Post by davebasing on May 11, 2019 10:14:11 GMT
Over the Bank Holiday weekend this Hunter was mounted outside Centerprise International on Lime Tree Way, Chineham, Basingstoke just a couple of miles from me. Its former Danish Air Force Hunter F51 serial E-408. i first saw her at Dunsfold in 1976 when HSA had brought back a job lot from Denmark. She was then mounted without a serial on the gate at RAF Brawdy where I graphed her in 1980. When Brawdy acquired a genuine ex RAF Hunter for their gate (XE624), E-408 went to Cranwell where she was refurbished and painted as "XF979". From there she went to Sealand where she was painted as "WT720", was then preserved at North Scarle in Lincolnshire before moving to Lee-onSolent in July 2018, and finally to Chineham. She is painted in Iraqi marks as a tribute to the father of the owner of Centerprise who was a pilot in Iraq and, briefly, Prime Minister of that country before fleeing to Egypt after his involvement in a failed coup in Iraq.
If ever an aircraft had an identity crisis it must be this one. Nice restoration job though. Turf is still being laid around the plinth (hence the temporary fencing) and boards showing the history of the aircraft are expected to be mounted in front of the Hunter.
ac 049 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
IMG_7528 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
If ever an aircraft had an identity crisis it must be this one. Nice restoration job though. Turf is still being laid around the plinth (hence the temporary fencing) and boards showing the history of the aircraft are expected to be mounted in front of the Hunter.
ac 049 by dave tompkins, on FlickrIMG_7528 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
