FAW.2 XS576 at Duxford, 22nd April 2005; author	FAW.2 XS590 at Yeovilton, 9th June 2001; author

FAW.2 XS576 is Duxford's example, owned by the OFMC and located indoors so no worries about the weather and armed with Red Top missiles, quite unusual for a preserved example - most have either no weapons or Firestreaks instead. The aircraft is currently stored outside at Duxford while work on the new Airspace hangar extension is underway. Information current as of 22/04/2005.

XS590 here is the Fleet Air Arm Museum's example, displayed in the museum's Carrier exhibition. Most museums with Sea Vixens fold their wings to save space, and the FAAM is no exception. XS590 is in very good condition, and there are no barriers to impede close inspection. They've even been kind to model makers and both the airbrake and emergency ram air turbine are extended. XS590 served with 892 and 899 Naval Air Squadrons and presented to the museum in 1970. The aircraft flew as part of Simon's Sircus during its time with 892 NAS.

FAW(TT).2 XS587 at the Gatwick Aviation Museum, April 1st 2000; author	D.3 G-CVIX at Kemble, 15th June 2003; author

XS587 is an FAW.2 that was converted to target tug (FAW(TT).2) configuration. As a result, she carries a colourful paint scheme of white and red topsides and yellow and black striped undersides. She also has a fin flash, very rare for a Sea Vixen. Part of Peter Vallance's impressive collection, she's the only target tug Sea Vixen left so there's one reason at least to visit Vallances and help keep the local council from closing the place down. Peter runs the engines on XS587 from time to time and she can certainly shift a bit of gravel when she wants to!

Ferried in May 2000 from Swansea to its new base at Bournemouth International Airport, De Havilland Aviation succeeded in getting a Permit to Fly for the aircraft, and now operate her on the airshow circuit. Her first two seasons were blighted with poor weather and unserviceability earning her the unkind 'No-see Vixen' description, but in early 2003 she gained sponsorship from a drinks company and was repainted to match a can of Red Bull - as you can see! She has since appeared at most of the shows she's been booked for, missing only Biggin Hill due to repair work being carried out after a spot of damage was incurred at the Coventry airshow by a stowage hatch parting company with the aircraft. Let's hope the rest of the season progresses more smoothly. Information current as of 15/06/2003.

NOSE/COCKPIT/OTHER SECTIONS

Simulator at Yeovilton, 23rd September 2002; author	FAW.1 XJ476 at Southampton, 19th April 1998; author

This was never a 'real' Sea Vixen but is intead a remarkably complete and convincing procedures trainer, currently stored at the FAA Museum's Cobham Hall restoration and storage facility. The interior seems to be just about complete, and puts to shame most 'real' Sea Vixens as a result!

This nose section is from FAW.1 XJ476 and is to be found at the Southampton Hall of Aviation. Used as a sit-in exhibit, it's had a few instruments removed and some of the perspex from the canopy is gone too but otherwise it's in very good condition considering the amount of [ab]use it gets. Ex-RAF man overheard talking to his wife about the Sea Vixen - 'You can tell it's a naval aircraft, it looks a shambles. All naval aircraft do!' XJ476 was used for various weapons trials by the A&AEE, including Martel missile trials.

FAW.2 XJ575 at the Wellesbourne Wartime Museum, 16th May 1997; author	FAW.2 XJ579 at Baginton, 14th January 2001; author

The small museum at Wellesbourne Mountford includes this Sea Vixen nose, usually displayed with the radome and cockpits opened up. XJ575 is undergoing active restoration, with the observer's cockpit being worked on at the moment. Without the funds for a building to house their exhibits, the museum has chosen an elegant solution to keeping the Sea Vixen and their Vampire out of the weather; they've erected canopies over them. Keeps most of the rain out and protects them from the heat of the sun during the summer! The SAH on the nose stands for School of Aircraft Handling - now the School of Flight Deck Operations at RNAS Culdrose; when this Sea Vixen was still a complete aircraft it was used to train naval personnel how to move aircraft around in the cramped confines of an aircraft carrier deck, having been retired from service with 766 NAS (She was later shot to pieces on a firing range, with the nose section saved). With the advent of the Invincible class mini-carriers (sorry, 'through-deck cruisers') ex-RAF Gnats (and later, Harriers) replaced the various airframes used for this type of training.

XJ579 served with 766 and 899 NAS, then went to DTEO Llanbedr. She was later transferred to the A&AEE and finally ended up in store at Farnborough, where she was scrapped and stripped for spare parts, the nose section going to the Midland Air Museum. Restored to superb condition, the nose has recently had the shark's mouth marking added and the museum intend to open her up for visitors to sit in soon.

FAW.2 XJ607 at Caloundra; James Wing/Queensland Air Museum	FAW.2 XN647 at Bruntingthorpe, 4th January 2003; author

The Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra is home not only to the only full example of a Sea Vixen in the Southern hemisphere, it also has the only Sea Vixen nose down there! XJ607 looks to be in excellent condition though I don't know what it's like internally. XJ607 first flew in 1960 as an FAW.1 and served with 893, 890 and 899 NAS before conversion to FAW.2 standard. After that it was service with 893, 892, 766 and finally 890 NAS before retirement to ground instructional duties at RAF Cranwell in 1971. By 1980 she had moved to Cosford and was disposed of in poor condition in 1987. After some attempts at restoration the airframe was finally scrapped in 1996, with QAM purchasing the nose section and transporting it to Australia in 1997, intending to use it for spares for their full Sea Vixen. However they had a change of heart and instead restored it for use as a travelling exhibit to help promote the Museum. Information current as of 21/05/2005.

This is XN647, another FAW.2, which was hidden away in the Flambards Theme Park near Helston in Cornwall. Once proudly called the Cornwall Aero Park, the collection of aircraft here has shrunk over the years and as predicted, XN647 has now departed - sadly, in bits. The tailbooms were scrapped on-site and the remainder of the aircraft went to Bruntingthorpe. Corrosion was apparently too widespread to justify saving the complete aircraft but the nose section has been preserved and already bought by a new owner, but so far he's failed to move it from Bruntingthorpe. The remainder of the aircraft will provide some spares for Brunty's other Vixen (XJ494), in particular the wings will be used to replace those on XJ494, as they are in better condition than the originals.