FAIREY GANNET - PICTURES

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FAIREY GANNET

PICTURES - GALLERY 1

FAIREY GANNET
PICTURES - GALLERY 1

[History] [Survivors & Leading Particulars] [Pictures] [References & Credits]
This page last updated on 18th March 2004

[Survivors 1] [Survivors 2] [Survivors 3]
[Gallery 1] [Gallery 2] [Cockpit] [Fuselage] [Wings] [Undercarriage]

More pictures of Gannets in service would be very welcome, please contact me if you have any you'd like to see on display here.

ADVERTISING

Fairey advert from December 1953.
I love this one - I wonder if such a flock of Gannets was ever actually seen? Ad from early 1955.
Another one, this time from 1956.
Rather surreal advert from a sheet metal company, 1958.
Nice front page advert from Rotol, 1958.

THE DEACON COLLECTION

All pictures in this section 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.

The Fairy Gannet played an important role while participating in operations against dissident tribesmen in Aden and incursions by aircraft from the Yemen during the 1960s. As well as a flight of AEW.3 early warning Gannets from 849 Squadron, each carrier operated at least one mark AS.4 for general use and communications with shore-based stations. This series of photographs was taken at RAF Khormaksar.

Seen parked outside the RAF Khormaksar Station Flight hangar in 1963 is AS.4 XA430 from HMS Ark Royal. Painted in overall black, it carries the white ensign on the nose and the acronym "FOAC" (Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers) on the tailfin. As the title might suggest, it was used as a 'taxi' to ferry high-ranking naval officers to on-shore briefings and planning meetings, but more importantly from a sailor's perspective, the collection of mail from home.
With its double-folding wings ground-locked in the upright position and it's propellers neatly aligned, AEW.3 XL496 "421", of 849 Squadron's A Flight and several Sea Vixens from HMS Centaur, await another spell on patrol in 1963.
XL498 "423", another 849 Squadron, A Flight Gannet AEW.3 assigned to HMS Centaur, is seen taxiing-in at RAF Khormaksar in 1963. Two points to note are; the pylon-mounted, Palouste-type starter that was used to start its own engines and those of the Scimitars and Sea Vixens when ashore; that the aircraft is being taxied on one of it's two Mamba engines, the pilot having stopped the other.
C Flight of 849 Squadron was operating this AEW.3, XP199 "431", from HMS Ark Royal when it was photographed at RAF Khormaksar in 1963. A visiting Canberra can be seen taxiing-out behind the Gannet's neatly aligned propellers.

AEW.3 XL502 - THE UK'S LAST FLYING GANNET

These two pictures kindly supplied by Gary Parsons and remain his copyright; if you want to use them for anything other than personal use you must contact him and get his permission. This was the last Gannet to fly in UK skies... but hopefully it will lose this title in the near future.

Taxiing at Mildenhall; the complex arrangement of aerial wires is seen to good effect here.
Also at Mildenhall, static with wings folded.

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