S.50 412 at SAAF Waterkloof, South Africa; Louis Vosloo	S.50 416 at SAAF Ysterplaat, South Africa, 1994; Louis Vosloo

Unlike certain other governments, the South Africans know a bit of history when they see it and have preserved all the Buccaneers that were left when they were finally retired! Above is 412, mounted on a plinth outside the living quarters at the Waterkloof base that was home to the Buccaneers of 24 squadron. Initially 412 was mounted with gear down, banked to one side and in a nose-down attitude. This didn't impress the ex-Buccaneer crews and it was soon changed to the more dynamic attitude it's in now! Happily despite what was previously said here, it's still in the excellent condition seen in the picture. Information current as of 04/12/2003.

416 is seen at the time of her retirement and is still wearing the colours she finished service in. She's now preserved at the SAAF base at Ysterplaat.

S.50 421 at SAAF Swartkop, South Africa; Louis Vosloo	S.50 422 at Johannesburg, 9th April 2001; Karl Eklund

Like 416, 421 is pictured at the time of her retirement and is today still in the same colours, though 421 is preserved at Swartkop. Unfortunately since this picture of 412 was taken the aircraft's condition has deteriorated. The paint is faded and the canopy discoloured and on top of that a storm collapsed a tent on top of the aircraft - now aerials are bent, pitot probe broken off and the starboard intake cowling is missing.

Here is 422 at the Saxonwold War Museum. 422 was at the latest modification status at the time of retirement in 1991 but (like 412) has been repainted in the scheme used when Buccaneers were first operated by the SAAF. Normally protected from the elements by the half-hangar you see here, this sort of protection is really a must with the bright sun in South Africa, but even so the the starboard side of the canopy, exposed to the bright sun through most of the day, is now clouding over.

NOSE/COCKPIT/OTHER SECTIONS

MDC test rig at Bruntingthorpe, March 3rd 1998; author	S.1 XK533 at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, May 1997; author

Finally, when is a Buccaneer not a Buccaneer? When it's an MDC test rig of course! This Buccaneer nose section was used in the development of the Miniature Detonating Cord system; this is the wavy line you see in the canopies of Buccaneers, Hawks, Harriers and Tornados. Basically an explosive cord that shatters the canopy just before the ejector seat fires, it makes ejection much safer as the seat no longer has to punch through the canopy. The idea was introduced by Blackburns/Hawker Siddeley and they used this rig to test the concept - judging from the shape of the end of the nose, this rig was propelled along a test track while the MDC was detonated and perhaps even seats fired through the remains of the canopy.

Hidden away in the reserve hangar at the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune is this Buccaneer forward cockpit section. Used for several years as a sit-in exhibit, it's mostly gutted with the instrument panel represented by a painted wooden panel. Finally the museum decided that it was looking a bit too tatty so they moved it here and intend to restore it. The ejector seat's a bit of a mystery - it has a Lightning serial marked on it for a start!

S.1 XN928 at Wales Air Museum, 1989; Colin Mears S1. XN928 at Manston, Summer 1999; Ian Malcolm	S.1 XN967 at Horsham St. Faith, 21st April 2007; author

Another S.1 is XN928. On display at the Wales Air Museum for many years, its paint scheme is a result of the rather unusual practices of the management of that museum - after the Gulf War, they painted it up to represent one of the Granby veterans (XW530). Previously it had been painted in a grey/green RAF scheme. Considering no Mark 1 Buccaneer had flown in either scheme, let alone taken part in the war, this was a bit odd. The museum collapsed a few years ago and Phoenix Aviation at Bruntingthorpe bought XN928. Badly corroded from many years in the open and exposure to Cardiff's sea air, she was scrapped and only the nose section was kept. Stored at Bruntingthorpe for some time, 928 was bought by a new owner, briefly stored at the Manston museum but has now moved on to the owner's home.

After retirement this aircraft was put on display at the Flambards Theme Park at Helston in Cornwall, but it was sold and scrapped shortly after the top picture was taken, with only the nose surviving. Stored for some time at the Muckleburgh Collection, one of the country's premier armoured vehicle collections, it suffered somewhat from life out of doors for many years and was looking pretty tatty. The nose was then acquired by Mick Jennings at RAF Coltishall to add to his collection of noses, and his team lost no time in stripping it and repainting it while restoring missing items including the rear ejection seat. The cockpit has been restored and with the closure of RAF Coltishall the nose moved to the City of Norwich Aviation Museum, where it is currently on display outside waiting for a purpose built hangar to go up. Information current as of 30/08/2007.

S.1 XN972 at Cosford, 17th May 2007; author	S.1 XN979 at Doncaster, 10th May 2003; Bob Lawson

Here's yet another S.1, XN962. Painted in a spurious RAF scheme, it was used as a recruitment aid for a long time, being trucked around to various airshows etc. and has several cutaway panels so you can see the internal structure. Pity it's at the RAF Museum really - it would make much more sense to repaint it in FAA colours and display it at the FAA Museum at Yeovilton. I also note with displeasure that when it was at Cosford some years ago you could look inside the cockpit for free, but when it moved to Hendon you were first charged £1.50 for the privilege, and now it's back at Cosford you cannot do so at all. Information current as of 17/05/2007.

XN979's nose is little more than a gutted shell and has a bit of a mysterious history - one story being that it is the nose of an aircraft than crashed into the sea while carrying a 'sensitive' weapon. Recovered and scrapped, the nose survived as an instructional trainer and is now owned by David Burke. Information current as of 10/05/2003.