For Part one of this feature see blog dated 30 January 2016.
Located South of Leicester, the present Bruntingthorpe Airfield opened as RAF Bruntingthorpe in 1942 and in its service days served both the RAF and the USAF.
These days it serves a multitude of purposes ranging from storage facility to a flight test centre.
Several times a year some of the veteran aircraft that are based there are allowed to perform a fast taxi down the runway and at the point of becoming airborne, their throttles are closed and instead of taking off, they come to a gentle halt.
It might sound frustrating, however the attending enthusiasts (and there are many) are treated to the sight and sound of multi engined aircraft at some speed.
Not as good as seeing the aircraft in the air maybe but the next best thing.
Apart from the ‘performing’ aircraft there are also a wide range of static types a few of which are ‘scene’ here.
The SEPECAT Jaguar GR-3A was an Anglo French attack aircraft being a collaboration between ‘Breguet' and the ‘British Aircraft Corporation’.
Originally conceived as a jet trainer, it developed into a supersonic strike aircraft with a tactical nuclear capability in addition to its more conventional weaponry.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
XZ 382 SEPECAT Jaguar GR-3A.
It first flew and was delivered to the RAF in March 1977.
It arrived at Bruntingthorpe during 1988.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
8-MV ‘French Air Force’ Dassault Mystere IVA.
Built as Constructors No. (CN) 85, the Mystere was a transonic fighter bomber.
Powered by a French built derivative of the Rolls Royce Tay engine and armed with 2 30mm cannon.
The type also served with the Indian and Israeli Air Forces seeing action with the Israeli’s against Egypt in 1956.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
XJ 494 ‘Royal Air Force’ De Havilland DH110 Sea Vixen FAW 2 (Fighter All weather).
It first flew as a FAW 1 in March 1959 and delivered in April of the same year.
With 29 new build FAW 2’s and 67 FAW 1’s upgraded between1962 and 1964, it was powered by 2 Rolls Royce Avon 208 engines and armed with either Matra rocket pods or Red Top of Firestreak missiles.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
XX 889 ‘Royal Air Force’ Blackburn (later Hawker Siddeley) Buccaneer S2B.
Built in 1974 and delivered to 15 Squadron (Sqn), RAF Germany in December 1974.
In 1982 it went to 208 ‘Sqn’ at Lossiemouth.
Between then and March 1994 when it was retired it served with 237 OCU and ’12 Sqn’ where it was painted in the pjnk colour scheme in preparation for its use during Operation Granby in Iraq.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
22+35 ‘German Air Force’ Lockheed F104G Starfighter.
At the time of writing, it was engineless but the search for a suitable one continues.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
ZD 610 ‘Royal Navy’ British Aerospace Sea Harrier F/A.2
Built in 1985 for the Fleet Air Arm as a Sea Harrier FRS.1.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
5X DAD ‘Olympic Airways’ Boeing 747-221B’.
Carrying partial ‘Olympic Airways’ (OA) livery was new as 9V-SQI to ‘Singapore Airways’ in August 1979 before moving to ‘OA’ in 1985.
The 5X-DAD currently carried is a Ugandan registration.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
ZA 326 ‘Royal Air Force’ Panavia Tornado GR1P.
Built in 1983 and used exclusively as a trials machine, the aircraft is currently being restored to fast taxi condition.
Painted in what is known as the ‘Raspberry Ripple’ livery which denotes an aircraft based at RAF Boscombe Down and flown by the ‘Aircraft and Armaments Experimental Establishment’ (A&AEE) that was based there.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
XR 713 ‘Royal Air Force’ English Electric Lightning F.3
Seen in the colours of No. 111 Squadron (Sq.111).
Delivered to ‘Sq 111’ in January 1965 . It later served with No.s 14 and 15 Squadrons together with the Lightning Training Flght before retirement to RAF Leuchars where it was displayed for some years.
It then moved the RAF Wattisham Station Heritge group from whom it was acquired in 2014 by the ‘Lightning Preservation Group’ at Bruntingthorpe.
Dennis Basford’s ‘railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
XM 365 ‘Royal Air Force’ Hunting Percival Jet Provost T3.
It was delivered to the RAF in August 1959 and eventually served with No’s 1, 2 and 3 Flying Training Schools before being put into store in 1998.
It was sold to ‘Global Aviation’ as G-BXBH in 1993. Passing through various owners, the registration was cancelled in 2002.
It came to Bruntingthorpe in May 2010 for restoration.
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