British Aircraft Corporation TSR2

This TSR2 nose section was built using production jigs and was intended to be used for ejection seat and air conditioning trials. After the programme's cancellation it continued in use at RAE Farnborough for thermal and materials tests in the Concorde programme, ending its days being used for birdstrike trials. These consisted of firing bird carcasses at various speeds into the windscreen area. Relegated to the Farnborough dump, she was rescued by the Brooklands Museum, cosmetically refurbished and put on display. Inspection finds it to bear only superficial resemblance to a 'real' TSR2 nose - the appearance here is much more agricultural with big rivets and structural ironwork under the floor. The cylindrical projection near the front of the nose was a mounting point for the original stand, enabling rotation to various angles for blower tunnel escape system tests. The nose was moved to Farnborough, apparently to be re-united with a radome, back in late 2010 but seems to have languished in a compound round the back ever since.

Information on this page current as of 29/08/2012

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