Start up procedure
Hawker Hunter XL565 is seen in the throes of its start up procedure, involving the use of explosive cordite charges to prime the Rolls-Royce Avon 122..
The use of cordite was a surprise to me, and provided a couple of shots with the dark smoke emanating from the engines.
The Hawker Hunter is a transonic jet fighter that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine and the swept wing, and was the first jet-powered aircraft produced by Hawker to be procured by the RAF. On 7 September 1953, the modified first prototype broke the world air speed record for aircraft, achieving a speed of 727.63 mph (1,171.01 km/h)
XL565 was built as the third production unit of type T.7 and first flew in February 1958.
XL565 was delivered to the RAF at Khomaksar, Aden to replace another Hunter lost in an accident. It was later transferred to RAF 208(F) Squadron in 1964.
It then spent time at RAF Valley and RAF Honington, until withdrawal from service in 1980, going into store at RAF Kemble.
Later on in the 1980's, it was transferred to the Royal Navy, and was sent to RAF St. Athan and was overhauled to flying condition. For a time it was based at FRADU - Yeovilton. It was then loaned to the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough.
It was eventually returned to the RAF, and remained in service at RAF Lossiemouth until 1991, when it was withdrawn for a second time, being stored at RAF Shawbury.
It was stored for just over two years and was then sold into private ownership. It was then subsequently resold three times and was based at several locations, finally ending up at Bruntingthorpe, where a replacement engine was sourced and fitted, with XL565 being brought back into operation for ground operation only in 2010.
A few quick stats on XL565:
Manufacturer: Hawker
Model:Hunter T.7
Year built: 1958
Construction Number (C/N):41H/693716
Number of Seats: 2
Number of Engines: 1
Engine Type: Turbojet
Engine Manufacturer and Model: Rolls-Royce Avon 122
Start up procedure
Hawker Hunter XL565 is seen in the throes of its start up procedure, involving the use of explosive cordite charges to prime the Rolls-Royce Avon 122..
The use of cordite was a surprise to me, and provided a couple of shots with the dark smoke emanating from the engines.
The Hawker Hunter is a transonic jet fighter that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine and the swept wing, and was the first jet-powered aircraft produced by Hawker to be procured by the RAF. On 7 September 1953, the modified first prototype broke the world air speed record for aircraft, achieving a speed of 727.63 mph (1,171.01 km/h)
XL565 was built as the third production unit of type T.7 and first flew in February 1958.
XL565 was delivered to the RAF at Khomaksar, Aden to replace another Hunter lost in an accident. It was later transferred to RAF 208(F) Squadron in 1964.
It then spent time at RAF Valley and RAF Honington, until withdrawal from service in 1980, going into store at RAF Kemble.
Later on in the 1980's, it was transferred to the Royal Navy, and was sent to RAF St. Athan and was overhauled to flying condition. For a time it was based at FRADU - Yeovilton. It was then loaned to the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough.
It was eventually returned to the RAF, and remained in service at RAF Lossiemouth until 1991, when it was withdrawn for a second time, being stored at RAF Shawbury.
It was stored for just over two years and was then sold into private ownership. It was then subsequently resold three times and was based at several locations, finally ending up at Bruntingthorpe, where a replacement engine was sourced and fitted, with XL565 being brought back into operation for ground operation only in 2010.
A few quick stats on XL565:
Manufacturer: Hawker
Model:Hunter T.7
Year built: 1958
Construction Number (C/N):41H/693716
Number of Seats: 2
Number of Engines: 1
Engine Type: Turbojet
Engine Manufacturer and Model: Rolls-Royce Avon 122