Peter

Thank you so much for such a detailed and fascinating set of posts.

Great photos of the locations as they are today, with excellent background information to put it all into context.

DD:)

These just get better and better, once again, many thanks.

DD

Pagen

Some land that included the old watch office was auctioned off in the last 18 months or so, I don’t know who the buyer was.

I think the Gannet pilot was just using an empty airfield to practice his routine.

Another of the hangars is used by a chap that collects old buses, he used to have an open day every year but don’t know if he still does.

DD

Don’t forget that the work of these dead airframes on ranges was fairly important to the MoD, either for day to day weapons training for pilots or as experimental and proofing work of new weapons effectiveness on current airframe structures, and even new structures worthiness against current weaponary – all very important when you are developing new combat aircraft and arms of the likes of say the Lightning and its weapons system.
There seems to a common misconception that range and fire training use airframes were simply wasted, but they served a valuable role.
All ranges are by their very nature remote and roading in the airframes was large task that had to undertaken.

Would also love to see anymore Pendine shots that you may have OldMan.

Oh dear, that’ll teach me to fire off quick, tongue in cheek (well partly anyway) replies. You are of course right, range requirements are important, and I never thought otherwise. And no one on here has said that the firemen didn’t need airframes to practice on.

DD

Some great images there.

The picture of XG200 is especially interesting, as it’s one of a small number of ‘Black Arrows’ that went to 229 OCU at Chivenor after 111 gave up their Hunters.

They retained their black finish for a year or two, the only change being to repaint the the fuselage serial number in standard size and colour. They also had at least one ‘Blue Diamond’, XG159.

DCW and Tony Clarke, many thanks again .

DD

exhausts are the early type, PZ865 had different ones. I think it must be LF751.

Agreed, and PZ865 was never silver.

It went from factory finish camouflage, to overall blue, to factory finish again whilst with Hawkers; by the time it went to the RAF- straight to the BBMF – there was no way they were going to spray it silver.

David, another fabulous thread, by the way. Thank you.

Very jealous….. really need to see – and hear! – some film of a Javelin in the air now….

I hope you are successful.

With some aeroplanes, the sound they make or made is or was a big factor in adding to their appeal to the spectator.

Think Meteor 8, Shackleton, Harvard, anything with a Merlin, Douglas C-133 if anyone remembers, and of course, the big-engined Hunter.

There must be many more, it’s all a matter of personal preference of course.

DD:)

AMB

I agree wholeheartedly with your last statement.

There may be practical reasons for not repainting a preserved airframe in the Dayglo it wore in service, and using plain red instead, but to pretend that the new colours are entirely accurate is misleading.

DD