John Caie's photographs of FRADU's RAF Lossiemouth deployments

"John Caie is an aviation enthusiast and he is a regular visitor to RAF Lossiemouth, one of the RAF's main Tornado bases.
He very kindly sent me some of his slides that show the various FRADU deployments that took place at Lossiemouth between 1986 and 1992.
They can be seen below."


1. [© John Caie]	2. [© John Caie]	3. [© John Caie]
4. [© John Caie]	5. [© John Caie]	6. [© John Caie]
	7. [© John Caie]

John captured this group of seven FRADU aircraft on detachment at RAF Lossiemouth on a cloudy November 6th 1986. Also present were 4 Falcons from the FR Aviation fleet at Hurn. The featured FRADU aircraft are as follows: -

(1) A photograph of Canberra TT.18 WJ636/842 opens the web-page, seen taxiing in after landing. This aircraft was withdrawn from Royal Navy service in 1987 and it was transferred to the Royal Air Force at Wyton. It was scrapped in August 1995.
(2) Hunter GA.11 WT744/868 taxiing in. This aircraft ended its flying days with FRADU in 1994 and was sold to a private owner based at Eaglescott Airfield. It can be seen at this location today.
(3) Another Canberra, this time TT.18 WE122/845. Retired from FRADU service in 1988 and now only a nose section, the rest of the aircraft was scrapped in 1993 after a spell with the MoD evaluation unit based at Llandbedr in Wales.
(4) Hunter GA.11 XF300/860 on approach to land at Lossiemouth. One of the lowest houred Hunters on the FRADU fleet, it was one of the last four retired, in April 1995. It now survives with the Hunter Flying Club based at Exeter.
(5) T.8C WV396/879 photographed just after landing. Another member of the "last four FRADU Hunters" club, WV396 now guards the gate, pole mounted, at RAF Valley at Anglesey and is painted in a 4FTS colour scheme.
(6) A Hunter with firepower! This photo shows Hunter T.7 WV372/877 on final approach to land. All the FRADU T.8Cs and GA11s had their armament removed by Hawker when they were converted, but the Unit received three former RAF T.7s during the 1980's with the single cannon still fitted. This aircraft is still airworthy and is based at Kemble painted up in its former RAF 2 Sqn colour scheme.
(7) The last photo shows T.8C XE665/876 rolling down the runway after yet another sortie.

14. [© John Caie]	15. [© John Caie]

A wet RAF Lossiemouth saw the arrival of 5 Hunters and 5 Falcons from Hurn on February 10th 1987. The aircraft are as follows: -
(11) A T.8C to start with, XF289/875, painted in the 1970's and early 1980's day-glo colour scheme. Retired in 1994 and exported to the USA, XF289 is now based in Canada with the Northern Lights organisation.
(12) GA.11 XF368/863 follows XF289 along the Lossiemouth runway after landing. One of the last Hunters retired, in May 1995, it spent 6 years in store before sale to a private owner in 2000. It now lives in South Africa with Thunder City.
(13) Another day-glo Hunter - T.8C XF985/876, sporting several replacement camouflaged panels on the tail :)
(14) GA.11 XF368/863 features again.
(15) The last aircraft featured is GA.11 WV256/862, shown running along the soaked Lossiemouth runway. Retired in early 1995, this aircraft was purchased at auction in 2000 and was flown at numerous air-shows painted up as the prototype Hunter - P.1067 WB188.


16. [© John Caie]	17. [© John Caie]	18. [© John Caie]
	19. [© John Caie]

Another deployment, this time with 4 FRADU Hunters and 4 Falcons. The photos show the following aircraft: -

(16) GA.11 XE685/861. This aircraft was retired in 1994 and sold into private hands. It is currently owned jointly by a former RAF and Royal Navy Hunter pilot. It is currently being restored to fly again.
(17) T.8C XF994/873. This aircraft had the honour of carrying out the last official Royal Navy Hunter sortie in February 1995. It is now on show at the Boscombe Down Museum.
(18) GA.11 XE689/864. This aircraft was sold at auction for £3,000 in 1995, not bad for an airworthy Hunter :) Currently owned by Barry Pearson, it is stored at Exeter.
(19) T.8C WV396/879. Returning to Lossiemouth after being part of the 1986 deployment shown above.


20. [© John Caie]	21. [© John Caie]	22. [© John Caie]
23. [© John Caie]	24. [© John Caie]	25. [© John Caie]

A considerable deployment arrived at RAF Lossiemouth on 21st February, with seven two-seat Hunters, five FRA Falcons and a single Canberra TT.18 WJ614. The following photos show some of the aircraft present: -
(20) The lone Canberra, TT.18 WJ614/846. This aircraft was one of the last to remain in FRADU service before eventual retirement in 1992. The jet was auctioned and sold to a new owner in the USA, where it currently resides.
(21) Five of the seven deployed Hunters are included on this page, the first is T.8C WV363/872. It was sadly written off after an accident in 1992 when a foreign object entered the engine. The pilot ejected safely.
(22) Featured for the second time in this section is T.7 WV372/877.
(23) T.8C XF994 also makes its second appearance....
(24) ...as does T.8C XF289/875, now sporting the all-grey colour scheme that replaced the day-glo finish that was present in the February 1987 deployment.
(25) Also present on the 1987 deployment was T.8C XF985, now sporting the all grey colour scheme and a new nose number, "877", the same as T.7 WV372 strangely.


28. [© John Caie]	29. [© John Caie]

(28) One of four Hunter T.7s to see service with the FRADU was XF310/869. This aircraft, after an illustrious career as a single seat aircraft was converted to a two-seater in 1959, and after service with the RAF joined FRADU in 1982. It is shown here on approach to Lossiemouth.
(29) Probably one of the last photos showing RAF and Royal Navy Hunters in the air together, although in this case after a pairs take-off :) XF310 was one of the first FRADU Hunters retired from service in 1993. It now lives in Tasmania, Australia after sale at auction in 1997.

NOTE: All these photographs that appear on this page are © John Caie.
If you wish to use these photos for anything other then personal use you MUST first get his permission.


8. [© John Caie]	9. [© John Caie]	10. [© John Caie]

(8) John photographed all five of the Hunters on final approach to Lossiemouth, two are included above and here are the other three Hunters, first T8C WV396/879...
(9) ...GA.11 WT744/868...
(10) ...and finally XE665/876.


11. [© John Caie]	12. [© John Caie]	13. [© John Caie]


26. [© John Caie]	27. [© John Caie]

(26) & (27) WV396/879 returned to RAF Lossiemouth in 1991. It is seen here taxiing out to the runway prior to take-off.