Think yourself lucky…its been bugging me for years!!! And another good point about the windows, I thought that, but then again, the original photo in Wrecks & Relics was small and I’d put it down to its bad quality and perspective.

We still need someone with ‘the knowledge’ or good piccys.

Never been a follower until now eh? Well the Whispering Giant has that effect on you! To tempt you further here’s a photo of XM496 taken the day before the Kemble Air Show on 18th June last year whilst I was putting the finishing touches to a lot of work.

My goodness you were lucky to get that shot! Throughout the whole day you took that, there was an annoying car parked so close to the nose that it was impossible to take a photo without it being in it :diablo:

That’s a very interesting photo Albert, as closer scrutiny of the nose (above the day-glo panel) indicates another panel with grey and sky colours, and the top half of a number (possibly ‘7’ ) nose code.This grey/sky scheme was most definitely non-standard on the trainer type, the panel almost certainly having been taken (borrowed or otherwise acquired) from an AS variant.(When the Double Mamba power unit was removed from the aircraft for major servicing or an engine change, generally the split was made at the demarcation aft of the intakes (in other words the cowling section painted white on XA310) would be extracted from the fuselage with the entire engine(s) pod. At a training establishments (and on no-longer-flying aircraft) it would not be unusual for a replacement engine pod to be taken from another aircraft and inserted, similarly panels could be (and were) mixed up also. Obviously on front line units this practice would not be encouraged! As this aircraft was saved from the breakers it could well have been involved latterly in such actions as described. Brian

Indeed it is interesting. One train of thought – Yeovilton Museum’s Gannet COD.4, XA466 was operated from Lossiemouth during the ’70s in grey/sky and coded ‘777’. Perhaps, this was a panel from that machine, before they repainted it blue?

Hi Stieglitz,

Thanks for that. Do you have any more details on this aircraft. From what you say it actually has parts from an original Fury. Would that be from the original K1930? I also see that it is in the markings of 43 Squadron.

Alex

Alex,

Here is a photo I took of “K1930″(G-BKBB/OO-HFU) when it was lodging at Old Warden in September 2002.

Hopefully attached is photo of XA508 post delivery/prior to first MAM repaint.
Have to admit I can’t tell from this pic whether it is silver or grey!

Roger Smith.

PS the delivery, by MARTSU, was by way of a deal in exchange for the loan of the Bleriot/Humber monoplane replica to the FAAM.

Here is my first shot of it at Yeovilton on 31st July 1982 before the move to MAM – definately SILVER! Also appears to have a replacement nose panel from a Gannet T.5 (with dayglo)

Les

How about WT346 EE Canberra B(1).8 sold and shipped out to NZ. Leaving the UK without a complete example.

if thats the correct answer can I hand back the cheesey prize and have a torch so I can find the aircraft at RAFM Hendon – Pleeeeeeeeeeeeze?

..unless you count WV787 at Newark?

1)On board the the last Vickers Viscount flight out of Heathrow – 18th April 1996 – champagne all the way!

2) Lyneham to Gibraltar in an RAF Comet 4C as the only passenger in the VIP compartment, July 1973.

3) In an Ilyushin IL-14 out of Zhukovsky, Moscow in formation with another IL-14 and a Lisunov Li-2, Aug. 1997.

and finally

4) A flight with the Red Arrows at RAF Scampton, 18th May 1988. 😀

I would agree with Grant’s list, with the addition of TFC Gladiator, as I would love to see another fly, other than Shuttleworth’s Gladiator.