What are the external differences between a Strikemaster and a Jet Provost?

[71chally]

I would think taller legs are better for ground clearance, and longer stroke for trainee style landings.

[canberra kid]

As has already been said by Graham, unless you lengthen the nose wheel leg too jacking up the main gear would alter he angle of attack. But beefing it up would be a good move. Looking at the photo's I can't see any evidence of the legs being longer.

John

[DennisTheBear]

From memory of some reading I did back in the late '80s the undercarriage was "strengthened" to withstand higher sink rates (?) on the Strikemaster.

Can't recall mention of it being lengthened or shortened.

Don't know if that helps.

Dennis

[tonywood]

Haven't seen it mentioned but Ivory Coast received two Strikemasters in 2003 via dubious means, they were both ex Botswana examples, TU-VRA ex G-UNNY and TU-VRB ex G-BXFP, the photo I've seen shows them in Botswanan camo with the black TU-xxx reg on the rear fuselage. Both had been withdrawn by April 2015.

[Graham Boak]

WRT the nose strakes, these were fitted to prevent spins becoming oscillatory when the tip tanks were removed. Generally speaking the update to 5A coincided with tip tank removal (since the tanks were not required for the standard 1hr sortie lengths of BFTS).

As I recall, and there were quite a lot of them hanging around at Warton in my early years there, the JP5 began service life without the tip tanks, but with the strakes. So in this case it is perhaps better to say that the strakes were removed when the tip tanks were fitted, and then refitted later to aircraft from which the tip tanks had been removed.

[Max Headroom]

I believe the JP5 tip tanks were recycled ones from the 4's which were retired.

Trevor

[Plasto]

These images might be useful / of interest.

HTH

Plasto

[nuuumannn]

Can't really add too much to the discussion, but here are a couple of the breed for comparison.

JP T.5A XW357 looking very sad and unkempt:

Strikemaster Mk.88 NZ6374 looking good under cover. Oddly, both aircraft are within a few hundred yards of each other and the contrast couldn't be more marked in how they are presented:

I have a walkaround of a Mk.88 here: http://warbirdswalkaround.wixsite.com/warbirds/bac-strikemaster

I'll be adding more images to that page eventually as well as the aforementioned JP to the site.

[Ascoteer]

JP T.5A XW357 looking very sad and unkempt:

XW357 was an ex Cranwell Poachers aircraft and the first JP5A I ever flew in.

[nuuumannn]

XW357 was an ex Cranwell Poachers aircraft and the first JP5A I ever flew in.

Nice, what a shame for you to see it in the condition it's in. It was going to be kept in flying condition in Australia, but it has been sentenced to death by being sent to its current location. All the aircraft there are rather poorly looked after.