Sabres
In the early 1960s I lived near Merryfield in Somerset. After the RN had left at the end of the '50s, it was under so-called care and maintenance, but I used to explore the place by bicycle. One day I peerd through the gap in some hangar doors, to see a Beligan CF-100 fuselage....until a security guard shouted at me to leave! Quite why it was there, I've no idea - perhaps it was the remains of the one which had crashed near Folkestone?
There was a Sabre connection in earlier days - Westlands were modifying ex-RCAF(?) aircraft for the Italian Air Force. They briefly wore USAF markings before going to Italy.
There was a Sabre connection in earlier days - Westlands were modifying ex-RCAF(?) aircraft for the Italian Air Force. They briefly wore USAF markings before going to Italy.
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On a summer '69 visit to Lasham there were 54 CF-86s, 31 Seahawks, 10 Sea Fury and 18 Hunters. I can remember that the Sea Hawk wings were all stacked like a knife rack. How they had all survived so long from the mid 50s is curious but whilst steam locomotives had their saviours from Barry, no-one came forward to help these!
Ahhhhh many a summers day in 76 spent wandering around the Barry steam loco's while I was on my course at Saints. Even now you do not seem to get many trying to rescue modern stuff, remember the stack of stripped out Tornado F3's in the scrappy, all I can imagine is that part of the contract specifies total destruction.
https://www.airliners.net/photo/UK-A...ado-F3/1280399
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Even now you do not seem to get many trying to rescue modern stuff,
The issue has for many years been that surplus aircraft had to be sold, usually to scrapdealers who could outbid the enthusiasts. More recently the policy has changed and museums have been able to bid for aircraft to be gifted to them. Apparently there were more museums hoping for a Tornado than airframes available! I believe five went to museums in various areas of the country.
"It is a condition of all MoD donations that they be given first refusal should IWM choose to deaccession and dispose of an aircraft. In the case of the Typhoon DA4 the MoD have been consulted and have found a new home for the aircraft as a Ground Training Aid at RAF Cosford. Whilst we understand there may be disappointment that the aircraft is not being transferred to Newark Air Museum, the new home for the Typhoon offers continued public benefit through its training of RAF engineers of the future."
