Iconic Aircraft Aviation Forum

by **Last Lightning** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:34 pm

Those of you that have seen my Vulcan XL386 thread will know I spent a little time with the fire school at RAF Manston way back in 1991. While I was there I managed to photograph the majority of things there but unfortunately i didnt look after the negatives, hence only the one Vulcan pic.

I have however managed to rescue this photo of Hawker Hunter XJ695 or as it reports to be on the rear fuselage XF519

HUNTER FGA9 XF519 OR IS IT? NO ITS XJ695 by Gaz West, on Flickr

Quite a while ago now the very last person ever to fly XJ695 got in touch and related the last flight to me, I reproduce it here as it was sent to me:-

"I see from my logbook that I was the very last person to fly XJ695. On 16th November 1978 on my second LL recce sortie of the day in XJ695 out of Brawdy I hit a seagull over the Forest of Dean (an arboreal seagull?) and diverted to BZN. The damage to the aircraft was significant. The impact was on the port intake resulting in a major dent. The bird then went into the engine, tearing the port intake skin and removing the letterbox on its way, where it impacted on the starter housing and succeeded in shifting the engine on its mountings but the ever-reliable Avon held true throughout the recovery to BZN. I went to lunch in the Officers Mess (much tut-tutting about my green grow-bag from the shiny fleet) and phoned home. They phoned me back 20' later to say that the aircraft was deemed beyond economical repair. I was picked up some 30' later by my boss in our JP4 and XJ695 was abandoned at Brize never to fly again (nor did the seagull)."

I do know the name of the pilot but he wishes to remain anonymous, so please dont ask B-)

by **Sooty655** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:38 pm

Ok, I won't ask about the pilot, but why was the tail number changed?

by **Mayfly** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:40 pm

Love hunters :YMDAYDREAM:

so why the difference in serial numbers?

by **Last Lightning** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 10:03 pm

Ok I looked into that a while ago the theory is that XF519 had a new/old donor back end fitted (possibly XJ695s) for some reason before she was exported to some small country in Africa, (Nigeria or some such I forget) How, when and why XJ695 aquired the back of XF519 I dont know, but the difference in paint scheme definately shows they are indeed two different Hunters...it could be as simple as just a straight swap!!

As for the fate of XF519 some reports say it crashed some say it is in store...somewhere in Africa.....