BAC/Hunting Jet Provost T.3A XN586 (1961)
Type History: Designed by Hunting Aircraft Ltd at Luton and derived from the piston-engined Percival P.56 Provost T.1 two-seat military trainer of 1950, the prototype Percival P.84 Jet Provost T.Mk1, XD674, was first flown by test pilot Dick Wheldon from Luton on 26 June 1954. Just over a year later, the first prototype Hunting Jet Provost T.Mk.2 was first test flown and then displayed at the SBAC Farnborough Show. Only a few Mk2s were built but a British government production order was announced for the improved Mk 3 variant in early 1957 and the first of these was completed and first flown on 22 June 1958.
The first Jet Provost T.3 was delivered to the RAF in June 1959. The last operational RAF Jet Provosts were withdrawn from service in 1991 and the type was replaced by the Shorts Tucano. Total Jet Provost production (excluding the BAC Strikemaster variant) was 600 aircraft, which included some 200 T.3s.
Exhibit History: Manufactured by BAC/Hunting Percival Aircraft Ltd at Luton Airport in 1960-61 in a batch of 100 Jet Provost T.3s delivered to the RAF between August 1960 and February 1962, XN586 flew with five different RAF units for just over 30 years from 1961 to 1990. While with the RAF College Cranwell, it crashed in 1965 but was
repaired by BAC at Luton. Its flying days ended at No 7 Flying Training School at RAF Church Fenton in March 1990 when it was allocated for ground instructional training and soon delivered to No. 2 School of Technical Training at RAF Cosford.
In late 1993 the aircraft was sold off to Global Aviation at Binbrook, Lincs, and on 8 April 1994 it arrived at Brooklands College after purchase by the Aero Engineering Department to replace an older de Havilland Vampire T.11.
Just over 20 years later, to make way for new workshop facilities at the College, the aircraft was dismantled by students and moved by road to Brooklands Museum on 22 May 2014 by a team of volunteers with support from Kavanagh Motors, Langley Vale Recovery and the National Rescue Group. It remains owned by Brooklands College today and is still used to give practical 'hands-on' training to aircraft engineering students.
Data: One Armstrong Siddeley Viper Mk 102 static thrust turbo-jet engine; wing span (with tip tanks) 36ft 11in; length 32ft 5in; height 10ft 2in; empty weight 4,888lbs (2,222kg); maximum speed 440 mph.
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