Buccaneer cockpit arrives
On Friday 26th October 2018 the latest addition to our collection of airframes and cockpit sections arrived at the museum site. This latest arrival was the cockpit section from Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B XX899, a First Gulf War, Iraq 1991 ‘Operation Granby’ veteran.
The cockpit was transported from its former display location in Coventry to Newark by Nottinghamshire based contractor Gillivers Haulage. The move was made possible thanks to the good offices of the managers at Coventry Airport who were kind enough to grant their permission for the cockpit to be lifted over their perimeter fence from its previous display location.
Owned by Robin Phipps, Buccaneer cockpit XX899 has been placed on long-term loan at the museum, where it will be displayed alongside several other cockpits outside Display Hangar 2 on our Southfield Site. These cockpits were recently repositioned to create sufficient space to accommodate XX899.
A few panels have been removed from XX899 on a temporary basis and this is to allow them to be returned to display standard by the owner. One important feature of this particular Buccaneer cockpit is that it retains a significant section of fuselage structure, which allows the canopy to slide on its rails as per its original design.
The museum trustees are happy to welcome both the Buccaneer cockpit and its owner to their Gateway Aviation Site in eastern Nottinghamshire. We are also pleased to report that the cockpit will be participating at their Cockpit-Fest 2019 event that takes place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June, 2019.
Interesting facts
Buccaneer XX899 is a veteran of the First Gulf War, Iraq 1991 ‘Operation Granby’.
Buccaneer XX899, along with Buccaneer XW547 flew the first ‘Buccaneer Mission’ during Operation Granby on 2nd February 1991.
Buccaneer XX899 is believed to have flown the most ‘Buccaneer Mission’ during Operation Granby.
Photo Credit: Howard Heeley