Hunter XE704

[alanp]

Hunter XE704 looks to be inbound now, 5 minutes out.

[vulcanxl425]

Showing as XE688 (T72) using Scampton 34 call-sign ?

[Mapper]

Yup 688, Saw it do 2 circuits, has left now

[alanp]

Ooops! my bad, took it off ADSB. Would love to have been up there to see (and hear it)

[Andy Marden]

Not really my bad.
It really is XE704, despite being on the military register, and being marked as, XE688.
It’s a long story…

[Mapper]

Not really my bad.
It really is XE704, despite being on the military register, and being marked as, XE688.
It’s a long story…

It was XE688. Had to shrink the photo as the forum as some weird 1600px limit but I visually read 688.

[Andy Marden]

No, that is not the point.
It is marked as XE688, but that is not the correct identity of this aircraft.

[MCB]

I'm not going to enter a debate on this yet again, but just to expand upon Andy's point, this is what we are talking about:-

XE704 Hunter F.4, Built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd at Blackpool, f/f 26.8.55, Aw/Cn 9.9.55, d/d 45 MU Kinloss 7.10.55, to 2 TAF 9.4.56, to 112 Sqn at Bruggen 10.4.56 as 'S', F/A 12.3.57 Cat.3R, to D/A 13.3.57 Cat.3R, to 112 Sqn 26.3.57, to UK/5 MU 21.5.57, to CFS Hunter Flt at Kemble 13.11.57 as 'A', to 5 MU 14.11.58 (28.11.58), declared NEA 7.10.59. Allotted as 7788M 12.11.62 for ground instruction at 1 SoTT Halton, Soc 12.7.63 Cat.5(GI). Sold to HSA as G-9-397, by road to Bitteswell 10.1.72 (TT 215.20 hrs). Ctre/Rear fuselage to T.72 for Chile No.1 (third order). Discarded single seat front fuselage in compound at Bitteswell (1.75). To Chile as T.72 J-736, d/d 15.2.74 via Sevilla - Las Palmas - Dakkar - Monrovia - Ascension - Recife - Salvador - Rio de Janeiro - Asunción - Antofagasta. Received 'Programa Águila' upgrade '89, Wfu 19.4.95, to ground instructional at Escuela de Especialidades (El Bosque), overhauled by ENAER 8.00, registered as PP-XHH '01 for Embraer, to Sao Jose dos Campos. To Hawker Hunter Aviation 9.18, f/f at Scampton 29.1.20, erroneously painted as "XE688" in the mistaken belief that Blackpool-built centre-fuselage c/ns ran in sequence.

[alanp]

Well, that’s a great history. I love an aircraft with an interesting past. Now I’ve got to chase it down and photograph it.