Looking for a few Sea Vixen photos

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4D52v3BFd2g/SEj4FC16l7I/AAAAAAAACEs/KL2bTO9rABI/img101.jpg

But I think this might count as stealing. 🙁

Here is a shot from the Lee On Solent Navy day of 1959.

Serial appears to be XJ476 or XJ475.

Scruffy, but it was over 50 years ago. 🙂

Mark

Hi again,

Great pictures pagen!

@zishelix: thanks for the link, but those are images for sale. I make a habbit of not paying for my internet 😎

This is the kind of post I’m working on: http://www.steampunk.dk/?p=13702

Just a short capture of the era, nothing technical.

How about http://www.transportphotos.com/air?search=Sea%20Vixen ?

I realize it didn’t enter service until 1959, but AFAIK RAF had 9 prototypes and surely the Fleet Air Arm had a few also.

Only three prototypes were built due in part to the confusing series of specification changes for both the RAF and the RN.
Both DH110s were built to the RAF night fighter spec and when the RAF dropped its interest in the type the second aircraft was modified to trial FAA carrier requirements, however it wasn’t a navalised prototype.
The DH110 Mk.20X of 1955 was the first naval prototype, but even this didn’t feature folding wings.
There wasn’t a Sea Vixen prototype as such but a development batch of nine aircraft (XJ474-XJ482, these are probably what you were referring to), each testing different aspects of the aircraft and weapons systems, and the first flying in March 1957.

I’m not sure why the high quality British images arn’t released to the net like some of the American stuff is, it is a shame as there are great shots available to buy as prints.
I do have images of the Fleet Air Arm Museums FAW.Mk.1 XJ481, this is a very early aircraft (second to last development aircraft) and dosent have any of the later windscreen, canopy or hatch mods, you are welcome to use them, but it is obviously at an airshow!

Hi Stacey,

Thats a very clever solution, but I’m in danmark :p

I think I will use the images i got now, even if they could be better quality.

Thanks for the help everyone.

we can always put on our original mk1 framed pilots canopy as well if you need an authentic look

you can always take pictures of our XJ494 as she still has the original non bulged observers hatch

Hi Pagan01,

Thanks for the info. I realize it didn’t enter service until 1959, but AFAIK RAF had 9 prototypes and surely the Fleet Air Arm had a few also.

It’s not so much information I need, as it’s simply for a series of blog-posts with images of early jets – very little text besides the type of aircraft.

Books are not really a solution, as I need to post them on my blog. Flight archive does indeed have some nice images, but they are fairly low resolution. I was hoping for this kind of quality:

…Its strange how many high quality images of American 50’s hardware are available (even public domain) and so few good quality images of British hardware – did you not have cameras back then?

Joke aside; what I’m looking for are black and white photos from the 50’s.

It didn’t enter service until July 1959;)
I can’t recommend highly enough the Air Britain Tony Butler Sea Vixen book and along side the Richard Franks book provide a massive amount of good quality period shots.
Both have good amounts of DH110 pictures aswel.

Online there are some great articles and pictures in the Flight archive, particularly of the service entry period, search ‘Sea Vixen 1957-67’.

My cockpit section features the very earliest form of navs hatch, ie the flush version with the small window, I can provide pics if they show something that you want to know.
The Sea Vixens hatch ohinged at the rear, a change from the opening forward type on the 110s.

On a more general note there are excellent pictures of British types (think Charles E Brown etc), but they do tend to belong to archives such as Flight and various museums.