With reheat [later marks] and delta wings the Javelin was probably aiming to be more than the Sea Vixen (DH110), given that the latter is a clear larger development of previous the DH twin boom fighter concept, albeit with axial flow engines and highly swept wings, however the Javelin did have a lot of problems and was under continuous development with about 9 marks versus the Vixen’s 2.

The main problems with the Javelin included the fact it was recommended not to roll it (a bit silly for a fighter!), the fact that its thrust output diminished when the reheat was engaged and so its use was restricted to altitudes above 10,000ft. I have read that this was because of insufficient fuel flow, but I think its more likely that a lack of a variable geometry nozzle to relieve the backpressure that is caused by the reheat system was what probably diminished the performance. The T-tail produced a few problems and lastly the thick wing section prevented true supersonic flight. There was a thin-wing supersonic Javelin on the drawing board but that I think was killed off either by the infamous Defence White Paper of 1957 or perhaps because the RAF or MoD had lost faith in Glosters?

I know someone who was working on the scrapping of the Comet 4 and Trident 3 at LGW. Apparently it was necessary to use a JCB as petrol-powered tools such as angle grinders (which are better for cutting off sections you wish to preserve!) were prohibited by a local (airport) bye-law… strange but true!

Foreign material ingestion is the main reason (other than necessary clearance on rotation and landing – given the oleos will compress quite a lot, esp. if its a hard landing).

If you could visualise the airflow into the intakes in a high rpm, low forward speed (i.e. takeoff) condition, then you would see that air is drawn in from many angles and consequently the possibilty for ingesting rubbish is quite high. Add to that the fact that the nose gear may also throw up quite a lot of material and you’ve got a real potential problem.

Hawker Siddeley did some tests on an HS125 (G-ASEC) in the 1960s with bags fitted inside wooden frames mounted on the wing leading edges to ascertain how real the problem was for their forthcoming HS136 design and found that it was very serious indeed so the engines were moved back to the fuselage for the next study, the HS144.

A great piece of filming! 😀

Sorry CN, we have already asked BA for them for G-AWZK at Manchester as we have none!

What a load of cobblers.
What on earth do they think will happen? she is going to explode into tiny bits if they power her up electrically.

Not cobblers at all, from what I have heard some problems had previously been identified with the electrics anyway. And if you arent insured for anything that could go wrong H&S wise, then you dont do it – because if it does go wrong and you arent covered, you get sued! Taken at face value, then yes the risk is probably very low, and for a couple of private individuals with a piece of equipment that hasnt been used for some while then I’m sure they’d take their chances and probably be fine, but these isn’t, its a large and well known aircraft in an (almost) public place, so different situation entirely.

My friend Neil (from the Trident Preservation Society) is responsible for the care of G-BOAC. Basically its kept clean inside and out on a regular basis and he also ensures areas such as the gear and tyres are in good condition. The hydraulics will have been depressurised and no-one is allowed to power up the electrics for H&S/insurance reasons. The combination of these also does not permit the droop nose to be lowered, although he may get special permission from BA to free-fall the nose for cleaning purposes (it would then require mechnical assistance to be returned to the up-and-locked position).

Since it moved in there, it has gained a few pieces of museum perspex and cordon but not as many as others. These are of course necessary as wear and tear from people constantly clambering around could cause damage, and occasionally stray fingers could too!! 😀

As far as return to flight goes I would say it was unlikely, this one is the oldest and heaviest and was very close to requiring a significant maintenance check at the time they were all withdrawn. It certainly hasnt done an engine run since being at the AVP.