Nimrod Dave

Indeed it was 666 that was ditched. I think your models will be safe, 39 (xv239), which was lost at the airshow in Toronto when it stalled adds up to 14 and most recently XV230 lost on ops. A great jet, very capable, but takes a lot of looking after.

Well all I can say from my point of view is I've heard a few strange noises on her one night when I was flight servicing her. Now I'm not generally bothered by stuff like this, but I was glad to get done. I can remember one night we were sat in 29's galley and the subject came up about her being haunted. Anyway, we finished our brews and Helen one of the other mechs said I'll turn off power in the cockpit Dave, if you get the power set. Well instead of going out I hid on top of the liferaft by the emergency over wing exit. As Helen walked down the jet, which was now in complete darkness, she got to where I was and I gently put my hand on her shoulder and said in a low voice ''hello there''. Remember what we had been chatting about, Helen let out a scream that would have woken the dead and just about filled her pants. I had tears coming down my face I was laughing so hard. Once she regained her composure I remember the word B@stard being used a lot. Helen if you ever read this, I apologise....but it still makes me laugh !

Well the story goes that several Nimrods have had strange things occur on or near them. One swallowed a guy on a groundrun, then later trapped someone in the airbrake and also ran over someones foot while being moved. That was XV247. Now 29 has been seen with strange lights on and was generally a creepy aircraft to be near. Then one day one of the riggers came back to the flight line ashen faced. He had opened up a hydraulic panel, which are in the floor, and when he did a face was staring back at him ! Years before 56 crashed on takeoff after hitting a flock of birds. So we have XV 247, XV 229 and XV 256. The connection....all their tail numbers add up to 13 ! 29 though was the jet the supersticious amongst us were never keen to work on. Ask any groundcrew who worked on Nimrods about 29, she's well known. IIRC she even made it into the paper about her spooky goings on.

I bet we don't get markings for XV229 ! Bad enough having a haunted jet without having a haunted model as well !!!

Hello folks, my first post here. I'll add a bit to this if I may as I've spent many hours smacking my head on the bomb bay of all the Nimrods. Theres actually 4 bomb doors, we used to refer to it as flaring the doors. Stores load was usually done prior to refuelling, occasionally as we were refuelling, but you had to stop at about 20k or the Jet sat too low on her oleos to get the stores under the door. The front doors actually flared slightly more than the rears as the were under the engines. For some loads such as special weapons, the plumbers went in the rear, the very back of the bomb bay has two panels that opened, it was called the 'ducks ar$e' by us lineys. The bomb bay is a very detailed area of the jet, it changes shape several times and has all sorts of bits of kit in there, from the split flap servodyne to the hydraulic accumulator gauges. If you are going to model the jet on the ground with the bomb doors in the open position (the jets were always parked like this unless they were going to sit for a period of time) then don't forget about the bomb door lock thats were fitted immediately on shut down, the lanyards left dangling on the outside. On the subject of the doors drooping, we used to have a great practical joke for the new guys. We would have them in the bomb bay checking the hyd accumulator gauges, on the nod from someone outside, you would select the bomb door system to the 'red' system. This powered the brakes and was used in emergencies for various systems inc the bomb doors. This would immediately pressurise the system and flex the doors !! This moved the doors about 4 inches outwards with a loud bang that would shake the jet, it was highly amusing to see new bloke come out the bomb bay like a rat up a drainpipe. (I should point out that because of the bomb bay locks you couldn't actually move the doors open or closed and you made damn sure they were in before flexing the doors).