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WHICH HUNTER FLEW UNDER TOWER BRIDGE

Just a query, with the recent movement of Hunter XE624 to the East Midlands, it has been suggested that this was the aircraft that flew under Tower Bridge on April 6th 1968.

The pilot of the aircraft was Flt Lt Alan Pollock he carried out the event in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the formation of the RAF, but I have allways beleived that ‘624 although carrying Tower Bridge zap for part of its carreer on No 1 Sqn was not the aircraft involved. XE624 was an aircraft that Alan Pollock flew regularly hence the zap.

Can anyone shed light on the subject for me, my source was once a CO of No 1 Sqn and is someone who is a very keen enthusiast so I would not question his knowledge.

Can anyone confirm which Hunter flew the mission

regards

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By: whalebone - 19th February 2005 at 19:53

Did I imagine this at Abingdon then?

Ah what a sight and sound. Well that may be Abingdon but…I used to get one of those across the bottom of our garden every year as a small boy.
The trooping the colour flypast came right over Colchester, 8 minutes to the hour on the way out and 12 minutes past on the way back, you could set your watch by it.
It was one of the things that gave me “the bug”.

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By: Bruggen 130 - 19th February 2005 at 19:36

I remember it well, i took his mother to hospital at 6.o clock that morning.
He was born 1 hour later,never in my wildest dreems did i think i’d be taking this pic 36 years later πŸ˜€
Phil.
Sorry Chris :diablo:

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By: Papa Lima - 19th February 2005 at 18:31

Quote from the Thunder & Lightnings link:
“In 1968 it was the RAF’s 50th birthday, yet the top brass did not se fit to mark this with any flypast, choosing instead for mere parades on the ground.”
Did I imagine this at Abingdon then?

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By: GATEGUARD - 19th February 2005 at 18:22

All

The aircraft was XF442 : H, I was also directed to the copy of Sept 1982 FLYPAST, its a quite rivetting read describing the sortie in all its detail, in it Allan Pollock notes that XF442 was his mount.

GG

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By: Moondance - 19th February 2005 at 16:47

Fairly recent thread on pprune http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=97214&highlight=tower+bridge

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By: atc pal - 19th February 2005 at 16:41

According to this:

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/history.html

”the Hunter he had flown (XF442, which had been sold to the Chilean Air Force) was written off in an accident.”

Best regards

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By: atc pal - 19th February 2005 at 16:12

How long was the Flt Lt’s career after the flight? πŸ˜€

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