Is now to be found dismantled at Bentwaters, in the care of Everett Aero

The Hunter is a cockpit section and based with a private owner in the Thetford area – as described, he also has the ex southend lightning section, amongst others as well. No further location info is available.

As for the Grasshopper, this was what was passed onto Demobbed:

XP458 ex Norwich Museum, a recent visit here confirmed that this airframe was returned to its owner back in 1987 after it was damaged whilst on display. The museum is somewhat bemused by the continued sightings of it at museum since then.

The cockpit section of MW810 was at Bentwaters undergoing restoration work with a private company who undertake warbird restoration work, it departed in April 2009. I know a couple of people who saw it and had its ID positively confirmed at the time.

This was debated at some length on of the email forums I frequent, below is what was posted by a contributor:

TA200
I am grateful to Phil Spencer for tabulating the TA 200 saga as it appeared in BARG Roundel as he has saved me the job!

I have never understood how an Auster AOP Mk.9 frame plate marked AUS/R/10/74 dated 10-9-62 has been translated into RAF serial XK378 but as it has been I can only reiterate what I said in messages 7710 and 60625 and which has been detailed by Phil Spencer….XK378 crashed in Malaya on 14-2-58. The aircraft stalled off a steep turn at 500 ft and hit the ground with the engine running at full power: hardly a candidate to become a training aid in the UK 10 years later!

With this accident in mind, it is also worth remembering that no Auster AOP Mk.9 which suffered Category 4 damage in the Far East was ever returned to the UK factory for repairs.

AUS/R/10/74 indicates a repaired frame and, given the method of repairing Category 4 damage at Rearsby, would have been removed from one aircraft, subsequently repaired and rebuilt into another aircraft. I am fairly certain this frame originally came out of XK381 which was being repaired at Rearsby during the Summer 1962 following an accident at Middle Wallop on 22-2-62.

It is really academic which airframe the frame came out of, what is under question is what airframe the frame was subsequently re-used in.

The key to this problem is the build date 10-9-62 which, as such, can only be applicable to one of the last six Auster AOP Mk.9s built at Rearsby. These were XR267 – 271 and XS238. From my own personal observations and those by Mike Draper the following frame plate details relating to some of these aircraft are known:-

XR267 frame No. 184 dat ed 1-1-62
XR268 no frame plate details but first flew 22-2-62
XR269 frame No. 187 dated 26-1-62
XR270 no frame plate details but first flew 27-3-62
XR271 frame No. 188 dated 12-2-62
XS238 no frame plate details but first flew 2-11-62.

Spare frame No. 192 dated 30-11-62
XK418 received Cat 4 damage 26-9-62 and repaired at Rearsby 1-63 to 5-63 using a new (as opposed to a reconditioned component) frame No.192 dated 30-11-62.
From the above frame plate dates it will be readily apparent that the only candidate is the last Mk.9 built, XS238. Phil Spencer’s comment that the component serial numbers he recorded on TA 200 at Haverfordwest ‘were all over the place’ makes sense as this aircraft was built to replace XP254 ( private venture Mk.11) and I have been told by a former Rearsby employee that all the ‘leftovers’ from the Mk.9 contracts were used to manufacture XS238, thus keeping the actual cost of the private venture Mk.11 as low as possible.

Phil Spencer’s other statement that he thought the frame plate on TA 200 was AUS/R/10/174 rather that 74 is a valid comment. I think the original plate has been re-used, thus the original stampings have been hammered out and the new details stamped on. These changes affected the drawing No. line (changed from AA B5 10 601 to AA B5 10 1185), the issue line, the frame No. line (the R added) and the date line (new build date). The changes certainly blur the end result.

My view still remains that TA 200 was formerly XS238 and here I question the final details for XS238 as given in BARG Roundel April 1991, page AP 45….transferred to unit reserve 24-1-66. To 14/20 H Air Sqdn, Libya along with XP234. (Unit became 5 INNIS DG Air Sqdn 1-8-66). Cat 5(C) and SOC 15-7-66 when unit re-equipped with the Sioux AH.1…

Since writing messages 7710 and 60625 I have looked in the 14/20 Hussars file held in the National Archives, Kew and the unit’s movements are given thus:-

3-65 Advance party moved from B enghazi, Libya to UK
22-4-65 Detachment moved Tripoli, Libya to Cyprus as part of UNICYP
20/28-1-66 Main party moved from Benghazi and Cyprus to Perham Down, UK
10-11-66 Advance party moved from Perham Down to Paderborn, Germany
12-12-66 Main party moved from Perham Down to Paderborn.

Unfortunately the 14/20 Hussar’s file does not mention the unit’s equipment at all.

The RAF Form 78 for XS238 gives…
HQ 2 Wing – 21 Flight detached Cyprus (undated)
To unit reserve 24-1-66
2 Wing Libya 15-5-66
Cat 5(C) on 15-7-66 and SOC by Army.

If the RAF Form 78 is correct XS238 became a reserve aircraft at the time 14/20 Hussars returned to the UK during January 1966 but remained in Libya. Does anyone know what units constituted 2 Wing, Libya during May 1966? I have looked at the Kew file for 5 Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and, perhaps appropriately for a Guards regiment, found only details of proposed changes to uniform styles!

Perhaps some of the above helps?!

My regards

Ian W.O’Neill (3413).

Looks like the Jet Art Tornado F.2 cockpit section there as well.

No its Simon Pulford’s F2, ZD938

WM145 Meteor NF11
WZ557 Vampire T.11

Now both in open store at a farm near Over Dinsdale, Teeside. Neither ever went to Inverness (as was erroneously reported somewhere some time back)

I have a picture somewhere on my PC of these two taken at this location middle of last year.

I thought our Museum had only had a Hurricane replica for a while? (long since removed by owner but I remember it there when I started in 94). Not heard about any ME109 replicas in the area…

There was an ex BoB film replica Me109 as well on the site from 1980 onwards, belonged to a former chairman of the Museum, it departed to Hawkinge If I remember correctly.
This quite possibly is the one referenced above as he used to live in the Solihull/Warwick area at the time.