Hawker Hunter - Survivor WV382
GA.11 WV382 - East Midlands Aeropark, Castle Donnington, Derbyshire
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Hunter GA.11 WV382 at East Midlands Aeropark, 21st September 2023; Jake Wallace
WV382 first took to the skies in July 1955 and was delivered to the Royal Navy in 1961.
She retired to Lee-on-Solent in 1985 where she became a ground instructional airframe as A2730. After Lee-on-Solent had finished with WV382, it was disposed of as scrap in 1989 to Staravia near Birmingham. She was later sold on to the collection at Long Marston in 1995. She was found in surprisingly good condition there in the late 1990s, about the only sign of deterioration was the colour of the paintwork. However, over time WV382 became more and more derelict, and eventually, she was seen to be missing a tail, thankfully, this was the first sign of her moving on to the East Midlands Aeropark.
By 2009, the airframe had been moved to the aeropark, and reassembling began. Since her arrival, she has been restored and repainted by the volunteers, looking rather smart by 2012, but after 10 years sitting outside in the British elements, she was in need of another paint job.
Although she is looking a bit sad today, her nose seems to have been sanded down in preparation for another repaint, however, this seems to be very much a side project for as and when the volunteers have time.
She retired to Lee-on-Solent in 1985 where she became a ground instructional airframe as A2730. After Lee-on-Solent had finished with WV382, it was disposed of as scrap in 1989 to Staravia near Birmingham. She was later sold on to the collection at Long Marston in 1995. She was found in surprisingly good condition there in the late 1990s, about the only sign of deterioration was the colour of the paintwork. However, over time WV382 became more and more derelict, and eventually, she was seen to be missing a tail, thankfully, this was the first sign of her moving on to the East Midlands Aeropark.
By 2009, the airframe had been moved to the aeropark, and reassembling began. Since her arrival, she has been restored and repainted by the volunteers, looking rather smart by 2012, but after 10 years sitting outside in the British elements, she was in need of another paint job.
Although she is looking a bit sad today, her nose seems to have been sanded down in preparation for another repaint, however, this seems to be very much a side project for as and when the volunteers have time.
Information on this page current as of 25/09/2023, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of WV382 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net