Hawker Hunter - Survivor WT612
F.1 WT612 - RAF Henlow (gate guard), Bedfordshire
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Hunter F.1 WT612 at RAF Henlow, 13th November 2024; Damien Burke
The oldest Hunter gate guard in existence is Henlow's F.1 WT612. First flying in July 1954, she was actually one of the development aircraft and as a result didn't exactly have a long career, being grounded in 1957.
She then spent the years until 1984 as a ground instructional airframe, being gutted internally in the process, after which she was rescued and placed on the gate at Henlow. WT612 was looking somewhat faded and tired when I first visited in 2002, but I'm told she's structurally sound, and in early 2004 she was moved to RAF Wittering for a complete repaint (alas, lacking most stencilling), before being returned to gate guard duties at Henlow.
In 2020 my visit found that her green paint has turned a little brown, but she generally still looked OK despite the clouded canopy quarter panels. With RAF Henlow slated for closure in 2026 (the airfield itself has already ceased activities), WT612 will no doubt come up for disposal sometime soon. A more recent visit in 2024 found the paintwork suffering badly, with the lacquer layer peeling in many places.
She then spent the years until 1984 as a ground instructional airframe, being gutted internally in the process, after which she was rescued and placed on the gate at Henlow. WT612 was looking somewhat faded and tired when I first visited in 2002, but I'm told she's structurally sound, and in early 2004 she was moved to RAF Wittering for a complete repaint (alas, lacking most stencilling), before being returned to gate guard duties at Henlow.
In 2020 my visit found that her green paint has turned a little brown, but she generally still looked OK despite the clouded canopy quarter panels. With RAF Henlow slated for closure in 2026 (the airfield itself has already ceased activities), WT612 will no doubt come up for disposal sometime soon. A more recent visit in 2024 found the paintwork suffering badly, with the lacquer layer peeling in many places.
Information on this page current as of 02/01/2025, last updated by Damien |
Find other photos of WT612 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net