Blackburn Buccaneer - Survivor XV361
S.2 XV361 - Ulster Aviation Society, Long Kesh, Lisburn, Northern Ireland
 |  |  |
Buccaneer S.2 XV361 at Ulster Aviation Society, 5th March 2022; Jake Wallace
XV361 first flew in 1968 and was delivered to the Royal Navy later that year. Once the Royal Navy had finished with the Buccaneers, XV361 was then transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1978. When the Buccaneers retired, a small handful was marked up to represent different squadrons to celebrate the aircraft types service. XV361 was one of these aircraft and so the tail was resprayed with XV sqn markings applied, and any 208sqn markings painted over. The repainting of the tail seemed to be a messy job with several paint lines running down the rear of the fuselage. The aircraft then ended its flying career with 208 Sqn in 1994 and was sold by the MoD to Ulster Aviation Society.
The aircraft made its 'final landing' at RAF Aldergrove in Belfast with the plan to move XV361 by road to UAS, until somebody pointed out all the trees en-route which would mean dismantling the airframe for a road move. The decision was then made for a final flight from RAF Aldergrove to Langford Lodge, it was a record-breaking short flight of just 92 seconds! The airframe was well looked after a Langford Lodge for 10 Years but in 2004 the UAS' lease was terminated. After much effort, UAS identified a new location with a couple of stays of execution, they hung on until 2006 when XV361 was moved by road to one of the old WWII hangars at the former Long Kesh airfield (better known to many as the site of infamous Maze Prison and its "H blocks").
XV361 is in very good condition with its hydraulic systems exercised every four or so weeks (Undercarriage, wings, arrestor hook, etc.) which was first achieved in 2002 by the UAS team. The Buccaneer is one of the very first aircraft you see as you walk through the hangar doors into the museum.
The aircraft made its 'final landing' at RAF Aldergrove in Belfast with the plan to move XV361 by road to UAS, until somebody pointed out all the trees en-route which would mean dismantling the airframe for a road move. The decision was then made for a final flight from RAF Aldergrove to Langford Lodge, it was a record-breaking short flight of just 92 seconds! The airframe was well looked after a Langford Lodge for 10 Years but in 2004 the UAS' lease was terminated. After much effort, UAS identified a new location with a couple of stays of execution, they hung on until 2006 when XV361 was moved by road to one of the old WWII hangars at the former Long Kesh airfield (better known to many as the site of infamous Maze Prison and its "H blocks").
XV361 is in very good condition with its hydraulic systems exercised every four or so weeks (Undercarriage, wings, arrestor hook, etc.) which was first achieved in 2002 by the UAS team. The Buccaneer is one of the very first aircraft you see as you walk through the hangar doors into the museum.
Information on this page current as of 06/03/2022, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XV361 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net