Fairey Gannet - Survivor XG831
ECM.6 XG831 - Davidstow Airfield & Cornwall at War Museum, Davidstow, Cornwall
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Gannet ECM.6 XG831 at Davidstow Airfield & Cornwall at War Museum, 7th October 2022; Jake Wallace
XG831 was delivered to the Royal Navy in May 1957, and retired to Culdrose in 1966 where she was used for ground instructional training as A2539.
The airframe was aquired by the Cornwall Aero Park at the Flambards triple theme park near Helston in May 1980. XG831 was displayed here for many years, and sadly, slowly began to deteriorate. However, the cockpits were fairly complete. The collection began to shrink, with XG831 being one of the last to leave in 2008, heading for Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum. Unfortunately, due to time and financial constraints, her wings were cut rather than dismantled for the road move. Once she arrived, she was reassembled and placed on display outside for some time, deteriorating further.
Thankfully, the museum managed to erect a new building where XG831 could go undercover. Due to the side of the airframe, her port wing was removed to allow her to squeeze as close to the side of the building as possible, allowing as much room as possible to fit all the other exhibits. As one wing was removed, she now rests on a trestle, while her port wing can be seen against the back wall behind her. She also has a very large gap in her wing from where they cut it to be able to road move her to Davidstow.
Over the years, it seems XG831 has had a couple of repaints and looks rather good as a result, and her overall condition is not bad. However, her tires could do with some air, and her propeller blades are a little corroded, with her canopies looking quite cloudy after many years of being sat out in direct sunlight. The tip of her starboard wing has also been damaged at some point. At least she is now getting a rest from the elements.
The airframe was aquired by the Cornwall Aero Park at the Flambards triple theme park near Helston in May 1980. XG831 was displayed here for many years, and sadly, slowly began to deteriorate. However, the cockpits were fairly complete. The collection began to shrink, with XG831 being one of the last to leave in 2008, heading for Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum. Unfortunately, due to time and financial constraints, her wings were cut rather than dismantled for the road move. Once she arrived, she was reassembled and placed on display outside for some time, deteriorating further.
Thankfully, the museum managed to erect a new building where XG831 could go undercover. Due to the side of the airframe, her port wing was removed to allow her to squeeze as close to the side of the building as possible, allowing as much room as possible to fit all the other exhibits. As one wing was removed, she now rests on a trestle, while her port wing can be seen against the back wall behind her. She also has a very large gap in her wing from where they cut it to be able to road move her to Davidstow.
Over the years, it seems XG831 has had a couple of repaints and looks rather good as a result, and her overall condition is not bad. However, her tires could do with some air, and her propeller blades are a little corroded, with her canopies looking quite cloudy after many years of being sat out in direct sunlight. The tip of her starboard wing has also been damaged at some point. At least she is now getting a rest from the elements.
Information on this page current as of 11/10/2022, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XG831 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net