Phantom XV409 to be scrapped – RAF Mount Pleasant

Defending the islands is dependant on air superiority over the islands – we have that.

Hot off the press

Just had a reply to an email I sent to my son who’s currently serving at MPA, transport division.

Re the Phantom Gate Guard. She is being scrapped but her cockpit is going to the Stanley museum. He says the rest of her it rotten.

How does he know……………he’s moving her.

I don’t know when this takes place but trust me, my son doesn’t lie.

I also asked him his take on the Argentinean rumblings about ownership of the islands and whether the UK could defend them again. He wasn’t too explicit about it but, reading between the lines, he hopes to ‘jump ship’ before that may eventuate ie, no, the islands couldn’t be defended.

I hope he’s wrong in his assessment but who knows?

thats fantastic that the army are making such an effort bringing her home it should be applauded in this day and age. will be following this one with interest

She is being handed over on the 12th of January with the Army leading the effort to get her home -they should be congratulated on their attitude to the former history of Wattisham.

How she is displayed will evolve once she is home.

glad to see that she will be moving. I take it she will be going on the gate rather than the museum then?

No truth in XT914 moving this week . She is being formally handed over to the Army on the 12th of January. She will then move to Wattisham for display duties.

XT914

ive no idea whether shes going to the museum or not. but i know theyve been looking to move the aircraft on as brampton is closing in the not to distant future. if this is true it would be fantastic news cant think of a more apt place for it to be than wattisham.:)

A few very recent photos of XV409 on pprune which show some of the corrosion. Scroll down to the post by Ant T

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/471311-phantom-scrapped-2.html

Lets hope so. Was always slightly concerned about the future of this example once its gate guard duties had finally come to an end.

Oh, that is Phantastic news especially as XT914 was one of the two last display machines for the 1992 season! I take it she will become part of the museum?

on the subject of phantoms have just read on another forum that xt914 is moving from raf brampton to wattisham this week.

Thanks for that Grahamf.

I seem to remember being stood down off shift because we could not use the runway whilst you vandals were around.

Seems so long ago yet just like yesterday. 30 yrs where did it go?
Bob

Were you squeezing next to Spitfireman?:eek:

Lucky for me he was the otherside of the HDU.

Correct me if I’m wrong, and I usually am these days, her that shall be obeyed tells me! I remember, maybe, sappers lifting the AM2 matting from one end of the runway and putting back at the other. Also on a good day (not often) we would be asked to land the wrong way to try and push the matting back as the Tombs had thumped it that hard on landing it had moved.:)

No you are not wrong, My troop did that very deed, and a picture of us doing it is in the Falklands aftermarth book. We used a Muir Hill digger to slide the AM2 matting apart. One of our explosions let loose a piece of rock the size of a car and it landed right in the back of one of those trucks ‘Haulamatics’ they were called by chance.

Graham

Thanks Phantom Phil. That makes these pictures FI summer 1997.

This aircraft retired from flying in 1992 so it will be post this date…

Paul178 please be patient. All in good time. Penguin News is out on Monday and hopefully will have nothing in it.:D

Up until now, no-one has posted pictures of the beast. Here it is in 1988 I think! Its summer so its 88 or 97.

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Perhaps if you were to wake up to these outside your window, you would understand the Shenanigans? is that how you spell it? of mankind.

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So 35 posts and for the life of me I cannot see a link to anything official saying this aircraft is to be scrapped. Have i missed it somewhere?D

Paul178 please be patient. All in good time. Penguin News is out on Monday and hopefully will have nothing in it.:D

Up until now, no-one has posted pictures of the beast. Here it is in 1988 I think! Its summer so its 88 or 97.

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So 35 posts and for the life of me I cannot see a link to anything official saying this aircraft is to be scrapped. Have i missed it somewhere?

Still the thread was worth it for the pure gold from Baz alone!:D

Were you squeezing next to Spitfireman?:eek:

Lucky for me he was the otherside of the HDU.

Correct me if I’m wrong, and I usually am these days, her that shall be obeyed tells me! I remember, maybe, sappers lifting the AM2 matting from one end of the runway and putting back at the other. Also on a good day (not often) we would be asked to land the wrong way to try and push the matting back as the Tombs had thumped it that hard on landing it had moved.:)

Phantom cockpit

Will it be at…Legends – or Cockpit Fest?:D

They dug a hole then crushed and buried the other Phantoms they “scrapped” in the Falklands years back. They’ll probably do the same to this poor old bird too.

So much for the Environment and recycling. The Falklands may be at the other side of the world but if they really feel they have to break that luvverly jet up then it should be done properly:mad:

Where’s the cockpit going then, the local ATC unit?

Anon.