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The Fairey Delta 2, or FD2, was a single-seat, delta-winged aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon engine with an afterburner. This aircraft, WG777, is the second of only two FD2s built.
Fairey test-pilot Peter Twiss flew the first FD2, WG774, on its maiden flight on 6 October 1954. On the 10 March 1956 an attempt was made on the World Air Speed Record, which Twiss broke by more than 483kph (300mph). The new record was 1820kph (1132mph) - quite an achievement considering the old record had only been set the previous year by an American F100 Super Sabre.
The Fairey Delta 2 is the first jet aircraft to exceed 1000 mph in level flight, flying faster than the sun moves across the sky. On 10 March 1956, it set a new world speed record of 1,132 mph during a test flight. The Delta 2 held the absolute World Air Speed Record for over a year. It continued to be used for test flights, and was allocated to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in 1958.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Delta_2
WG777, is preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum at RAF Cosford.
Fairey Delta 2 or FD2 (internal designation Type V within Fairey) Supersonic Research Aircraft Fleet Air Arm Museum Yeovilton
With thanks to the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
Aircraft title Information obtained at: www.rafmuseum.org.uk/raf-museum-collection.cfm on the 5 November 2011
© 2011, All Rights Reserved, Joseph Ho-wing Cheung
WG774 British Aircraft Corporation BAC.221 / Fairey Delta 2 preserved at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton 12/9/25.
This was used as a high speed test aircraft for the development of Concorde.
The Fairey Delta 2 or FD2 (internal designation Type V within Fairey) was a British supersonic research aircraft produced by the Fairey Aviation Company in response to a specification from the Ministry of Supply for investigation into flight and control at transonic and supersonic speeds.
The design was a mid-wing tail-less delta monoplane, with a circular cross-section fuselage and engine air-inlets blended into the wing roots. The engine was a Rolls-Royce Avon RA.14R with an afterburner. The Delta 2 had a very long tapering nose which obscured forward vision during landing, take-off and movement on the ground. To compensate, the nose section and cockpit drooped 10 degrees, in a similar way to that used later on Concorde. Two aircraft were built: WG774 and WG777.
The second FD2, WG777, is preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum at RAF Cosford, alongside many other supersonic research aircraft.
The first FD2 was aircraft WG774 which made its maiden flight on 6 October 1954, flown by Fairey test pilot Peter Twiss. On 10 March 1956, this aircraft broke the World Air Speed Record raising it to 1,132 mph (1811 km/h), an increase of some 300 mph (480 km/h) over the record set in August 1955 by an F-100 Super Sabre, and thus became the first aircraft to exceed 1,000 mph in level flight.