Javelins

[terryJones]

Hi People.
Just wondered if anyone knows if there are any Javs still flying.
I worked on them back in the late 50's early 60's as a Air Wireless Mech, both at West Raynham, and later at the Guided Weapons Trials Squadron up at Valley.
By the same token, anyone here from No.1 GWTS circa 1960?

[wub]

There are no airworthy Javelins anywhere in the world I'm afraid

[DamienB]

As wub said, not a single airworthy example exists. The last one to fly, if I recall rightly, was the one now at Duxford and that was in the late 1970s. Rumour has it that when Mike Beachy Head bought the ex-Stanmore Park gate guard he thought he was getting something that could be restored to fly. Of course it wasn't any such thing and now does similar gate guard duties at his Thunder City facility at Cape Town airport.

[Kolibear]

What happened to the one that was at Southend Air Museum?

[WebPilot]

Bizarrely enough "XH707"/XH768, ex-Southend Air Museum, now lives on the Italian Riviera at Rimini, looking decidely best her best.

Air Klassic in Germany bought the Jav when SAM closed down, not sure how long it's been in Italy.

http://www.museoaviazione.com/museoaviazione/aeromobili/GlosterJF9.htm

[forget]

I could be wrong but I believe the last Javelins to fly were with the Far East Air Force, Tengah, Singapore. One story has it that the squadron disbandment involved a fly-past of Javs following which the CO did a final beat up. Landed 5 minutes later believing that he had made RAF history. However, ………… one aircraft had been in maintenance at RAF Seletar, 10 minutes away. Flight Lieutenant White-Knuckles and his mate had decided some time before that they were the ones to make RAF history and, just as the champagne corks popped, over the fence they came. Worth a bollocking I'd have thought.

I lived on RAF Seletar from 75 to 85. There were three or four Jav carcasses off the northern end of the runway. My two sons grew up using them as hi-tech toys.

[BEagle]

A chap I once knew had done his ETPS course when they still had the last airworthy Javelin at Boscombe. One day he sallied forth in the venerable beast to do some TP'ing work somewhere over Wales.......

After a while there was a polite cough from the back seat and the navigator announced that An Error Had Been Made. It seems that rather a significant cock-up had been made in the fuel calcs and they were somewhat short.... So chum sets off back in a straight line towards BD and contacts Somewhere Mil requesting a sharpish recovery.

"Turn left 30 for ident" offered the Air Trafficker.

"Madam", replied our hero "I am flying the World's last Javelin. If I turn at all, the World will very soon have one less.......!!"

Apparently they scraped into Lyneham or somewhere with the gauges bouncing off not-a-lot!

[DamienB]

Oh yeah, I really should plug my site shouldn't I...

Thunder & Lightnings - Javelin section (http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/javelin/)

[Stan Evil]

Only the Brits could design an aircraft that wouldn't go supersonic with afterburners, it even slowed down if you plugged the burners in!! The last mark (FAW9??) had burners to increase high altitude performance. However, if you put the burners in at low level the nozzles opened but the fuel pumps couldn't deliver the required fuel so you lost thrust.

I think the last one flying was at Boscombe and painted red and white.

[Mr_Grubby]

Nice Pic

http://www.btinternet.com/~simon.gurry/Dadsphotos/Javalin.jpg

Mr G.

[oncemorealoft]

Ummm? Has the pilot forgot somebody?;)

[matspart3]

I was told that they came out of the factory at Brockworth in bare metal and with a thimble full of fuel and were then flown the very short hop to Moreton Vallence for final assembly, painting etc.
The runway at Brockworth is rapidly becoming a business park put is still just visible...my best guess would be that it's about 800 yards long. Must have been a short but interesting flight. Can anybody confirm this??

[Kolibear]

Nice piccy Mr_G.

Looking at the size of the pilots head and sort of scaling the rest of his body in, makes you realise what an absolutely ginormous beastie the Javelin was.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

The runway at Brockworth is rapidly becoming a business park put is still just visible...my best guess would be that it's about 800 yards long. Must have been a short but interesting flight. Can anybody confirm this??

The excellent book 'The Quick and the Dead' by former Gloster chief test pilot Bill Waterton confirms that he flew new Javs from the very short runway at the Brockworth factory to Moreton Valence (now part of the M5).

SSD

[WG774]

Following on from the superb RAE Farnborough thread (a true 5-star read, many thanks to all contributors!), it struck me that this discussion could be due a revival.

I wonder if the any of the participants from the discussion mentioned above have a Javelin photo or two from the era they might dig out?

For such a groundbreaking machine I find it odd that to date, the Javelin has received few column inches on pprune.

Articles I’ve read claim the Javelin lacked popularity with the public, why might this have been? I can imagine opinion amongst ex-Javelin operators to be mixed as reliability does not seem to have been a strongpoint.

Cheers!

[WASALOADIE]

I have a copy of a video that has film transferred onto it from the days of 60 Sqn in the Far East flying Javs, quite good stuff.

[bolmas]

there used to be a javelin just inside the gates at 16MU RAF STAFFORD. it was there when i left in 81 but dont think it was there when i returned in 85. does anyone know where it is now?

there was also a wasp and a bloodhound on guard

[Noah Zark.]

I don't know how to put in a link, but if you go to the Military Aircrew thread, go to the search facility at the bottom, and put in"Javelins", it should bring up "Vulcan and Bucc. threads excellent. Anyone for the Javelin?", a thread I started a while ago, with some interesting replies.

[jabberwok]

Before my time but I did snap this pair at Halton in the late 1960's..

jb

http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/images/Javelin.jpg

[andrewman]

Newark Air Museum now have their Javelin inside and looking very nice :)

http://uk-jets.me.uk/external/newark/13.jpg

[williamp]

I seem to remember a Javelin located outside the museum at RAF Manston when I was a child (1980s). Is it still there? If not, where did it go?

Good museum, by the way. From memory, a Hurricane, Spitfire, varios other stuff including a prototype bouncing bomb.

[stanley]

there is a good Javlin on display at Staverton just opersite the Pub and public viewing area

[Lou Scannon]

I saved one example, XA634, when I started the Museum at RAF Colerne in 1963. It was one that had been used for research into flight refuelling and had some funny gear in the back cockpit.

I remember that it took 6 Queen Mary's from 71MU to convey the aircraft from nearby RAF Melksham. One carried the ground handling equipment for the move, one the engines, one each for the wings, one for the armament and the final one for the fuselage.

The latter looking like an attempt on the world land speed record.

I have a couple of photos of it on display at Colerne should the present owners at Finningly be interested.

[Skylark4]

Lou Scannon,
Congratulations for the work you did at Colerne. I was there from '64-'70 and had the occasional look around the museum when we took aircraft for cleaning at the washpan outside. It was a very impressive collection. I didn't get personally involved as all my spare time was spent at the Gliding club. Others did and seemed to me to be doing a grand job.
Perhaps you have some tales to tell? The statute of limitations must make you safe by now.
May I suggest that you, or anyone else who is in a position to tell the tale, starts a new thread.

Mike W

[Lou Scannon]

It would be interesting to try to remember all that happened in the initial years. Paddy Hayes and John Frapwell took it over, in turn, before the collection was broken up.

You're right about the statute of limitations as I was always sailing rather close to the wind. You mention the Gliding Club at Colerne...I hope that you enjoyed using the 600 gallons of Avgas that I managed to slip you from the Valetta!

Imagine what the accounts and RAF police could have done with that deal.:\

[Skylark4]

Lou,
It will have gone the same way as many gallons which were no longer useable in aircraft having been pumped out during fuel flow checks. Gliding in Civvie Street is just not the same although it is good to see extreme versatility displayed with commendable frequency. From within our own membership we have most trades and skills covered. Scrounging is still a well practised skill but the opportunities are less.

Mike W

[Lou Scannon]

I really should write up the story of what was probably the largest ever "illegal" museum in the RAF.

Don't really think that a post on Javelins would be the right place for it. Perhaps a magazine somewhere.

Any ideas?

[Skylark4]

Lou,
Have a practice here. Start your own thread entitled 'Museum Stories' or somesuch and give it to us first. You may get other guilty parties telling their own stories too and you can tie the whole lot into an article, or even a book, for publication later.

Please

Mike W