Hawker Siddley Buccaneer at weston

[joey1]

Hi all
Last week I popped by Weston Airport on my travels and spotted this aircraft.
Looks very like a Hawker Siddley Buccaneer took a photo with my phone camera
Does any Member have any info?
Is she a regular visitor?
I'm very curious indeed!

[Joe McDermott]

Hi Joey1,

It's been at Weston since late August 2007. Was Gate Guard at RAF Lossimouth, Scotland after being retired from service. Put up for sale by MoD & purchased by Christy Keane as 60th birthday present for Kieran O'Connor.

Photo at this link of the aircraft being reassembled at Weston :

http://www.irishairpics.com/database/photo/1024262/

Full history of this aircraft :

http://www.blackburn-buccaneer.co.uk/S2_XV863_files/0_S2_XV863.html

Regards,

Joe

[pym]

I've always loved the Buccaneer - beautiful design

[joey1]

Hi PYM & Joe

She looks in pristine condition
The terrible photo does her no justice i’m afraid.

What’s the chances of returning her back to flight like (VULCAN TO THE SKIES) it would probably require a huge amount of cash and red tape to bring her back to her former glory
Anyway if I received this as a present I would be pretty chuffed …….and divorced!!!

Thanks for the info Joe
I also checked out the above links too much appreciated hopefully we can all enjoy seeing  her up close some day

[Tony Kearns]

Thanks for the info Joe, if they ever get the engines running there will be ructions from the neighbours.
Tony K

[Joe McDermott]

Quite right Tony & then the tree-huggers will come out in force & claim it is neuclear capable & that our neutrality has been broken ! The headlines will read "60 year old man in Leixlip has own air force". That will lead to one of our excellent tribunals & possibly even a referendum or two. 

[joey1]

Hi again!!
I’ve had enough of tribunals and referendums to last me a lifetime

Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t know of any flying examples of the buccaneer anywhere so it would certainly cause some media speculation if they did decide to fire those beasts up

Will she reside in a public museum or is she for private viewing only?

[Irish251]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t know of any flying examples of the buccaneer anywhere so it would certainly cause some media speculation if they did decide to fire those beasts up.

There is one flying in South Africa - along with several EE Lightnings!

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Thunder-City/Hawker-Siddeley-Buccaneer/0730104/L/

[Joe McDermott]

There were plans to get Buccaneer S2B XX885 flying again. It is owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation & was reregistered G-HHAA. I am not up to speed on this project so do not know the current status, but it would be real nice if one was flying in the UK. Until that happens Thunder City is the place to go !

Havn't seen a Bucc fly since 1976 when two of them flew tip2tip, low & flat out across the boundry fence at Mildenhall on an otherwise quite & misty August morning.   

Joe