The Immaculate Contraption, the Hawker Hunter.

[Noah Zark.]

In the past, here on M.A., we've all enjoyed stories of the experiences people have had working with, on, or in various aircraft. Would anyone having had similar experiences with the ultimate classic, the Hawker Hunter, care to oblige, please?

[ZH875]

Great aircraft, they even put the fatigue meter in such a place that you had to use a dentists mirror and torch to see it, and you had to learn to read mirror reflections of the numbers.

Apart from that, it looked good, flew good, so it must have been good.

[wf1]

used to be great putting the avpin starter fire out with a asbestos
glove , and your overalls where caked in oil aaah the good old days of health and safety not

[Blacksheep]

The squadron is neatly lined up in gentlemanly fashion as usual, to assist the enemy in strafing the line. Chiefy is walking past the last in line when he hears a "whoosh" from the bowels of the aircraft. He climbs up and addresses the brand new Junior Magician fresh out of Halton sitting in the cockpit.

"You've just set off the fire bottle, idiot!"
"No Chief, I just pressed to test"

The fire warning light is in the middle of the large black and yellow striped discharge button and there is another small button beneath with a placard "Push to Test"

"Show me!" says Chiefy and Junior presses the discharge button again.

"That's the discharge button, you f#$@R#$@$!!&^ of a *$%#%$$#@ ars$^#%@!!!!!"
"Well I pressed it on all the others and it didn't set off the fire bottles!' Junior replies.

He had and it did...

If you want to know how to change the fire bottles on a Hawker Hunter I know just the man - he's the world's leading expert on it. :)

[PTR 175]

My fav part of the Hunter was the way you checked that the fuel was in the wing tanks. Take 1 screwdriver GS and loosen screw in the tank. When fuel runs out tanks are full. Brilliant system, fool proof, well maybe.

I have fired off a starter cart in the hangar though. Who' s Idea was it to put the Battery master next to all the interesting switches.

[Pierre Argh]

Just two words... North Luffenham?

[Gainesy]

That spike thing in the mainwheel bay. Mate of mine bashed his head on it twice in one morning.

Sikh mate comes into the bar that evening and he asks him: "Been on Hunters long then?"

[Noah Zark.]

I've just been watching some Hunters on the Aviation Archive stuff that was on Disco Wings last weekend.
Treble One Squadron, Black Arrows, et al. Absolutely cracking stuff!

[Talking Radalt]

Take 1 screwdriver GS and loosen screw in the tank. When fuel runs out tanks are full. Brilliant system, fool proof, well maybe
Not that fool proof. Surely when the fuel runs out the tanks are empty ? ;)

[Onan the Clumsy]

That spike thing in the mainwheel bay. Mate of mine bashed his head on it twice in one morning.

Sikh mate comes into the bar that evening and he asks him: "Been on Hunters long then?" I thought the punchline was goint to be that he leant him his turban.

[Moe Syzlak]

XL601 at Boscombe. One of the first FGA9s. Took it to 50,000' and used to tear around Salisbury Plain at 100'. Great for ACM as long as you loosened your straps. Then there was the Mk8 that spat blades out of the sides and flared up like a suicide bomber-Mk 4 seat let down worked but not so good for the back. I'm one of the few to transition from Tornado to the Hunter-rather different and a great aircraft.

[BEagle]

What was the cabin alt at 50000ft? Most of our jets at Brawdy leaked like sieves......

[southside]

I once rescued a Hunter pilot who had suffered a control restriction and banged out. This chap was also a Baloon pilot and had conducted an early morning balloon trip. He banged out at 0845 and so by 0900 he had flown in a Balloon, Hunter and a Seaking and was on his way to RAF Wroughton for a check up. Busy morning eh?

[Moe Syzlak]

Beagle: Guessing at about 30-35k I was cetainly on 100% and over pressure. The Tacan went off at about 40k and -of course the red line was 42k-as I found out later!!