Hawker Siddeley Nimrod - Survivor XV226
MR.2 XV226 - British Aviation Heritage, Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire
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Nimrod MR.2 XV226 at Bruntingthorpe, 14th May 2022; Jake Wallace
XV226 was the first Nimrod to be built to full MR.1 standard, and first flew on 28th June 1968. However she was retained by the manufacturer for trials and didn't actually enter service with the RAF for some years, by which time she had been converted to MR.2 standard.
XV226 made her final landing at Bruntingthorpe airfield on the 27th April 2010 to join the rest of the Cold War Collection. She performed fast taxi runs at most of the Cold War Jets open days.
In 2015, the rudder on the aircraft was broken in half by high winds. By 2017 the volunteers had removed the rest of the rudder and sent it off for repairs, however it has not yet been refitted.
In March 2020, the airfield was leased to Cox Automotive for car storage, and as they have no interest in the aircraft on site, all aviation activities had to cease. By the end of 2020, all aircraft including XV226 were relocated to two different sites on the airfield - smaller aircraft being moved next to the QRA shed and the larger aircraft crammed into a dispersal in the south-eastern part of the site. She's now hemmed in by trailers and positioned such that she can't even run her engines. The pandemic hasn't helped with restricted access for volunteers, and poor old XV226 is suffering as a result. Hopefully one day she can be released from this imprisonment.
XV226 made her final landing at Bruntingthorpe airfield on the 27th April 2010 to join the rest of the Cold War Collection. She performed fast taxi runs at most of the Cold War Jets open days.
In 2015, the rudder on the aircraft was broken in half by high winds. By 2017 the volunteers had removed the rest of the rudder and sent it off for repairs, however it has not yet been refitted.
In March 2020, the airfield was leased to Cox Automotive for car storage, and as they have no interest in the aircraft on site, all aviation activities had to cease. By the end of 2020, all aircraft including XV226 were relocated to two different sites on the airfield - smaller aircraft being moved next to the QRA shed and the larger aircraft crammed into a dispersal in the south-eastern part of the site. She's now hemmed in by trailers and positioned such that she can't even run her engines. The pandemic hasn't helped with restricted access for volunteers, and poor old XV226 is suffering as a result. Hopefully one day she can be released from this imprisonment.
Information on this page current as of 16/05/2022, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XV226 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net