G TIMM potted history:
Gnat G-TIMM was actually XP504, the oldest airworthy Gnat in existence - it was the fourth production machine. Served at 4 FTS, RAF Valley, and then 1 School of Tech Trg, Halton as ground instructional airframe..
Sold Nov 91, restored to flying condition at Leavesden. First flt Nov 92 to Cranfield. Acquired by Kennet in 1993
Early Red Arrows colours, Ray Hanna’s ac - and had the smoke system used by the Red Arrows.
airsound
Small world isn't it, during my course at Halton we removed a lot of the Gnats and they were dumped wingless down the airfield, originally in the workshops they had the nose bays filled with barbed wiring metal stakes to balance them, we pulled the wings off and dumped them outside, the officer in charge then had us stack the wings upside down as he thought the summer breeze may create lift and they would fly away lol.... The word plonker was bandied about.
We also had to destroy a load of complete Avon engines so they could be sold as scrap and couldn't be used again, we had large GS screwdrivers, hacksaws and some sledgehammers, I remember it was bloody hard work to damage one..