What other aircraft do you think the BBMF should be able to operate?

Yes, XR220 which came tantalisingly close to flying. From the RAF Museum's accession records:

"The TSR-2 project was cancelled by Harold Wilson’s Labour Government. XR220 had been intended to fly that morning, with Jimmy Dell as the pilot; this was delayed by the need to replace a faulty fuel pump discovered during pre-flight engine checks that morning. That afternoon the TSR-2 project was infamously cancelled in the budget speech and all work suspended before the aircraft could fly, despite Dell’s attempts to return to the airfield after lunch to fly the aircraft having heard the cancellation announcement on TV. The aircraft was already impounded when he got there."

https://web.archive.org/web/2009041.../aircraft_histories/84-A-1171 TSR-2 XR220.pdf

 

No - it's a complete airframe, but as stated earlier, the only one that flew was destroyed.

 

I thought the Fleet Air Arm museum had an airworthy Swordfish? It certainly always used to.

For me the ultimate dream would be to see a Tempest V landing at Newchurch. Sadly I suspect that, even if one were airworthy, the high voltage pylons across the site might just stymie that one...

Around the turn of the century seeing a Hurricane beating up Woodchurch ALG and a P47 Thunderbolt land on the adjacent private strip (the first time since the war) was emotional enough, seeing a Tempest landing and taking off from Newchurch would just about finish me off.

 

But isn't there one at Duxford too? I thought one of them flew? Or am I just confused?

 

Wasn't the TSR-2 said to be superior to the F111 that the top brass in the RAF wanted to buy, but the programme when it was cancelled was done so on the belief that an order for the F111 was going to forthcoming, then the government decided to buy f4'S Redesigned to take the Spey engine, which turned out to be heavier and slower than the stock Phantom .

 

The lack of a mozzie in the BBF contingent of RAF100 was noted upon. Its should be there, as the first real MRCA

 

Looking at Wikipedia (which I think may be correct for once), the final tally was as follows:
XR219 - completed 24 test flights, used for target practice at Shoeburyness
XR220 - maiden flight cancelled on the day, now at Cosford
XR221 - completed, used for target practice
XR222 - part comleted, now at Duxford
XR223 - part completed, used for target practice
XR224/5/6 - completed airframes scrapped at Hounslow
XR227 etc, part completed airframes scrapped

 

A nice epitaph from Sydney Camm (designer of the Hawker Hurricane): "All modern aircraft have four dimensions: span, length, height and politics. TSR-2 simply got the first three right."

 

Here's my suggestion:



It already belongs to the RAF, (in the museum at Cosford). Surely wouldn't take much to get it going again? A drum of C-Stoff and one of T-Stoff and away she goes!

 

What did Roy Brown say about his flight in an Me 163 Komet

 

Blackburn Skua or Sea Gladiator.

 

Eeek! Who in their right mind is going to strap themselves into that!

 

The Spey Phantoms could accelerate faster than the J-74(?) powered ones and was faster at low and medium altitudes. At high altitudes the redesigned rear end gave cause to drag rise problems and slowed it down relative to the US versions.

 

HMG did order the F-111 but that got cancelled after development problems led to long delays. The replacement arrived in the shape of the Buccaneer. The Phantom was ordered as a result of the supersonic Harrier (P1154) being cancelled.

 

Just being silly and making a point about how naval aviation was neglected under RAF control.

The RN Historic flight do have a Swordfish i believe, despite its obsolescence, it acheived some quite remarkable things.