12 FLYPAST April 2017
briefi ngs
NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE
The fi nal fl ights of QinetiQ’s Dassault/
Dornier Alpha Jets took place at
Boscombe Down on January 31.
The aircraft had been based at the
airfi eld for 18 years and were used for
pilot training. Alpha Jet ZJ646 madethe fi nal ‘sortie’ from the Wiltshire
base. The withdrawal of the type
came in the same month that the
Portuguese Air Force retired the
last of its fl eet, which had served as
trainers since 1993.
A six-ship formation took off from
Portugal’s Beja Air Base, home to
103 ‘Caracóis’ Squadron, on January
13 to mark the aircraft’s offi cial
retirement. The last ever Portuguese
Alpha Jet fl ight then took place on
the 31st. RICHARD HALL/PAULO MATAAlpha Jets bow out in
UK and Portugal
Six colourfully painted Alpha Jets fl ying in
Portugal on January 13. PAULO MATAA 2013 image of ZJ646, the last Alpha Jet to fl y
from Boscombe Down. RICHARD HALLTwo Hawker Hunter exhibits have recently
arrived at the RAF Laarbruch Museum in
Germany (also see Museums, February
issue).
Hunter T.7 XL578 and the cockpit of T.XF321 were delivered to the attraction
in January. Sqn Ldr Rod Hawkins MBE
reports that the new acquisitions will
be installed within the museum’s ‘Astra’
cinema building. They will be assembled
and restored to display condition over the
next few months.
XL578 had previously been earmarkedas a source of spares in the UK and faced
an uncertain future. It passed through the
hands of a few civilian owners and was
based for a while at Kendal in Cumbria.
Staff at Laarbruch are currently seeking a
starboard fl ap and a rudder to complete
the project. http://www.laarbruch-museum.net
Hunter duo delivered to Laarbruch museum
The aircraft are delivered to Laarbruch in
January. VIA SQN LDR ROD HAWKINSThe Polish Air Force Memorial Committee has launched a competition for an artist to
design a memorial to the Polish Air Force in Normandy. The winning structure will be
erected on the site of ‘B10’ Plumetot, an advanced landing ground used by 131 Polish
Wing, comprising 302, 308 and 317 Squadrons, shortly after the Allied invasion. Initial
proposals must be submitted by the end of April with a view to the monument being
unveiled around the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019. It will form part of a linked route
of memorials commemorating the involvement of all branches of the Polish armed forces.
http://www.polishairforcememorialcommittee.org/news-The story of Tangmere aerodrome from
1918 and the formation of the RAF is told
in a temporary exhibition to be held at the
Tangmere Military Aviation Museum in West
Sussex from March 30 until April 15. More
information on the exhibition is available
through the attraction’s website:
http://www.tangmere-museum.org.uk