gannet – does it still exist in its packing case, stored away until the next time we have flat topped carriers and it can go back to work? Or has it been scrapped? “

Mr Burke replied…..

” Flood – the machine in question I believe was Gannet AS.1 WN411 which was ‘discovered’ in a scrapyard in component form.
Her cockpit is currently sat in a garden in the Southhampton area
covered in mould and brambles. Any thought of flying is long gone- it’s survival at all is very much in doubt.
As for her AEW capabilities -well non existant but she made an interesting story for FlyPast when the British Air Reserve released that plans to fly her in 1984! It didn’t happen but that’s
hopeless optimism for you! “

Joe Petroni also replied….

“Flood

The story about the MOD searching for Gannets is quite correct.

During 1982 I visited Lee-on-Solent to view a Gannet AEW 3 which was up for tender. The chap who I viewing it for was succesful with his bid to buy the aircraft, but the sale was ‘put on hold’ because of the Falklands war.

As you say quite what they were going to operate it off is anyone’s guess, and all the AEW kit had been removed anyway.

Eventually they came up with Sea king AEW instead.”

Anything to add 2 years later folks ? 😀

.

Is it just the cockpit? Looks nice! Barry Parkhouse had a cockpit at one stage…nice!!

Anybody know the current situation of Gannet WN411 last noted in a Southampton garden ? :confused:

Is the owner to stubborn to part with it perhaps ?

.

This was news to me! Any more info. available on the reg. address or newspaper article? :confused:

Southampton?

Wasn’t it in Cirencester?

Melv’,

Thanks but no, that was a whole airframe (XA459) which is/was being restored in the Lambourn/Hungerford area.

WN411 was the infamous crated newspaper find circa April 1982, to help protect our boys against the Argies.

.

Southampton?

Wasn’t it in Cirencester?