Hawker Sea Hawk - Survivor XE340
FGA.6 XE340 - Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset
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Sea Hawk FGA.6 XE340 at Fleet Air Arm Museum, 8th June 2017; Richard E Flagg
This is the second Sea Hawk to carry the number "131" with 802 Squadron RNAS, the first being lost by fire on take-off from HMS Albion in late 1956. XE340 flew with 802 Squadron from 1957 aboard HMS Ark Royal with the CO as pilot. On disposal it went to the now defunct Strathallan Museum and then to the RN Air Station at Montrose. The fuselage was almost complete with the exception of the cannon packs but the cockpit, which was opened (weather permitting) for display, has no instrument panel and one of the side screens is badly cracked - unfortunately many items were stolen between the time the Strathallan Museum closed and the Montrose Museum got hold of it.
The Museum obtained a quantity of replacement items with a view to repainting and refurbishing the aircraft, and they intend to construct a storage building on site where XE340 and other aircraft at the museum can be worked on. The limiting factor, as usual, being time and money.
In 2009, XE340 was then road moved to the Fleet Air Arm Museum for outside storage and sadly it hasn't moved since with the result today now looking incredibly sad and unloved, the aircraft is in need of some much needed TLC which it can hopefully get in the future. In the photo above, you can see where about one of the side screens had been cracked which has now been covered in tape to prevent any water getting in.
The Museum obtained a quantity of replacement items with a view to repainting and refurbishing the aircraft, and they intend to construct a storage building on site where XE340 and other aircraft at the museum can be worked on. The limiting factor, as usual, being time and money.
In 2009, XE340 was then road moved to the Fleet Air Arm Museum for outside storage and sadly it hasn't moved since with the result today now looking incredibly sad and unloved, the aircraft is in need of some much needed TLC which it can hopefully get in the future. In the photo above, you can see where about one of the side screens had been cracked which has now been covered in tape to prevent any water getting in.
Information on this page current as of 14/06/2021, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XE340 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net