FRADU HUNTER PHOTO GALLERY

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[Hunter GA.11's '830' to '838'] [Royal Navy Hunter T.8M's]
[Hunter GA.11's '860' to '868'] [Blue Herons display team]
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GA.11 HUNTERS ['830' to '834']
GA.11 WV382 GA.11 WT804 GA.11 XE668 GA.11 WW654 GA.11 XE716

'830/VL' = Hunter GA.11 WV382
 

[© Glen Moreman/Delta Jets]

[via Jet Aviation Preservation Grp]
 
This first GA.11 in the FRADU call-sign sequence is WV382.
It was built as a RAF Hunter F.4 in 1955 and first flown in July the same year by Duncan Simpson.
After tests it was delivered to the RAF on 15th August 1955. It's RAF career only saw one Squadron posting, to No. 67(F) Sqn as aircraft 'C', before it was bought back by Hawkers for refurbishment and possible re-sale.

After conversion to GA.11 status for the Royal Navy she was delivered to the Fleet Air Arm at Lossiemouth in August 1962.
Here she served with RN 738 Squadron and remained with the Unit after its transfer to RNAS Brawdy in 1966, where it wore the call sign '784' and the shore code 'BY'. In April 1969 it moved on to its next posting, with the Fleet Requirements Unit (FRU) at Hurn, becoming '830'. It remained at Hurn until it moved to RNAS Yeovilton on 20th October 1972 and was based alongside the Air Direction Training School. In December that year the two Units officially merged and the new FRADU was formed, and WV382 adopted the 'VL' shore code, becoming '830/VL'.

After a seemingly short career at Yeovilton the aircraft was withdrawn from the FRADU inventory in November 1976 and it was flown to RAF Kemble for storage with 5MU. It remained there for the next six years, but due to the Station's pending closure it was moved to RAF Shawbury and again put into store. It was moved by road to RNAS Lee-on-Solent on 5th February 1985 and officially relegated to ground instructional duties, becoming a training aid for the resident Air Engineering School as A2730.
In 1988 it was derelict on the airfield and used for Battle Damage Repair Training, before being put up for sale in April 1989 with just over 3500 flying hours on the airframe. Sold into private hands it moved briefly to a yard in Smethwick before being purchased by a small band of enthusiasts based at Long Marston airfield in Warwickshire.
The aircraft became a part of the Jet Aviation Preservation Group and is on display.


'831/VL' = Hunter GA.11 WT804
 

[© Ray Down]

[© Peter R. March]

[via Ray Down]

[© Andrew P. March]

[© Andrew P. March]

[© Andrew P. March]
 

One of the oldest GA.11s left in the world today, WT804 was first flown in March 1955 and was delivered to the RAF on 14th April 1955. It saw service with just the one Squadron, RAF 247 Sqn as aircraft 'R' before being re-purchased by Hawker-Siddeley for possible resale.

It was converted to GA.11 status and delivered to the Fleet Air Arm at Lossiemouth in September 1963 and was used by RN 738 Squadron. It was also used by the Squadron's aerobatics team, the 'Rough Diamonds' on a few occasions.
In 1969 WT804, now based at RNAS Brawdy with 738 Sqn, was transferred to the FRU at Hurn, arriving on 30th July, where it replaced one of the Unit's existing Sea Hawk aircraft. It was given the call sign '831' and flown frequently from the Dorset airfield until the FRU moved to RNAS Yeovilton in 1972. WT804 departed on 20th October 1972 and became part of the newly formed FRADU, and it was given the shore code 'VL', becoming '831/VL'.

Its FRADU career lasted until 1984 when it was withdrawn and placed in store briefly at Kemble, and then at Shawbury.
During 1985 the jet was selected for ground instructional use with the School of Aircraft Handling (SAH) based at RNAS Culdrose and it was issued with the Royal Navy maintenance serial 'A2732'. WT804 was moved by road on 22nd October and handed over to the Unit immediately. During May 1986 the aircraft adopted a new shore code, becoming '831/DD'.
Maintained in taxiable condition throughout its life with the SAH, the availability of more aircraft saw the aircraft retire in 1994.
On 11th May 1995 the aircraft left by road on an RAF transporter bound for crash rescue training at the Fire Emergency Training Centre based at Morten-in-Marsh. Today the jet is structurally complete, lacking only the nose-wheel door and some of the instrumentation in the cockpit. It is pole mounted with the nose wheel buried in the ground.


'832/VL' = Hunter GA.11 XE668
 

[© Peter R. March]

[Unknown]

[© Andy Lewis]
 
Hawker Hunter GA.11 XE668 was delivered to the RAF as an F.4 variant in June 1955 and served with two different front-line fighter squadrons, No. 4(F) Sqn as 'X' and No. 26(F) Sqn as 'A'. The curtain was brought down on her RAF career in 1961 when it was bought back by Hawker Aviation. 

Later converted to a GA.11 for the Royal Navy, XE668 went into service at Lossiemouth in mid-1963 with RN 738 Sqn.
It remained with the Squadron, based at RNAS Brawdy from 1966, until being transferred to the Fleet Requirements Unit in 1969, arriving at Hurn on 31st July that year. It was operated briefly in an extra dark sea grey and white colour scheme by FRU before adopting the call-sign '832.' In 1972 the FRU moved to Yeovilton where it became part of the newly formed FRADU, and XE668 was delivered on 20th October. Shortly after arrival a 'VL' shore code was painted on the tail, and the aircraft became '832/VL'.

Retired from FRADU service in late 1984, XE668 was moved to RNAS Culdrose for use with the School of Aircraft Handling (SAH) and was assigned the Royal Navy maintenance serial 'A2733'. Officially handed over on 8th February 1985 XE668 exchanged her 'VL' tail code for 'DD' and was maintained in taxiable condition. In 1993 it was withdrawn from use and moved by road to nearby Predannack airfield, home of the Royal Navy Fire School at Predannack where it was, and still is today, used for pilot crash rescue training.


'833/VL' = Hunter GA.11 WW654
 

[© Mike Hall]

[© Peter R. March]

[Unknown]

[© Peter R. March]

[© Hugh Trevor]

[© Hugh Trevor]
 
Hawker Hunter WW654 was built as a F.4 and delivered to the RAF on 28th March 1955.
It was first posted to No.98(F) Sqn. based at RAF Jever in Germany, and remained with the Squadron for the next two years.
In November 1957 the aircraft was transferred to No.229OCU based at RAF Chivenor and was used for training purposes.
It served out its RAF career here until being bought by Hawker-Siddeley in 1961.

Converted to a GA.11 WW654 was delivered to the Royal Navy at RNAS Lossiemouth on 4th September 1962 and entered Royal Navy service with 738 Sqn. It's records between 1963 and 1973 are uncertain at the time of writing, but it is possible that WW654 stayed with 738 Sqn until the Squadron disbanded in 1970 and was then placed in storage.
It's next definite posting was to the FRADU in the early 1970's and was assigned the call-sign '833' and the shore code 'VL', (833/VL). Here she served out her flying career, between 1975 and 1980 it was used extensively as the lead aircraft for the Blue Herons, flown by the team leader Derek Morter, who has a page of pix here.
The aircraft was given the all-grey re-spray in 1984 but was withdrawn from service at the end of 1986.

On February 11th 1987 the wings and front fuselage of WW654 were delivered by road to RNAS Culdrose along with the rear fuselage of GA.11 XF368. After the rear fuselage left Culdrose and then returned inside the month of March a composite airframe was assembled in April 1987. The aircraft, now christened 'A2754', was re-sprayed a few months later and given a new call-sign - '834/DD' to avoid confusion with WT711/DD833. In March 1993 WW654 was withdrawn from use and moved to RN 820 Squadron's hangar for storage, and it was sold to Harry Pounds and moved to Portsmouth by road on 15th December 1993.

In 1998 the aircraft moved on and after a period of restoration in Sussex it has been mounted on a pole close to the entrance of the former Navy Air Station RNAS Ford, to represent its previous life as an active airfield.
It underwent a complete repaint during the summer of 2003 and looks superb :)


'834/VL' = Hunter GA.11 XE716
 

[via John Beattie]
 
XE716 was delivered to the RAF as a Hunter F.4 in October 1955. After a brief period with 5MU it received its first posting, being sent to No.67(F) Sqn and was aircraft 'A'. This proved to be its only Squadron as the aircraft was bought back by Hawkers for possible re-sale overseas. 

It was converted to a GA.11 for use with the Navy, being delivered to Lossiemouth in July 1962.
It's service history between 1962 and 1969 are unconfirmed at the time of writing, but in January 1970 the aircraft was delivered to Hurn to become part of the FRU. It was given the call-sign '834' and flew numerous sorties before it, and the FRU, made the move to Yeovilton in 1972 to become a part of the new FRADU. In 1973 the 'VL' station code was applied on the tail, and it served the fleet for the following 10 years. 

However on 16th May 1983 the aircraft suffered an engine failure over the Portland Bill sea areas.
XE716 crashed into the sea, thankfully the pilot Dan Carter safely ejected.

[GA.11 '830'-'838' Gallery Page 2]

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