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Cosford's 'Phantom' Nose Section.


mcdonnell

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Hello,Friends - Having got close up and personal with this exhibit of my beloved 'Phantom' at last Sunday's 'Cosford Model Show', I'd love to learn a little more about her identity and service history.

If anyone can kindly shed some light on this for me it would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

😉👍 All the very best,Paul.

 

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13 hours ago, BritJet said:

Hi

 

It's XV591 and served with 892, 43 and 111 squadrons.  Hope that helps.

 

Steve

Hello,Steve - Yes indeed,your kind reply and information is of great interest and assistance to me.

I've seen a photo of a RN Phantom landing on USS Nimitz in 1975.The serial was also 013.I'm wondering if that could be the same jet.

Many thanks and All The Best,Paul.😉👍

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"013" is what the Navy call a side number, it's not the aircraft's serial number.  Side numbers change, but the serial number of an aircraft remains the same throughout its life with certan exceptions, for example the ill-fated Nimrod MRA. 4s that all had ZJ-serial numbers, e.g. ZJ517, but all had started life in the mid-sixties as XV-serialled MR. 1s, e.g. XV241.  None of the RAF or RN Phantoms were re-serialled.

 

Airfix were caught out by side numbers when they produced the decal sheet for the most recent incarnation of their venerable 1/72nd Buccaneer.  Although the side number was the same, 033(?), on both sides the serial was different; XV344(?) on one side and XV865(?) on the other.  They'd worked from photos of two different airframes wearing he same side number.

 

Try looking for photos of 892 Squadron's Phantoms on t'net and see if you can get a positive connection that way (that's what I'm off to do now, but WHY did the Navy paint their fuselage side serial numbers in such tidgy characters?

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The serial number is the aircraft unique identification - the "Side number" is the aircrafts assignment to the Carrier Airgroup & Squadron  the first prefix is associated with the Carrier, 001-057 for Ark Royal, 060-160 for Eagle, 230-277 for Victorious, 300-337 for Hermes (Hermes took over Victorious Airgroup in 1969, when Victorious was decommissioned early following a minor fire during a scheduled refit ) Thus the Phantoms on Ark were 001-018 but the aircraft assigned to the squadron and its squadron number changed during the term of 892 squadron.

 

The Best reference is Patrick Martins excellent 1st volume on the British Phantom by Airdoc as that covers the RN FG1 in depth and has samples of the specific aircraft assignments to the FAA Squadron's the other reference would be Air Britain's FAA Fixed wing aircraft since 1945 which is sorted by Aircraft type with a potted history of each and every aircraft by serial number, although these can be found too in the appendices in Patricks book as well. 

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5 minutes ago, junglierating said:

tidgy characters? What do you mean:huh:

 I think he's referring the Aircraft Serial code on FAA Phantoms which is half the font size of the RAF examples

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Hello,Friends - My sincerest thanks and appreciation for all your kind and informative replies.

XV591 obviously enjoyed a safe and illustrious career before retirement.A worthy subject for a triple tribute build in Royal Navy, 43 and 111 Sqn. Colours?🤔

😉👍 All the very best,Paul.

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  • 4 weeks later...

While with 892 NAS, XV591 carried '007' c.1971, '012' c.1975, and '013' when on it's final deployment with the Navy in late 1978 and flown to St Athan.

While with 111 Sqn it wore 'M' from the early 1980s, and finally 'BM' when withdrawn from service in late 1987 and broken up at St Athan.

The nose became an exhibit for the RAFM (I think 1990 ish?), initially painted in as one of the two Alcock and Brown Phantoms.

 

That might not be a complete list, and I am unaware of '591 being with 43 Sqn.

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My info was from Wrecks&Relics so I can't say for definite that it served with 43 but the service histories given are usually spot on.

 

Steve

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8 hours ago, 71chally said:

While with 892 NAS, XV591 carried '007' c.1971, '012' c.1975, and '013' when on it's final deployment with the Navy in late 1978 and flown to St Athan.

While with 111 Sqn it wore 'M' from the early 1980s, and finally 'BM' when withdrawn from service in late 1987 and broken up at St Athan.

The nose became an exhibit for the RAFM (I think 1990 ish?), initially painted in as one of the two Alcock and Brown Phantoms.

 

That might not be a complete list, and I am unaware of '591 being with 43 Sqn.

 

The Alcock and Brown Phantoms were XV424 as the main one and XV486 as the spare.

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