Hawker Hunter FGA9 XE601
Thread Starter
Hawker Hunter FGA9 XE601
Latest news on this aircraft has just been posted on the Hunter Flying Club web-site. 
HFC web-site
I hope this post is OK, and within PPRuNe rules.
Mark
HFC web-site
I hope this post is OK, and within PPRuNe rules.
Mark
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Lichfield UK
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thats great news and so relieved shes still in the ripple scheme and not some godawful civvy circus act paint job.
looking at the web site I'm amazed how under booked the fleet is, come on airshow organisers get THE classic jet at your show, nothing better than '601s blue note or 2!!
looking at the web site I'm amazed how under booked the fleet is, come on airshow organisers get THE classic jet at your show, nothing better than '601s blue note or 2!!
Thread Starter
Thanks guys.
XE601 will debut at RNAS Culdrose's Air Day later this month subject to the usuals.
I will be updating the display pages on the site over the next few days.
Another ex-ETPS aeroplane, T.7 XL612, is also under overhaul at Exeter. They'll definitely look good together in the air!
XE601 will debut at RNAS Culdrose's Air Day later this month subject to the usuals.
I will be updating the display pages on the site over the next few days.
Another ex-ETPS aeroplane, T.7 XL612, is also under overhaul at Exeter. They'll definitely look good together in the air!
A quick question fradu - I notice that 601s site and her reg of G-ETPS give her origins as ETPS. Did she ever fly for ETPS because when I was at Boscombe in the 80s 601 was used/owned by A sqn then FWTS? Did ETPS get their hands on her in the 90s? Lovely aeroplane and great fun though!
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: The scouse end of the M62
Age: 47
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Quick post, saw her fly at Walney on Saturday, suberb display one of the highlights of the day. Especially the last pass, spooky noise, wow 
Pass my thanks and congratulations on to the pilot and all involved, I'll post some pics when I get them back from the developers, assuming they are ok
Pass my thanks and congratulations on to the pilot and all involved, I'll post some pics when I get them back from the developers, assuming they are ok
Join Date: May 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Did she ever fly for ETPS... ?
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Canberra Australia
Posts: 1,300
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hunter T7 XJ615
Had one unusual flight out of Boscombe Down with Bill Bedford in XJ615 investigating the cause of 'rudder buzz' during supersonic pull out. Changing the mass balancing of the rudder system was the cure.
Understand XJ615 still flies regardless of its tail torture.
Anyone know where it goes to ground?
Had one unusual flight out of Boscombe Down with Bill Bedford in XJ615 investigating the cause of 'rudder buzz' during supersonic pull out. Changing the mass balancing of the rudder system was the cure.
Understand XJ615 still flies regardless of its tail torture.
Anyone know where it goes to ground?
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,614
Received 289 Likes
on
158 Posts
Just looked at G-INFO Milt, G-BWGL, actually XF357, is painted as XJ615...
Here's a pic from G-INFO's site.
Here's a pic from G-INFO's site.
The real XJ615 was written off 24 June 1964. It was with ETPS at Farnborough when it struck trees on high ground in lifting fog 1.5 miles SE of Haslemere, Surrey. The engine had flamed out following a fuel transfer failure and subsequent mismanagement of boost pump switches.
The French pilot (Capt M Bigois, student on No.23 FW course) was killed.
My guess is that this must have been close to your time at Farnborough, Milt?
The French pilot (Capt M Bigois, student on No.23 FW course) was killed.
My guess is that this must have been close to your time at Farnborough, Milt?
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Canberra Australia
Posts: 1,300
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
treadigraph & BosEyed
Thanks for the reviews on XJ615 and the picture of XJ615 which is actually XF357 !!!
This is all a mite confusing!!
Why would anyone want to rename XF357 to XJ615. ? Does XJ615 have a particular claim to fame?
My year at Farnborough was 1955 then 56/57 at BD mainly on the Vs. Log book shows that tail torture flight with Bill Bedford in XJ615 on 6 Dec 57.
Bill wanted someone with big heavy boots to try to stop the rudder buzz which was very close to destructive flutter. A ride with considerable pucker factor but we compensated by directing the sonic booms at ships in the Channel and remaining aware of the ejection sequence.
Thanks for the reviews on XJ615 and the picture of XJ615 which is actually XF357 !!!
This is all a mite confusing!!
Why would anyone want to rename XF357 to XJ615. ? Does XJ615 have a particular claim to fame?
My year at Farnborough was 1955 then 56/57 at BD mainly on the Vs. Log book shows that tail torture flight with Bill Bedford in XJ615 on 6 Dec 57.
Bill wanted someone with big heavy boots to try to stop the rudder buzz which was very close to destructive flutter. A ride with considerable pucker factor but we compensated by directing the sonic booms at ships in the Channel and remaining aware of the ejection sequence.
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,614
Received 289 Likes
on
158 Posts
Does XJ615 have a particular claim to fame?
It is confusing; but I saw on one of the sites I Googled that XJ615 was the protoype T7, which I guess may be the reason why.
Is it the case that all two seaters were reconstituted single seaters, or did Hawker build any from scratch?
Do a Hover - it avoids G
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Chichester West Sussex UK
Age: 91
Posts: 2,206
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Had one unusual flight out of Boscombe Down with Bill Bedford in XJ615 investigating the cause of 'rudder buzz' during supersonic pull out. Changing the mass balancing of the rudder system was the cure.
Thread Starter
A number of Hunter two seaters were conversions from single seaters, but a fair number were built new.
The RAF had 45 new builds, the Fleet Air Arm received 10.
Four F.4s were converted into T.7s, and about 25 into T.8s at a later date.
XF357 took on the 'XJ615' paint scheme when it was re-finished in 1999. During its overhaul at Bournemouth it was paint-stripped, and the new owners wanted something different.
One early idea was to re-unite XF357 with its Royal Navy colours of the 1970s, but it obviously didn't proceed.
One thing to say to that...
The RAF had 45 new builds, the Fleet Air Arm received 10.
Four F.4s were converted into T.7s, and about 25 into T.8s at a later date.
XF357 took on the 'XJ615' paint scheme when it was re-finished in 1999. During its overhaul at Bournemouth it was paint-stripped, and the new owners wanted something different.
One early idea was to re-unite XF357 with its Royal Navy colours of the 1970s, but it obviously didn't proceed.
One thing to say to that...
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Canberra Australia
Posts: 1,300
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
John Farley
Thanks for the gen on the final fix for the rudder buzz.
Can you explain the aerodynamics of a spoiler strip stopping the rudder buzz and why did the buzz confine itself to a supersonic pull out?
Perhaps the canopy shock waves of the 2 seater created disturbed airflow for the tail.
Thanks for the gen on the final fix for the rudder buzz.
Can you explain the aerodynamics of a spoiler strip stopping the rudder buzz and why did the buzz confine itself to a supersonic pull out?
Perhaps the canopy shock waves of the 2 seater created disturbed airflow for the tail.
Do a Hover - it avoids G
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Chichester West Sussex UK
Age: 91
Posts: 2,206
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Milt
I have never been given an explanation by anyone I would believe (Kingston D.O.for example) but here are some thoughts
I always assumed that given the depth of the boundary layer by the time you get back there and the tendency for the shock waves on the tail to wander about when decelerating from the dive then the rudder could build up quite a deflection before it stuck out far enough to get blown back and so thrashed from side to side when it did eventually find some high velocity air.
Thickening up the trailing edge of controls was a fashionable way of improving their effectivness at high IMN in those days..
Finally if anything wants to oscillate making it a bit asymmetric often changes things enough to damp the oscillation
But I don’t really know how to answer your question Milt. At the time doing these refurbished Hunter prod airtests before they went overseas was a major distraction to the job in hand which was trying to get the jump jet working properly.
JF
I have never been given an explanation by anyone I would believe (Kingston D.O.for example) but here are some thoughts
I always assumed that given the depth of the boundary layer by the time you get back there and the tendency for the shock waves on the tail to wander about when decelerating from the dive then the rudder could build up quite a deflection before it stuck out far enough to get blown back and so thrashed from side to side when it did eventually find some high velocity air.
Thickening up the trailing edge of controls was a fashionable way of improving their effectivness at high IMN in those days..
Finally if anything wants to oscillate making it a bit asymmetric often changes things enough to damp the oscillation
But I don’t really know how to answer your question Milt. At the time doing these refurbished Hunter prod airtests before they went overseas was a major distraction to the job in hand which was trying to get the jump jet working properly.
JF
