I think all the service Gannets had been put out to graze some ten years previously
Not quite Brian, thankfully for us now the Navy stored four Gannets in potentially airworthy status at Culdrose from 1979-83. Of these three would fly again and two are currently being brought back to airworthy status.
AEW.3s XL482, & XL500 joined T.5s XG888 & XT752 to escape the ‘putting out to grass’ and subsequent scrapping of 849s Gannets at Lossiemouth from early 1979.
They were flown down to Culdrose (in the above order) 9th, 23rd, 11th, & 21st November 1978 for LTS with the AHU (Long Term Storage, Aircraft Handling Unit).
This was the period where the two AEW.3s came tantalisingly close to being re-activated for possible valuable use for Early warning cover during the Falklands.
XL482 was sold to a businessman in the ‘States in late ’81 as N1350X and made the epic 5,200 mile flight to Sourthern Texas in Feb ’82 in the hands of Ken Lamprey & Ken Howarth. It was then used by Hamilton Standard Propellers, Conneticut, from 1983 for contra-prop noise research.
XL500 followed a similar path but firmly rooted at Culdrose, it was flown again in August ’83 for use by Dowty Rotol Co for contra-prop noise research use, it was then handed back to the Navy in Feb ’85.
Both AEWs gained a long accoustics intstrumentation boom mounted under the port wing for these trials.
XL500 and the two T.5s were moved to Lee-on-Solent in early 1985 for FAAM reserve storage, they were all sold off in a Southeby’s Auction in Nov ’94.
XL500 then went back to Culdrose as a ‘mascot’ for 849 sqn (then with Sea King AEWs) and was kept with some systems live. It was then moved in April 2000 for display at Chatham Docks- the rest is history!
XG888 went to the Royal Autralian Navy Museum by the late ’90s, and at one time there were whisperings that it may be restored to fly again at one time.
XT752 as we know went to the States and was active on the airshow circuit as N752XT until recently – hopefully it will fly again soon.
BTW Brian your XL502 shots are lovely, especialy the almost head on (though it is reversed, steps wrong side!), that is the AEWs best stance IMO, wings folded, all eight blades showing, the radome looking proud and all looking very colourful!
This Gannet was a real survivor as it was restored to flight after being used for Battle Damage Repair use at Leuchars.
I can never understand how it fell so quickly into disrepair after it was sold for a reported £110,000 (XT752 went to Am Jet for 15,000!) and it looked shocking while at Sandhoft.
Thankfully it is now restored and looking good again at Elvington.
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