Gloster Meteor

Last Flight of Meteor NF.11 WM167

MartynJ wrote:

stevie wrote:

Great photos Martyn.

It was so cold!!! My feet still haven't thawed out. Very sad to see her land for the last time especially after seeing her display so many times over the years. At least they'll be keeping all the systems running & taxying in the future hopefully -

It redefined for me, the meaning of the word cold. At the end of the day I was grateful to stick my hands in the hand drier in the toilets for 10 minutes afterwards.

Yes, I did the same & ended up with really bad tingling hot aches afterwards . It was worth all the pain & suffering though.

Pilot Dan Griffiths -

Group photo -

Farnborough had a Meteor T7 XF 274 painted in similar colours to the Llanbedr Meteor; unfortunately it came to a tragic end.
abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1275413
I had taken a monday off for personal reasons and the Meteor was in the circuit when the crew carried out a simulated asymmetric go around, resulting in the 'live' engine opening up too quickly causing the aircraft to 'cartwheel', impacting the ground just in front of the hangar occupied by No 664 Sqdn AAC. An army sergeant grabbed a fire extinguisher and wading into the flames., attempted to smash the canopy to extract the occupants who had been unable to abandon the aircraft as that mark of Meteor wasn't fitted with ejector seats. Regretfully, both occupants died.
A few months later, I took another monday off for the same personal reason and this time, Roly Beamont called Farnborough Radar having just departed Brooklands in the BAC company Beagle 206, his first words being 'Farnborough, I'm going to have to land with you as one of my propellors has just fallen off' !
Typical test pilot; no drama like calling 'MayDay'.
Thereafter I ceased taking mondays off.

The other Meteor (the T-7 formally based at Coventry) that was on the show circuit here in the UK until being sold to the US recently is now up for sale again. Chances of it returning back home are pretty slim but you never know. We can only hope, it is the oldest surviving flying British jet after all -

www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for...3ye25SVCRCmn4nNL5Mog

There are still the two 'hybrids' operated by Martin Baker at Chalgrove, WA638 and WL419, being T7s with F6 tailplanes. '638 carried out a succesful test firing from Chalgrove in Jun 2018.

TerryClark wrote:

There are still the two 'hybrids' operated by Martin Baker at Chalgrove, WA638 and WL419, being T7s with F6 tailplanes. '638 carried out a succesful test firing from Chalgrove in Jun 2018.

Unfortunately they very rarely appear at airshows though.If they do it'll be in the static park.

Meteor NF.11 WD686, which is currently on display at Croome Court, Worcestershire.

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stevie wrote:

TerryClark wrote:

There are still the two 'hybrids' operated by Martin Baker at Chalgrove, WA638 and WL419, being T7s with F6 tailplanes. '638 carried out a succesful test firing from Chalgrove in Jun 2018.

Unfortunately they very rarely appear at airshows though.If they do it'll be in the static park.

Like BBMF aircraft, they try not to fly them a lot in order to preserve airframe life.

TerryClark wrote:

stevie wrote:

TerryClark wrote:

There are still the two 'hybrids' operated by Martin Baker at Chalgrove, WA638 and WL419, being T7s with F6 tailplanes. '638 carried out a succesful test firing from Chalgrove in Jun 2018.

Unfortunately they very rarely appear at airshows though.If they do it'll be in the static park.

Like BBMF aircraft, they try not to fly them a lot in order to preserve airframe life.

One of the few 2019 airshow appearances (only one I think) for WA638 was at Duxford's Air Festival back in May. Static on the show days but we did get 5 missed approaches on the Friday arrivals day which was very nice -

Steve

Gloster Meteor T.7 WL332 at Long Marston, Warwickshire

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Not sure when it was but I can remember an NF11 being ferried to Blackbushe from Farnborough by Neil Williams; I don't think it was WM167 'cos it was a bit later than 1975.
Anyway, the flight was booked out with ATC over the phone as normal, he called for taxy, took off and went.
When Commanding Officer Experimental Flying (COEF) returned from lunch a short time later, sh1t hit the fan; 'why had we (ATC) let him go as the flight hadn't been authorised and there was still paperwork to complete'.
We explained it wasn't our fault; it wasn't up to us to check authorisation sheets etc. in fact, until that day, we hadn't even known the aircraft was at Farnborough as it was in a hangar on the far side of the airfield from us and when/how it arrived we had no record.