Gannet pilots

[hunty]

Hello everyone

I'm trying to put together a booklet of stories from pilots who flew Gannet AEW-3 XL500 during its Royal Navy carrier, or when she flew for Dowty-Rotol. The booklet is for the aircraft's owner and will not be published.

Any story, or interesting event, connected with this aircraft, no matter how short, would be very appreaiated.

Any photos of XL500 would also be welcome.

Cheers

Hunty

[Buster Hyman]

Did people actually fly it, or just hang on?:confused:

[Rossian]

Was that the one that ground the bottom off the scanner on the runway at Lossie Air Day a hundred years** ago?
It was towards the end of the afternoon and it was getting to silly time.
Capt Bandini in a Macchi flew inverted along the crowd line at about 15 feet and so close you could almost touch the tip tanks. The show closed with a balbo of every jet at Lossie carrying out a simulated airfield attack; there were Buccs, Hunters,Seahawks, and maybe even a Scimitar rushing in from the sea the land and all around at not many feet and warp factor a lot.

Great fun
The Ancient Mariner

PS **I exaggerate it was probably only the early seventies.

[neilf92]

No - you're older than you imagined - the Gannet landing on the radome was around 1962 at a Lossie air show .
I was there and saw it too .
He was demonstrating single engine capability and for some reason the good engine shut down as he curved in for a low pass - a quick alignment waggle and it was down with sundry sparks trailing before you realised it wasn't part of the show

Also was the first time I saw a Lightning rotation take off - most impressed!

[jericlin]

I have a photo of a Fairey Gannet in a Rotol Brochure from the mid 60's ( It is undated ) It is not possible to be precise over the reg as the image is dot matrix.
The page shows the Gannet, a cut away illustration of the conta prop hub.

In the late 60's I recall a flight deck officer I knew well commenting on a miss judged deck landing, the deck was still coming up, so the landing gear followed suite, through the Gannets wings ! but I never had that verified.

Happy New Year

Jericlin

[Fitter2]

Gannet radome scraping at BofB days seems to have been endemic - there was another at Coltishall in the later 60s (prob 67, but may have been 68).

[peterperfect]

Hunty,
Did you speak to Ken Lamprey ?
Also a thread on keypublishing's aviation forum; but you've probably seen all those ?
pp

[flown-it]

The Pilot was a sprog just finished OFT as was the observer. Chalkie and Dai. It was July 1963 and Prince Charles was at the air show.
I think the changed the rules thereafter to only display down the runway not pointing at HRH!
Chalkie was doing a relight and basically ran out of airspeed. I joined the squadron that Monday. My first meeting with the CO of 849 was this hugh bearded fellow in a goon suit charging through the Culdrose clamp. What a sight. Those were indeed the days!
I've got a few hours in XL 500 and there are numerous ex-849ers in the VLN area who are working on a history of said airframe.

[really not]

Have you spokento CO 849? They have a database of all, well most of the ex-Gannet crews still around. They get invited to Culdrose every so often for a reunion and dit spinning session. Also try the Fleet Air Arm Officer's Association, and finally the FAA Museum at yeovilton will have aircraft log books etc. Good Luck

[hunty]

A big thank you to everyone who has helped me with my request.

I have contacted the Fleet Air Arm Officers Assocation and the museum at Yeovilton. I'll give the Co 849 Sqn a try next.

If there's anyone out there who has any photos of XL500 and they would like the owner of this aircraft to see them, then please send them to me


Many thanks :ok:

Hunty

[forget]

In what appeared to be a competition to produce the ugliest aircraft of all time, the Blackburn and Fairey Gannet types had now been joined by the Shorts SB.3 - an aircraft of such ugliness that the very air surrounding it recoiled in horror, and thus it had serious problems staying airborne. :D

From one observer. Thunder & Lightning. So can't link. :hmm:

[Union Jack]

In what appeared to be a competition to produce the ugliest aircraft of all time, the Blackburn and Fairey Gannet types had now been joined by the Shorts SB.3 - an aircraft of such ugliness that the very air surrounding it recoiled in horror, and thus it had serious problems staying airborne.

From one observer. Thunder & Lightning. So can't link - Forget

Maybe so, but beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, and I can assure you that the sight (and sound) of the COD Gannet landing on with mail was ever welcome!:ok: Thank you John Bewick, wherever you are ....

I also seem to recall some good Gannet cartoons by the late and much lamented Tugg Willson.

Jack

[Foxy Loxy]

It took some finding again, but I read this a while back:

http://www.aeroclocks.com/images/pics_articles/GANNET%20OCT%2007.pdf

hunty, check PMs :ok:

[neilf92]

Found these two images - taken with my best box brownie - back in July '63 according to the back of the colour one.
As I recall - this is the a/c that crash landed at the Lossie air display that year . I remember seeing a photo in Flight in the "How low can you go" series and it was this same a/c just about to prang. It's XP226.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/NeilF92/02-01-2010223955.jpg