SAMUEL...
"Juliet hit a landing light at Embakasi on landing, causing minor damage to the starboard undercarriage leg. Late 1960-ish? I have an excellent model made by my son of that aircraft, which later became part of 208/8 at Khormaksar and, I heard, was still flying in private hands in the UK. Off topic, I know...sorry!
I've never met anyone who disliked the Hunter in any way! The FGA9 in New Zealand is airworthy, but doesn't fly due to costs/lack of sponsorship"
Thanks for the info Samuel...It has created a bit of a mystery for me as I was one of the leaders who flew the Hunter FGA9s out from Stradishall to Nairobi and I have been busy creating Stradishall in FS9 with our Hunters and I've been getting it ready for a simulation of that flight on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of June next year 2010...This will be the 50th anniversary of the flight. As I said, my logbook reveals a flight or two in "J" at Stradishall only...The flight out to Nairobi was in three four ship formations and that equals twelve aircraft. My logbook shows many flights based at Nairobi, Aden, Kuwait etc. in each of the twelve aircraft, but there is no "J". If "J" was really there then that would be 13 aircraft on that epic flight out to Kenya from Stradishall?
However, I do remember that on our actual arrival at Embakazi "Oscar" XE647 had a main U/C leg collapse its oleo and it taxied in all lopsided...It remained leaning over like that for many months while we waited for spare parts to arrive from UK. Are you sure that you are not thinking of "Oscar" as we did not seem to have a "Juliette" in Kenya?
On the Lightning versus Hunter issue...I finished my R.A.F. service as a Lightning Simulator Instructor on the Mark 2 LSU at Leconfield but I only flew in the two seater version from Middleton St. George so I don't really qualify as "Flying Both" but I certainly preferred the Hunter and flew many Solo Aerobatic Displays in it and many Formation Aerobatic displays as number 4 in the B.F.A.P. Aeroes Team. I thought the FGA9 was a superb aircraft in all respects and a remarkable transformation from the rather unsatisfactory Hunter F1s that I flew at Pembrey.
BTW I had a look round that FGA9 at Ardmore some years ago and thought it looked in pretty good nick.