Fairey Gannet AEW.3
In 1945, the British Admiralty issued a requirement for a new antisubmarine aircraft capable of operating off carriers. Fairey's submission beat out Blackburn's, and after a successful test period beginning in September 1949, entered the Fleet Air Arm in 1951.
As an aircraft, the Gannet was not exactly aesthetically pleasing. It was a large aircraft with a bulbous fuselage and two tail extensions that looked like afterthoughts; these were actually to preserve the aerodynamics of the aircraft, which were disrupted by the large observer's station in the rear fuselage. The engine was also curious: counter-rotating propellers were (and are) rare, but this was to give the Gannet longer range and more endurance. Driven by an Armstrong-Siddeley Double Mamba turboprop engine, one set of propellers could be shut down on long flights, then switched on for a burst of speed hunting submarines. Finally, the aircraft's radar was retractable from the rear fuselage.
Ungainly the Gannet might be, but it also proved to be a superb and reliable platform. Its roomy interior proved perfect to take on the airborne early warning role when the FAA's Skyraider AEW.3s became obsolete, though this did take considerable modification. Gannets also flew with the Australian, Indonesian, and West German navies. The last FAA Gannet only left the fleet when the last full-size Royal Navy carrier was retired in 1978.
XL482 joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1960, with 849 Squadron at RNAS Culdrose. It saw sea service aboard HMS Eagle, Hermes, and Ark Royal before it was retired in 1978. It was then purchased by a warbird collector in the United States in 1981, but the collector only kept it a short while before it was sold to Westinghouse as a test aircraft for noise levels. Westinghouse then donated it to the New England Air Museum in 1986, it was bought by a California firm in 1996, and finally ended up at the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2002.
Throughout all its owners, XL482 has managed to keep its FAA color scheme of dark sea gray over sky, but it has faded considerably, and the aircraft has acquired quite a bit of grime over its years in the desert. Hopefully it will be restored soon--this is the only Fairey Gannet on display outside of Europe.
Fairey Gannet AEW.3
In 1945, the British Admiralty issued a requirement for a new antisubmarine aircraft capable of operating off carriers. Fairey's submission beat out Blackburn's, and after a successful test period beginning in September 1949, entered the Fleet Air Arm in 1951.
As an aircraft, the Gannet was not exactly aesthetically pleasing. It was a large aircraft with a bulbous fuselage and two tail extensions that looked like afterthoughts; these were actually to preserve the aerodynamics of the aircraft, which were disrupted by the large observer's station in the rear fuselage. The engine was also curious: counter-rotating propellers were (and are) rare, but this was to give the Gannet longer range and more endurance. Driven by an Armstrong-Siddeley Double Mamba turboprop engine, one set of propellers could be shut down on long flights, then switched on for a burst of speed hunting submarines. Finally, the aircraft's radar was retractable from the rear fuselage.
Ungainly the Gannet might be, but it also proved to be a superb and reliable platform. Its roomy interior proved perfect to take on the airborne early warning role when the FAA's Skyraider AEW.3s became obsolete, though this did take considerable modification. Gannets also flew with the Australian, Indonesian, and West German navies. The last FAA Gannet only left the fleet when the last full-size Royal Navy carrier was retired in 1978.
XL482 joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1960, with 849 Squadron at RNAS Culdrose. It saw sea service aboard HMS Eagle, Hermes, and Ark Royal before it was retired in 1978. It was then purchased by a warbird collector in the United States in 1981, but the collector only kept it a short while before it was sold to Westinghouse as a test aircraft for noise levels. Westinghouse then donated it to the New England Air Museum in 1986, it was bought by a California firm in 1996, and finally ended up at the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2002.
Throughout all its owners, XL482 has managed to keep its FAA color scheme of dark sea gray over sky, but it has faded considerably, and the aircraft has acquired quite a bit of grime over its years in the desert. Hopefully it will be restored soon--this is the only Fairey Gannet on display outside of Europe.