Hi Flipster130. Welcome to the discussion and thank you for your recollections of XX553. My regular "steed" at ULAS was XX548, mainly with Flt Lt Jim Woodall. Fast forward 25 years when I was looking for a Bulldog of my own, I discovered XX548 already had a devoted owner in Canada. I found XX553, which also featured in my logbook with the late, great Pete Thorn, for sale in West Virginia. I became the proud owner of XX553 in 2013, just before her 40th birthday, and had the pleasure of flying her to her new home in California where she has been joined recently by XX552.
In answer to your questions, XX552 is complete, but will require significant restoration to return her to flight which is my retirement project. XX553 is a relatively clean example of an ex-RAF Bulldog, is airworthy, and actually flies with great precision once trimmed (and that has nothing to do with her pilot!). Sadly, XX554 was flown into a hedge at the end of a farm strip in the UK a few years ago and is no longer with us. XX656, your BUAS "steed", has been in storage somewhere in the UK since 2007 which is normally code for someone has bought her but not gotten around to restoring her - a fate I'm hoping to avoid with XX552. It would be fantastic if you could post any photos you find. There is a more up-to-date thread running to celebrate XX553's 50th birthday and the arrival of XX552, so you may wish to continue the conversation there.
Many thanks, ABL262
Last edited by ABL262; 18th Nov 2023 at 01:24.