What Where When Why

The nose oleo appears to have been swivelled through 180 degrees, which may account for the strange look. Check out the position of the oleo cylinder which is in front and the main pivot is also behind.

Sorry to drag this one back again – David Collins pointed me at it over the weekend; looks like I missed it first time round!

The aircraft is an NF3, with cut off wings. The giveaways are the landing gear; the wheels are correct for the NF3, wrong for the Sea Venom, the canopy, the cowling, AND – the nose gear door. It is attached to the other side on the Sea Venom; the picture was not transposed!

One possibility is WX788 at Aeroventure as suggested by David. It did have wings chopped off at about this point. Are there any cooling towers near Flint Technical college, which is where it ended up?

Bruce

I can’t see that picture being taken in Matlock. There aren’t any cooling towers within about 30 miles.

venom / sea venom?

I think it could possible be Venom NF.3 WX932. Issued to 140 Sqdn ATC Matlock Feb 1958. Last noted 1967

– with sea venom stub wings?

I think it could possible be Venom NF.3 WX932. Issued to 140 Sqdn ATC Matlock Feb 1958. Last noted 1967

Alan

From memory (and a Matchbox 1/32 plastic model built badly many years ago) I think the canopy difference was dependant on the type of ejector seat fitted. If the seat was not present then any venom canopy would fit, to keep the rain out of a grounded airframe – not for it flying! – Nermal

Spurious theory from DC!

This may be duff gen, but Isn’t there an ex-RAF venom night fighter pod in the uk with sea-venom stub wings? Is it Aeroventures? Can someone confirm?

There are three examples in the UK:

WX788 – Aeroventure (?)
WX853 – Mosquito Museum (complete)
WX905 – Newark (complete)

There are 3 versions of the RAF night fighter: NF.2, NF.2A, and NF.3.

the nose radome detail is different between the NF.2 and NF.3. I think from memory, that the NF.3 and sea-venom radomes are he same.

The sea venom had a raised portion of the canopy perspex over the pilot. This one does not appear to. It has the flatter RAF version.

With reference to the nose wheel door opening on the other side. I agree that this is merely the photo being printed in reverse.

Otherwise, It is not beyond possibilities that a sea venom has just been painted in a non-standard scheme. (making reference to the fin flashes.)

Just popped back after the weekend and this thread really doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

Can nobody dig up the FlyPast list of ATC gate guardians?

Moggy

Another clue that this is a Venom NF and not a Sea Venom is that FAA aircraft don’t wear RAF fin flashes on their tails! :rolleyes:

I could be pedantic and say wrong, but I shall merely point to the overall single colour scheme and lack of warning triangles and ask you to pass judgement on the previous user from that…
The wing-cut looks fairly smooth and, I believe, is in approximately the right place for the wing fold on a Sea Venom: it even looks as though it has been bagged and sealed. The main undercarriage looks the same as various pix I can lay my hands on showing Sea Venom undercarriage, although not being able to find anything on Venom legs (the RAF two seat variety) makes comparision a little difficult; but I think I can discount it being a FAW20/NF2 varient – wrong shape for the RADAR nose dome.

Flood

Thanks for all the discussion chaps. It is highly likely that I scanned the picture mirror image as the negative is one of the grottiest that I have seen and it was difficult to determine which was the glossy side.

Keep up the good work and we may find someone who lived in the house!! I am not convinced that the hut is an ATC hut but I could be wrong.

Glyn

Reversed pic was what I thought.
Nose gear door was a clue – also the factory-fitted radio aerial on the guard of the car and I was thinking of a FB Victor myself

IT does appear that this picture has been transposed as some point, the undercart door is usually hinged on the port side on a Venom as attached.

I’ve taken the liberty to flip the original photo, and also to darken it up just slightly.

Another clue that this is a Venom NF and not a Sea Venom is that FAA aircraft don’t wear RAF fin flashes on their tails! :rolleyes:

True…though the possibility of an inaccurate repaint means you can’t use this as definitive evidence!

Another clue that this is a Venom NF and not a Sea Venom is that FAA aircraft don’t wear RAF fin flashes on their tails! :rolleyes:

According to the web site, this is a Sea Venom FAW.22, which I photographed at Newark Air Museum this year, at almost the same angle as the mystery photo – look at the difference in the nose wheel strut arrangement . . .

I discounted the nose undercarriage being different since the first pic shows it as if the airframe has been dragged backwards, and the oleo in your pic looks flat when compared with other, operational, pictures I have checked out. But the nose undercarriage door is on the wrong side in the first shot…;)

Flood

DH Sea Venom at Newark Air Museum

According to the web site, this is a Sea Venom FAW.22, which I photographed at Newark Air Museum this year, at almost the same angle as the mystery photo – look at the difference in the nose wheel strut arrangement . . .

Looking at the aft of the fuselage pod, it doesn’t appear to have the large fairing above the jet pipe common to all Sea Venoms which leads me to believe we are looking at a NF variant. Looking at the layout of the fasteners for the access hatch on the side of the nose, I reckon we have an NF3 there.

Tom.

For those with opinions about the car, would it make a difference if the picture was flipped? I have an idea that the picture has been printed mirror-image…
Having scanned Air Britains Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft since 1946, unsuccessfully, for any trace of an FAA Sea Venom being used by an ATC unit I can only assume it might be one caught between being sold for scrap and actually being reduced to tiny bits.
Can anyone with knowledge confirm that it actually is a Sea Venom? I know there were some minor differences between the FAW20s and the RAFs NF2s (and the FAW21s and NF3s) but are any clues visible in this picture, enough to pin down the varient – other than the tail markings? The RAFs NF2s and NF3s were just about all sold for scrap by 1960, so could this one have been on a detour from its path to the scrapyard with its wings truncated or, at a later date, is it a repainted former FAA one with its outer wings removed?

Flood

Ignore my last post, I was talking utter claptrap. 😮

Best wishes
Steve P

Looks like a Sea Venom to me. Didn’t the NF Venoms have a different radome?

Best wishes
Steve P