Hunter WT555

[Keep it stiff]

Many people will be familiar with this Hunter and that it has been a roof-top display, on and off, over the last 30 years or so on the Vanguard building on the Western Avenue at Greenford.

Vanguard have a new building under construction at Staples Corner on the North Circular Road, WT555 has been restored to its original scheme and will be on permanent display inside the new building and it will be clearly visible from the carriageway.

Construction will be complete in the autumn and at which point WT555 will be a very prominent and permanent exhibit.

Details of the restoration are here:

https://vintageaviationecho.com/hawker-hunter-wt55...

Also coming soon, a new roof-top exhibit for the Vanguard building on Western Avenue.

Edited by Keep it stiff on Thursday 26th May 09:39

[ettore]

Doesn’t that look great - such a handsome aircraft and well done to all concerned.

[Eric Mc]

Was WT555 the second prototype?

[Tony1963]

Eric Mc said:

Was WT555 the second prototype?

The headline in the link says it was the first production Hunter.

[Eric Mc]

Aha - I knew it was one of the early ones. I'm sure I've seen photographs of it at 1950s Farnborough Air Shows.

[MCSV8]

There a (the?) Tardis on the roof at the moment.

[Keep it stiff]

MCSV8 said:

There a (the?) Tardis on the roof at the moment.

To be swapped for a new exhibit shortly!

[Tony1963]

I’m one of those privileged people who worked on Hunters. Only for a year, alongside Buccs, but it’ll do for me.

[swampy442]

Tony1963 said:

I’m one of those privileged people who worked on Hunters. Only for a year, alongside Buccs, but it’ll do for me.

Then you know the Avpin start twitch haha

[Tony1963]

swampy442 said:

Then you know the Avpin start twitch haha

I really don’t miss Avpin, but glad I had the experience. Pretty close to nitromethane, I think.

[swampy442]

We recently converted ours to electric start, but before with Avpin, the will it/wont it start gave us all a twitch!

[Tony1963]

On my trip to Bruntingthorpe for a Lightning Twilight Reheat Run, this sight, in the QRA shed, made me chuckle.



In the RAF it was often stored in a lockable cabinet hundreds of yards away from everything and everyone else!

[Simpo Two]

Never heard of Avpin but this is the first hit on Google...

https://rhodesianforces.org/No1sqnavpin.html