Blackburn Buccaneer - Survivor XK526
S.2 XK526 - RAF Honington, Thetford, Suffolk
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Buccaneer S.2 XK526 at RAF Honington, 25th July 2015; Richard E Flagg
XK526 was first built as an S.1 and took to the skies on the 29th of August 1960 before being converted to an S.2 in 1962. Although a handful of Buccaneer airframes were converted from the S.1 variant to the S.2, only two flew as both, XK526 being one. This makes for XK526 to be a bit of a hybrid, with S.1 brakes, wings, and many other components.
XK526 made its final flight into RAF Honington in 1980 where it was used for instructional uses under the maintenance number 8648M. Just three years later, XK526 began carrying out gate guarding duties on site and also became a memorial to those we sadly lost flying the Buccaneer at Honington. Later on, the airframe was treated to a re-sprayed with a high gloss finish, and the canopy was painted black to hide the empty voids as well as to protect the perspex from clouding up over time.
In more recent times, TLC on XK526 seems to have lacked, apart from the odd clean every few years. The paintwork has faded and is peeling and flaking. Both the main U/C legs have sagged significantly, but the nose leg appears to have held its height nicely.
In September 2024, RAF Honington announced that the aircraft would be replaced by a Panavia Tornado GR.4 over the coming months. Happily, however, XK526 has found a new home at formerly RAF Binbrook!
Over the past few weeks, the team at RAF Honington has folded the wings on the aircraft and moved it from the gate to another area of the site so it can be prepped before its road move to Binbrook over the coming weeks/months.
XK526 made its final flight into RAF Honington in 1980 where it was used for instructional uses under the maintenance number 8648M. Just three years later, XK526 began carrying out gate guarding duties on site and also became a memorial to those we sadly lost flying the Buccaneer at Honington. Later on, the airframe was treated to a re-sprayed with a high gloss finish, and the canopy was painted black to hide the empty voids as well as to protect the perspex from clouding up over time.
In more recent times, TLC on XK526 seems to have lacked, apart from the odd clean every few years. The paintwork has faded and is peeling and flaking. Both the main U/C legs have sagged significantly, but the nose leg appears to have held its height nicely.
In September 2024, RAF Honington announced that the aircraft would be replaced by a Panavia Tornado GR.4 over the coming months. Happily, however, XK526 has found a new home at formerly RAF Binbrook!
Over the past few weeks, the team at RAF Honington has folded the wings on the aircraft and moved it from the gate to another area of the site so it can be prepped before its road move to Binbrook over the coming weeks/months.
Information on this page current as of 20/09/2024, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XK526 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net