Thunder & Lightnings

de Havilland Sea Vixen - Photo Gallery

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Dramatic de Havilland advert from 1957 - would love to see the original painting for this one! XJ474 starring in a dH ad from 1958. Royal Navy recruitment advert from 1960. Royal Navy recruitment advert from 1963 - the 1957 advert for real!

Sea Vixen Selection

DH.110 WG236, Hatfield, 27th September 1951. DH.110 WG240 at Farnborough, 1953. DH.110 XF828 at Farnborough, 1953. FAW.1 XJ576 '488' of 899 NAS, RNAS Yeovilton FAW.1 XN696 '488' of 899 NAS, RNAS Yeovilton, 1964

D.3 XP924 - RAE Llanbedr

These pictures are all of D.3 XP924 when she was operating out of RAE Llanbedr in 1990/1991. The pictures were taken from from a BAe Hawk flown by OC Flying Sepp Pauli), an ex Luftwaffe F-4 and F-104 pilot, and in these shots, the Sea Vixen was flown by Chris Laidlaw Bell, who very kindly contributed these shots. Contact Chris if you wish to use these pictures for anything other than personal use.

Closing up on the Hawk with airbrake extended. Gear and arrestor hook down - showing off the naval ancestry! Gear and arrestor hook down - showing off the naval ancestry! A particularly nice shot showing off that high-vis colour scheme to perfection. Banking gently by the coast of mid-Wales. A bit of formation practice along the Lleyn peninsula. I'm guessing this is the gap between Wales and Anglesey - unless someone knows different? Another shot with everything hanging loose. Looking up through the Hawk's canopy for a superb and very atmospheric shot. Time to go home. XP924 on the ground. Our intrepid Hawk pilot Sepp Pauli and the aircraft he <em>really</em> wanted to be in :-)

The Deacon Collection

These pictures were kindly donated by Ray Deacon. They are for your personal use only and may not be reproduced or redistributed in any form. Ray has a sizeable collection of photos of aircraft, taken throughout his service in the RAF and available for publication - contact him for details.

To provide relief for the Aden-based Hunter squadrons operating the arduous dawn-till-dusk patrols along the Yemeni border, the Royal Navy periodically provided cover from one of its five aircraft carriers whenever they passed through the Suez Canal. Together with the Scimitar and subsequently the Buccaneer, the Sea Vixen undertook a major share of these sorties. To identify an aircraft's mother-ship, a single-letter code was applied to the tailfin, these codes being; C=Centaur, E=Eagle, H=Hermes, R=Ark Royal, V=Victorious.

This view of 893 NAS FAW.1 XJ611 '466', was taken from the bridge of HMS Centaur while at rest in Aden Harbour in March 1963. The gaping hole in the bottom right was normally filled by the aircraft lift when not in use. Taken on the same day, this shot on Centaur's deck depicts 893 NAS FAW.1 XN654 '464', probably undergoing maintenance in the cockpit area as the canopy had been removed. Note that an arrester-wire was in position even though the ship was in harbour at the time - just another hazard for the inattentive matelot! After a few-days in Aden harbour, the visiting carrier would take up station in the Red Sea, from where its front-line squadron and several Gannet AEW.3s would be dispatched to RAF Khormaksar, ready for the border operations. In this view, Sea Vixen FAW.1 XN694 '467', taxies along the peri-track with wings already folded. Another carrier to pass through Aden in 1963 was HMS Hermes and one of 892 NAS' FAW.1s, XN691 '219', is seen taxiing-out at RAF Khormaksar for a sortie along the Yemen border. Three years later and XN691 is captured once again this time immediately following its conversion to FAW.2 standard. The occasion was the RNAS Brawdy Air Day in August 1966. The mark 2 Sea Vixen was easily distinguished from the mark 1 by the extended overwing fuel tanks and Red Top missiles in place of the Firestreaks when carried.

The Eacott Collection

All these pictures are kindly supplied by John Eacott from his collection taken during his time in the Fleet Air Arm. If you want to use them for anything other than personal use, contact John.

Three Sea Vixen FAW.2s (XP922 and XN655 closest to the camera) parked on HMS Eagle's deck along with a COD Gannet while a Buccaneer is readied for launch, all viewed from the port arrestor reeves. FAW.2 '131' launches from HMS Eagle's bow catapult. Damage caused to 899 NAS FAW.2 '121' after it had to take the barrier on landing, some time in 1970. A loud and low flypast over HMS Eagle from a pair of Vixens during a firepower demonstration. The final cruise. 899 NAS prepare to disembark; assorted shark mouth schemes plus the disgraceful 'flower power' decoration given to poor old '136' (even the code has been repainted in pink!). FAW.2 XN684 '124' prepares for her final launch from HMS Eagle; the crew's opinion of the chances of keeping the Vixens in service is obvious, but take a close look at the roundel underneath the starboard wing too; seems the RAAF have been calling...