Tornado ZA326 for Bruntingthorpe!

[Vulcan7]

That's great news. One of the more recent Boscombe aircraft I'd had my eye on for a while praying that they'd be saved. 2 down, 3 to go, albeit 2 of those haven't even been retired yet, but are 'knocking on'.

Great to hear '326 will be a ground runner, the sooner the better.

[Blackcatlad]

Hasn't got any engines, so won't be a 'runner'!

[POL]

Hasn't got any engines, so won't be a 'runner'!

Give them time...

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[GVLCN]

Would be amazing if this is restored to be a runner

[Figure8]

Brilliant news.

[Vulcan7]

Hasn't got any engines, so won't be a 'runner'!

Give them time...

My thoughts exactly.

[GVLCN]

Look at the vulcan, that was once a bruntingthorpe frame. The future could well be TTTS, tornado to the sky lol

[GaryS]

Thought she'd been scrapped.
Was minus a few bits last time i saw her.(rudder and various panels).

[BrianH]

I nearly got my brains blown out underneath a Rasberry Ripple GR1 (possible the same one) at Boscombe many years ago, when he did a go round. That was full reheat directly above. It took 6 months for my ears to get back to normal.

I think only one aircraft ever got painted up in the 'raspberry ripple' scheme so it is very likely the same aircraft.

Good news if it is saved.

[TornadoZA326]

Yep, the rumours are true.

I purchased ZA326 earlier this year and donated it to the Cold War Jets Collection at Bruntingthorpe. Contrary to popular belief she's not been scrapped and is sitting pretty much intact in a hangar at Boscombe Down waiting to be taken apart and transported by road. One keen-eyed posted noticed the lack of rudder and panels - they were removed, but are with the aircraft (the actuator on the red rudder is U/S, which is why you'll find photos late in her career with a grey rudder fitted- http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air ... f38c98aa5d for example). And yes, it was the only Tornado ever painted in the "raspberry ripple" scheme, which was all the more reason for saving it.

I might start flogging sunscreen, ear defenders and tin foil hats to the people in the front row of the crowdline at Bruntingthorpe once the engines are put back in and fired up. :-)

If anyone has any photos or stories of ZA326 then I'd love to hear them.

cheers,
Elliott

email: tornado@za326.com
twitter: @TornadoZA326

[Vulcanone]

Elliott,

Great news, thanks for posting the info on here, I actually cannot remember seeing ZA326 during her flying days.

I look forward to seeing it at Bruntingthorpe.

Cheers

Tim S

[Tiger Tim]

I managed to sit in her when she was working at RAE Bedford in 1991 as one of my friends use to fly her.

What I remember about it that there was a Snoopy Red Baron cuddly toy in the LRMTS housing (sorry no photos due to the OSA).

She also a full red tail with "Flight Management System" in white letters on either side.