Yeovilton Air Day 1982 - Post Falklands

[Sixoneseven]

Coming only a couple of months after ceasing of hostilities in the Falklands, this was a very interesting air day. I managed to get a press pass for the Friday before thanks to the late Mike Keep. Many of the Sea Harriers had been repainted in the Medium Sea Grey scheme by then, and it was nice to see a couple of those in 899 NAS markings as well as those being prepared to go back down South with what I think were 809 NAS codes applied. Exciting times:

VL82-1 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-2 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-3 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-4 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-5 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-6 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-7 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-8 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-9B by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-10 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-11 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-12 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-14 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-15 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-16 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-18 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-19 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-20B by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-21 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-22 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-23 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-24 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-25 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-26 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-27 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-28 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-29 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-30 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

VL82-31 by Chris Tyler, on Flickr

[binbrook87]

Wow! Would love to have been at this one. Great pics! The Med Sea Grey Sea Harriers with red/blue small type B roundels on the nose....ive only ever seen the pale pink blue roundels used before on this scheme. You learn something new every day in this hobby! Also the Spang F-4 is very nice. And the Commando Wessex....was this in a retro scheme or a museum exhibit?

[Vulcanone]

Wow! Would love to have been at this one. Great pics! The Med Sea Grey Sea Harriers with red/blue small type B roundels on the nose....ive only ever seen the pale pink blue roundels used before on this scheme. You learn something new every day in this hobby! Also the Spang F-4 is very nice. And the Commando Wessex....was this in a retro scheme or a museum exhibit?

The Wessex wears the older Commando camo scheme. They were still operational back in 82.

[Sixoneseven]

Wow! Would love to have been at this one. Great pics! The Med Sea Grey Sea Harriers with red/blue small type B roundels on the nose....ive only ever seen the pale pink blue roundels used before on this scheme. You learn something new every day in this hobby! Also the Spang F-4 is very nice. And the Commando Wessex....was this in a retro scheme or a museum exhibit?

There were only two Sea Harriers in the Medium Sea Grey scheme with red/blue roundels which were XZ439/2 and XZ497/4. The unusual codes were carried on the nose in 'stencil' style. Also on the Wessex 5 if you look at the aft fuselage ahead of the tailboom it is painted in the then current dark green scheme, so it had probably been repaired but not yet repainted. During 1982 they were probadly looking for as many Wessex as they could find irrespective of colour scheme.

[binbrook87]

Very interesting in both accounts. I never knew that the Wessex were still wearing that scheme so late

[Mustang531]

Thanks for sharing these with us, interesting batch of shots and great memories. Nice to see the Orion in a proper scheme.

[SW Sky Blue]

Fabulous stuff

[paddyboy]

Yet another superb post, Chris

[warthog56]

Excellent post! Look at all of those Sea Harriers - a type retired too soon in my opinion. Let's re-open the production lines for new Harriers and stop buying F35B's!

[eLaReF]

Very interesting in both accounts. I never knew that the Wessex were still wearing that scheme so late

This was another at the 2003 Show. It hung around as sole survivor for a while

XT453 Westland Wessex HU.5 msn WA275 B by eLaReF, on Flickr

But 'survivor' just about described it. Sept '03

XT453 Westland Wessex HU.5 msn WA275 B by eLaReF, on Flickr

and 2004

XT453 Westland Wessex HU.5 msn WA275 B by eLaReF, on Flickr