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Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Warbirds, Replicas and Nostalgic photos in here please.
XPLUMBER
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Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by XPLUMBER » Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:50 am

There have been many requests for pictures of the HHC inhabitants, here for your enjoyment are some I took on Friday.

Four Harriers in one place!
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GR1 Facsimile XV279 AKA The PLSTIC PIG!
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The previous RAF WITTERING Gate Guard XV779
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Newly arrived ZD318
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A Mk 10 Ejection Seat
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T4 XV779
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The two Cockpit sections
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A recent arrival behind 4 Sqns old hangar
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They are absolutely crammed in the small corner of the old missile hangar and the lighting is abismal!
Last edited by XPLUMBER on Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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uppergreen1
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by uppergreen1 » Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:53 am

nice pics mate,is this place open to the public?

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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by XPLUMBER » Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:21 am

uppergreen1 wrote:nice pics mate,is this place open to the public?

Not that I'm aware of!


But you could contact RAF Wittering on 01780 783838 and ask to be put through to the HOLDING FLIGHT who are the custodians of the collection, that might just get you a visit! GOOD LUCK! :Wow:
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romeo bravo
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by romeo bravo » Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:31 am

You found it then Dave :halo:

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uppergreen1
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by uppergreen1 » Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:38 am

thanks for the info,ill give it a try,cheers............ .

XPLUMBER
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by XPLUMBER » Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:44 am

romeo bravo wrote:You found it then Dave :halo:

Oh yes, it would appear to have been used in wind tunnel work as a sleek GR1 at a guess, will be interesting to see what its identity really is! :Wow:
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by DamienB » Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:57 pm

XPLUMBER wrote:
romeo bravo wrote:You found it then Dave :halo:

Oh yes, it would appear to have been used in wind tunnel work as a sleek GR1 at a guess, will be interesting to see what its identity really is! :Wow:
It's not a GR.1 - intakes are different for a start (compare relief door positions). I'd guess a Kestrel fuselage that's been progressively modified to test intake and nose configurations for the Harrier (nose shape an early stab at the Sea Harrier?).

Fascinating pics!
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Unknown74
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by Unknown74 » Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:03 pm

Must try and get in touch with them at some point would love to go and have a look at this.....

Another minor small question I have is, whatever happened to that 2 seat Harrier which was for sale on ebay but had to be withdrawn due to the weapons issue?

buzzer

Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by buzzer » Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:38 pm

DamienB wrote:
XPLUMBER wrote:
romeo bravo wrote:You found it then Dave :halo:

Oh yes, it would appear to have been used in wind tunnel work as a sleek GR1 at a guess, will be interesting to see what its identity really is! :Wow:
It's not a GR.1 - intakes are different for a start (compare relief door positions). I'd guess a Kestrel fuselage that's been progressively modified to test intake and nose configurations for the Harrier (nose shape an early stab at the Sea Harrier?).

Fascinating pics!
is there a posabilty its this one?? XS694
http://www.demobbed.org.uk/image_view.p ... =xs694.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
the resent cover plates and new nose ,could have been done after the photo in the liken were taken? (2009)
its the only one i can find that would fit the bill.. all the other Kestrel fuselages are acounted for in the UK..this one was last to be found in Lebanon :O

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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by romeo bravo » Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:48 pm

DamienB - you say they are different, but according to John Farley's 2000 Lecture, intake design was changed twice during the development of the Harrier from the Kestrel.

Farley says "The intake design was changed twice in the pursuit of better specific air range in the cruise allied with good high altitude handling, without prejudice to the hovering performance. First 12 and then 16 auxiliary intake doors were fitted round the intake lip and also various boundary bleed door configurations were flown. The reaction controls were refined and to add a bit of polish to the V/STOL handling a new low authority pitch and roll autostabiliser was developed." http://www.harrier.org.uk/history/history_farley.htm

This fuselage has 12 doors so could be a hybrid/development of the P1127 (RAF), like the Plastic Pig. Don't think its XS694, damage shown in 'demobbed' photo isn't present on this particular fuselage, in fact the windscreen is intake, but taped.

Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this particular jet :thumbs: I'm with Xplumber on this, a testbed fuselage for some reason

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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by XPLUMBER » Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:55 pm

Gentlemen

A lot of the top of the airframe in that last picture is formed from POLYSTYRENE and PLYWOOD, it has no great strength and that is my reasoning for a wind tunnel model!

I too am VERY interested in finding out the story of this particular piece of Harrier history!
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CH2
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by CH2 » Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:47 pm

XPLUMBER

Thanks for posting these. If nothing else at least they are warm and snug (lets hope the blasted bean counters don't find out).

p.s we're still being told that GSA will out of Wittering by April and that's it flying days are over????
Cheers,

Chris

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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by XPLUMBER » Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:10 pm

Chris

Not sure about the GSA, I presume you mean the Gliding and Soaring Association, I'll nip up and have a chat and hopefully have a go!
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by romeo bravo » Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:44 pm

CH2 wrote:p.s we're still being told that GSA will out of Wittering by April and that's it flying days are over????
May it have something to do with the rumour of 5AEF coming in from Wyton :blush: It's still be mentioned around the bazaars and that would have a knock-on to the 4 Counties GSA.

Malfatron Malkovic

Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by Malfatron Malkovic » Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:56 pm

One contender could possibly be P.1127 XP976. This 'frame was reported scrapped at Faygate in 1994, with the tail section going to XV281. The question is was it scrapped? After all, many airframe sections from machines long since thought scrapped or lost have turned-up many years later.

Actually, no- cancel that statement, i've found images of it on the 'web', and it was in a shocking state in 1990, so doubt it is XP976

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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by DamienB » Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:41 pm

romeo bravo wrote:DamienB - you say they are different, but according to John Farley's 2000 Lecture, intake design was changed twice during the development of the Harrier from the Kestrel.
Well, they are different - the intakes on the example above are, as you say, 12 doors (6 each side) - by the time genuine Harrier (GR.1) production had begun it was 16 doors, so it isn't a GR.1 as most would understand the term (I understand some call the P.1127(RAF) the "GR.1(DB)" - DB for development batch). Looking at more photos the P.1127(RAF) fuselage looks closest, but of the ones that flew, five are accounted for (XV277-281), leaving only XV276, which crashed in 1973 and presumably would look a bit more battered than this example... I'd say it's probably a static/fatigue test airframe that got used for various other purposes once its useful life was up. Is Tim still on here, the research for his Harrier book may have turned up something on this?
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by XPLUMBER » Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:27 am

Here is a closer view from as far to the port side as is possible to get to.
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Another general shot.
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A closer shot of the nose and intake areas.
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It would be good to find someone who knows what it is, rumoured to have come from Warton!
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Hawks922
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by Hawks922 » Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:00 am

deleted
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HaveQuick2
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by HaveQuick2 » Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:07 am

This is the ex Warton static frame, no serial.
HQ2 out

XPLUMBER
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Re: Harrier Heritage Centre - RAF Wittering

Post by XPLUMBER » Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:59 pm

Thanks HQ2

So it is from Warton, how come it never got a Serial No?

Do you know anything more about it?

Dave
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