Basset's Allsorts
The Empire Test Pilots School's 'vintage' Beagle Basset VSS XS743 caught on short finals to a murky Boscombe Down sometime back in the late 80's.
VSS stands for 'Variable Stability System' and can replicate a variety of different handling characteristics of propellor driven aircraft at the push of a button. An A&AEE BAe Hawk was similarly converted for use by the school in the fast-jet envelope.
The original Basset fleet was ordered by the RAF after a competition to find a replacement for the Avro Anson was held resulting in an order for 20 being placed. They were also capable of transporting complete V-Bomber crews between sites but when that need was lost they ended up as intended on VIP transport and Communications duties.
Similar to the standard civilian Beagle 206, XS743 was the last ever military version left flying - the rest being pensioned off to save money. A few found there way into private hands including the red white and blue painted XS770 aka the 'Regal Beagle', once used by HRH Prince Charles to gain his twin-engined rating.
Subsequently being painted in MoD(PE) red white and blue colours, XS743 soldiered on at Boscombe, spending a staggering 46 years with the ETPS providing stability and control training to about a thousand Test Pilots and Test Engineers during her time there.
She was finally retired in November 2014.
Scanned print
Basset's Allsorts
The Empire Test Pilots School's 'vintage' Beagle Basset VSS XS743 caught on short finals to a murky Boscombe Down sometime back in the late 80's.
VSS stands for 'Variable Stability System' and can replicate a variety of different handling characteristics of propellor driven aircraft at the push of a button. An A&AEE BAe Hawk was similarly converted for use by the school in the fast-jet envelope.
The original Basset fleet was ordered by the RAF after a competition to find a replacement for the Avro Anson was held resulting in an order for 20 being placed. They were also capable of transporting complete V-Bomber crews between sites but when that need was lost they ended up as intended on VIP transport and Communications duties.
Similar to the standard civilian Beagle 206, XS743 was the last ever military version left flying - the rest being pensioned off to save money. A few found there way into private hands including the red white and blue painted XS770 aka the 'Regal Beagle', once used by HRH Prince Charles to gain his twin-engined rating.
Subsequently being painted in MoD(PE) red white and blue colours, XS743 soldiered on at Boscombe, spending a staggering 46 years with the ETPS providing stability and control training to about a thousand Test Pilots and Test Engineers during her time there.
She was finally retired in November 2014.
Scanned print