Hawker Hunter - Survivor XL580
T.8M XL580 - Fleet Air Arm Museum, (Stored), RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset
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Hunter T.8M XL580 at Yeovilton, 2nd July 2008; Richard E Flagg
XL580 was built as a T.8 and first flew on 30th May 1958, being delivered to 764 NAS two months later. During 1980 she was converted to a T.8M, which basically involved grafting a Blue Fox (Sea Harrier) radar onto the nose and adding appropriate cockpit displays so she could be used as a Sea Harrier trainer of sorts.
She was acquired by the FAA Museum on retirement and placed in storage for some time, but then went on display within the Museum's Leading Edge exhibition hall - she made a nice partner with the Sea Harrier also on display there. During much of 2007 and 2008, she disappeared back into the Cobham Hall storage facility across the road to make room for a Falklands 25 exhibition but was later put back on display. However, once the museum got ahold of a Harrier GR.9A in 2012, XL580 went straight back to Cobham Hall for storage again, and she still remains in storage today.
She was acquired by the FAA Museum on retirement and placed in storage for some time, but then went on display within the Museum's Leading Edge exhibition hall - she made a nice partner with the Sea Harrier also on display there. During much of 2007 and 2008, she disappeared back into the Cobham Hall storage facility across the road to make room for a Falklands 25 exhibition but was later put back on display. However, once the museum got ahold of a Harrier GR.9A in 2012, XL580 went straight back to Cobham Hall for storage again, and she still remains in storage today.
Information on this page current as of 15/01/2022, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XL580 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net