Hawk XX154 35th Anniversary of first flight

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19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

XX154 flew a successful air test today after a 10 month lay off from flying,it is now 35 years since her first flight at Dunsfold,Surrey (pilot Duncan Simpson).
She is still working for a living as part of the Empire Test Pilots School fleet at Boscombe Down,she still has her original wing and fuselage and every servicing we try to make her just a little more like a standard Hawk :D
Does anybody on here have any interesting photos of 154 ?
I do have a few but cannot post until the weekend.

regards BV

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,435

Great post Baz, and amazing '154 is still in business! I built the Airfix red and grey '154 as a nipper and I can't believe she still has the original wing.

Nice one, keep 'retro fitting' the old girl out and make sure she's not abused by the two-winged master race :)

Pics anyone?

Member for

19 years 7 months

Posts: 164

Hi Baz,

I have a few shots around somewhere as I was at Dunsfold on the 21st August 1974 when 154 made her first flight. When I find them I will send them on.

cheers

GASYD (feeling old!!!)

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20 years 6 months

Posts: 346

XX154 landing at Farnborough 1974, a couple of weeks after it's first flight.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/Cestrian/AEGUFXX154Sep1974a.jpg

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18 years 9 months

Posts: 242

Sentimental

This is interesting news to me, and great to hear.

My Grandad died in April this year and would have loved to have seen this 'milestone'.

He was Safety Inspector at Dunsfold and actually cleared XX154 for flight.

I hope/wonder if she'll be at Dunsfold's 'Wings and Wheels' Show later this month.

Thanks,

R.

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16 years 7 months

Posts: 10,647

Thanks for your piece Bazv, the Hawk is a true British aviation success, and an underated one mostly. A great example of a type that Hawker/HSA got 'just right' from the beginning, apart from the colour scheme Cestrians picture could have been taken today.

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

Thanks for your piece Bazv, the Hawk is a true British aviation success, and an underated one mostly. A great example of a type that Hawker/HSA got 'just right' from the beginning, apart from the colour scheme Cestrians picture could have been taken today.

Yes J a great little a/c - the only real 'give aways' about the age of the pic are the lack of large under fuselage strakes and the wing 'fence' much further inboard than the standard Mk1 'wing dressing' position.

thanks for the replies so far ...will reply to them all when i have more time.

cheers BV

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

Hi Baz,

I have a few shots around somewhere as I was at Dunsfold on the 21st August 1974 when 154 made her first flight. When I find them I will send them on.

cheers

GASYD (feeling old!!!)

Thanks - that is the sort of interesting piccies I was after ... please try hard to find them LOL :D,did you have a connection with Dunsfold ??
Is the Vimy flying at Dunsfold airshow ??

regards BV

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

XX154 landing at Farnborough 1974, a couple of weeks after it's first flight.

Nice shot!! do you have any more ??,even static shots would be interesting.

Thanks baz

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

This is interesting news to me, and great to hear.

My Grandad died in April this year and would have loved to have seen this 'milestone'.

He was Safety Inspector at Dunsfold and actually cleared XX154 for flight.

I hope/wonder if she'll be at Dunsfold's 'Wings and Wheels' Show later this month.

Thanks,

R.

Hi Rich
Will pm you
It would be nice to have 154 at the airshow,but the organisers would have to request it and there would have to be a budget for it (company operated a/c !!),also there may be other reasons why she would not be available.
I live only 15 miles from dunsfold so I would certainly enjoy it,we did bring her to Dunsfold for the first W+W (2005 ?) and I will post some pics at the weekend.
regards baz

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

Today is the exact 35th...she first flew on 21 Aug 1974
Here she is at Dunsfold circa 98/99 when John W very kindly brought her in for a visit from Llanbedr.

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/XX154Dunsfold1999.jpg

sorry about photo quality...I dont have a photo scanner

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

In 2005 we were invited to take 154 to the first Dunsfold Wings and wheels.

Sat morning...turning onto the old flightline to cross to the southside,

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0602.jpg

In Illustrious company...another great Hawker a/c

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0614.jpg

and another :D -furthest hurri about to taxy

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0625-1.jpg

Taxying

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0627.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0645.jpg

Monday morning- Back home in the old Flight Shed

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0657.jpg

On the Apron opp the original Tower

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0682.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/DSCF0677.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Gettingreadytoflyout060607.jpg

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18 years 5 months

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Slightly off topic but would anyone know the serial number of the Harrier with the black fin in the background of the last photo?

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18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,022

Baz - what a wonderful set of photos again.... you seem to have some gems in your archives as usual...

Makes me feel old knowing it was that long ago that the Hawk was new..... my first experience of them down at Brawdy was 1978, so cheers for that :D

It is nice to know that this particular old girl is still earning it's keep after so long. Out of interest, is there a life expectency known for her?

Thanks again for posting all this, and taking me back a few decades... :eek:

Member for

19 years 7 months

Posts: 164

Well, I'm sitting here drinking a toast to the first flight so long ago. (makes me feel old!!)

Bazv, great pics.. When I get home I will still look for mine.

Cheers, Hic

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

Baz - what a wonderful set of photos again.... you seem to have some gems in your archives as usual...

Makes me feel old knowing it was that long ago that the Hawk was new..... my first experience of them down at Brawdy was 1978, so cheers for that :D

It is nice to know that this particular old girl is still earning it's keep after so long. Out of interest, is there a life expectency known for her?

Thanks again for posting all this, and taking me back a few decades... :eek:

Makes you feel old - blimey Pete you are still a youngster :D you didnt look old enough to be drinking in Macs Pub By the Waves at Newgale!
The fatigue life for the wing is 6000 hrs so she still has over 1000 hrs to go for that,then it would be a wing change or Major the wing.
I am not sure what the long term fleet plans are for the QinetiQ Hawks,Major services used to be done at St Athan but that is now closed for small jets.
Most RAF Hawks have the later wing fitted AFAIK so I dont know if there are many spare original wings around,I suppose brough could major service wings.

regards baz

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

Well, I'm sitting here drinking a toast to the first flight so long ago. (makes me feel old!!)

Bazv, great pics.. When I get home I will still look for mine.

Cheers, Hic

Thanks ...I am toasting the old girl too...would love to see some more 1974 pics...there must be a few more around surely.

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

Taken at Farnborough 7th Sept 1974 by John Hamlin,colour a little washed out but you can clearly see the small strakes under rear fuselage and the inboard position of the original wing fence.
Easy to forget that 154 was taken to farnborough only 11 days after its first flight :D

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1041473M.jpg

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

This year is the 40th anniversary of the first flight of XX154 (21st Aug 1974) and is one of the themes of RIAT :D

I am hoping XX154 will be at Fairford - and I did hear a rumour that the organisers are hoping to have 40 Hawks attending !

In the meantime - anybody got any old photos of XX154 which have not been posted on this thread ?