As the Christmas break will soon be upon us, the British Phantom Aviation Group would like to take a moment to send everyone our best wishes for the season.
Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm during 2021. We will return in 2022, in what is shaping up to be a busy and eventful year. Everyone please stay safe, be careful and have a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
We are pleased to say that we have the undercarriage training rig from the Phantom Ground School at RAF Coningsby. On loan to us from Mike Davey, it will join the hydraulic systems trainer rig that the BPAG were gifted by Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre, which will also be restored as a fully functioning exhibit.
The undercarriage rig was collected from JetArt Aviation in Selby, where it has been stored for several years, and transported down to Cotswold Airport. With the generous assistance of Air Salvage International it was offloaded in some atrocious weather . Thanks to ASI for their help and to Matt Gilby for not only providing the trailer and tow vehicle, but for doing ALL the driving.
A recent donation to the BPAG collection by former Flight Lieutenant Jon Millo (who was also Nav on XT597’s final flight, the last flight of any Spey powered Phantom) are three sets of flight reference cards. Normal drills for the FGR.2 and normal drills and emergency procedures for the F-4J.
Many thanks to Jon for the donation. We will look forward to putting these items on display in the future.
The BPAG were recently back at Manston, continuing to prepare ZE360 for relocation. This time the weather was determined to let us know that it was winter and biting wind, with rain and hail, made it a challenging day. The primary task was lowering the trailing edge flaps, ready for removal. This is necessary before transportation, as the rear half of the flap is of a delicate honeycomb construction. It was a moment of cheer for the team when the flap gradually moved down for the first time since 1991. The hinges have now been left soaking in penetrating oil, ready for the next visit.
Servicing the universal stand also continued. Hydraulic hoses and rams were removed for replacement or maintenance and all hinge points are now free. Many thanks to all our volunteers for their hard work.
