Thunder & Lightnings

Fairey Gannet - Walkaround Photos - AS/T/COD/ECM variants

Contributions welcome, particularly cockpit shots.

Cockpits

Pilot's cockpit of ECM.6 XG831 at Helston; shot through the perspex unfortunately but gives you a rough idea. Pilot's instrument panel - AS.1 Pilot's port console - AS.1

Fuselage

Port nose - T.2 XA508, with engine access panels open. Port nose - T.2 XA508, with engine access panels open. Port nose - T.2 XA508 Cockpits - ECM.6 XG797. Cockpits - T.2 XA508. Note trainer had a larger bulge on this side than AS variants. Port exhaust - T.2 XA508. Port exhaust - ECM.6 XG797. Compare with AEW exhaust. Note weapons bay door hinge fairing at bottom right. Radar - AS.1 Starboard exhaust - T.2 XA508 Starboard exhaust - T.2 XA508 Starboard exhaust - T.2 XA508. As you can see it's just a long pipe! Starboard exhaust - T.2 XA508. General view - ECM.6 XG797. Starboard wing root - T.2 XA508. Note the big catapult strop attachment hook above the bomb bay door. Starboard nose - T.2 XA508, with engine access panels open. Starboard nose - T.2 XA508, with engine access panels open. Starboard nose - T.2 XA508, with access ladder open. Rear nose gear doors and bomb bay doors open too - both would normally be closed on the ground. Starboard nose - T.2 XA508, with access ladder open. General view - ECM.6 XG797. Engine intakes - T.2 XA508.

Wings

Port inner/mind wing - T.2 XA508. Two rocket rails installed - four was more common (the holes for mounting them are in between the pair fitted here). Port mid/outer wing - T.2 XA508. Note pitot probe. Port inner wingfold - ECM.6 XG797. Port outer wing - T.2 XA508. Port wing tip - T.2 XA508. Starboard wing - T.2 XA508. Rocket rail under starboard wing - T.2 XA508 (looking aft). Rocket rail under starboard wing - T.2 XA508 (looking aft). Starboard inner wing - T.2 XA508. The red circle is a visual indication to the crew that the gear is down. Starboard mid wing - T.2 XA508. Note slots for flap actuators to travel through and bulges over the actuator mechanisms. Starboard mid/inner wing - T.2 XA508. Note slots for flap actuators to travel through and bulges over the actuator mechanisms.

Undercarriage

Nose gear - T.2 XA508. Red wheel hub on port side - green on the other. Nose gear - T.2 XA508. Green wheel hub on starboard side - red on the other. Nose gear and bay - T.2 XA508. Nose gear bay - T.2 XA508. Forward edge is to the left here. The three big holes would normally have covers on them. Port main gear - T.2 XA508. Note only one main gear door - the wheel itself is left uncovered when retracted. Port main gear and bay - T.2 XA508. Note only one main gear door - the wheel itself is left uncovered when retracted. Port main gear bay - T.2 XA508. Forward edge is to the left here (we are looking inboard). Wheel bay colours varied - painted silver on unpainted aircraft (trainers); otherwise dark green or grey. Starboard main gear - T.2 XA508. Starboard main gear - T.2 XA508. Gear leg and door interior colours tended to be the same as the surrounding airframe colour e.g. silver (trainers), sky (AS) or dark blue/grey (COD). Starboard main gear - T.2 XA508. Gear leg and door interior colours tended to be the same as the surrounding airframe colour e.g. silver (trainers), sky (AS) or dark blue/grey (COD). Starboard main gear bay - T.2 XA508. Looking outboard and up (forward is left side). Starboard main gear bay - T.2 XA508. Looking inboard and up (forward is right side). Starboard main gear bay - T.2 XA508. Looking outboard and forward. Starboard main gear - T.2 XA508. Note bulge and gap in door to clear retraction strut, which is attached to the wing's lower surface.

Tail

Port tailplane/rear fuselage - T.2 XA508. Arrestor hook often rested on the ground if parked for any length of time. Port tailplane - T.2 XA508. The inverted T shaped aerial could vary in position on particular airframes. Port tailplane/rear fuselage - T.2 XA508. This particular airframe is missing the transparent cover to the tail light. Starboard tail - T.2 XA508. This particular airframe is missing the transparent cover to the tail light. Starboard tailplane - T.2 XA508. Note tailplane is not fixed - it is all-moving (automatically deals with trim changes when flaps extended). Arrestor hook - T.2 XA508. Arrestor hook often rested on the ground if parked for any length of time. Starboard tailplane - T.2 XA508. I think this should be a T-shaped aerial, and is missing the lower section (compare with port side). Starboard tailplane - T.2 XA508. Closeup of the finlets where they meet the tailplane.