Sea Vixen FAW2 G-Cvix "Foxy Lady" Joins RN Historic flight

[JVaughan]

So it seems Foxy Lady has been donated to the RN Historic flight based at RNAS Yeovil.

In essence making it the only airworthy carrier fighter jet flying in the UK !....

Typically though the Press have got it completely wrong ... she isnt going to the museum, she will be kept flying.

From their facebook page ...

'Foxy Lady' was gifted to the Fly Navy Heritage Trust at a presentation ceremony held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset on Tuesday 16 September 2014 at 2.00 pm.

Sea Vixen FAW2 (Fighter all Weather) G-CVIX XP924 is the last and only flying Sea Vixen in the world and in recent years she has been flown and operated by Bournemouth based DS Aviation, owned by Julian Jones, the founder of Drilling Systems, a global provider of simulation technology to the oil and gas industry.

In an exceptional act of generosity, Julian Jones donated the Sea Vixen to the Fly Navy Heritage Trust’s subsidiary company, Naval Aviation Ltd, safeguarding the future of this iconic British fighter for the benefit of the nation. After a period of winter maintenance, Sea Vixen G-CVIX will continue to fly at air shows and events around the country as a signature aircraft in the Royal Navy’s Heritage Collection.

http://www.itv.com/news/west/story/2014-09-16/last...

[Eric Mc]

Fantastic news.

[Hooli]

Eric Mc said:

Fantastic news.

I'll second that

[High flier]

Brilliant. Top man for donating it!

[hidetheelephants]

Awesome! The Vixen is a beast of a plane.

[anonymous-user]

Hopefully they will have the funds to keep it in the air. Fly Navy Heritage Trust currently have an appeal out for money to help them rebuild the Sea Fury after it's incident at Culdrose a couple of months back.

I think I am right in saying neither the FNHT or RNHF have any airworthy aircraft at the moment Haven't seen the Sea Hawk for years and the Sea Fury FB11 has been undergoing restoration work for a similar amount of time.

[ecsrobin]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

From what I've seen over the last few years the answer is not a lot. A shame really as some cracking aircraft. Haven't seen the swordfish this year at all.

[scubadude]

JVaughan said:

In essence making it the only airworthy carrier fighter jet flying in the UK !....

Might have been more useful to have given her back to the RN in that case :-)

[JVaughan]

scubadude said:

JVaughan said:

In essence making it the only airworthy carrier fighter jet flying in the UK !....

Might have been more useful to have given her back to the RN in that case :-)

Nothing to land it on for the next 4 years !

[Eric Mc]

I believe Yeovilton has a long runway.

[Hooli]

Eric Mc said:

I believe Yeovilton has a long runway.

Torpedo proof too.

[aeropilot]

While good news for spotters it wasn't such good news for the team of people that had been employed keeping the Vixen airworthy at Hurn, as they were all made redundant with the Vixen's departure.

[perdu]

aeropilot said:

While good news for spotters it wasn't such good news for the team of people that had been employed keeping the Vixen airworthy at Hurn, as they were all made redundant with the Vixen's departure.

If they are current on this historic beastie is there no way they (or at least some of them) could be taken on at Yeovilton?

[JVaughan]

that couldn't have been a very big team, on their FB page back pre-display season, they were looking for help from volunteers to help get her polished and cleaned for the display season. Im sure the decision to donate her was done with consulting the people that keep her airworthy, and besides, she is still being worked on by volunteers, so its quite probably that it will be the same people.

[Eric Mc]

aeropilot said:

While good news for spotters it wasn't such good news for the team of people that had been employed keeping the Vixen airworthy at Hurn, as they were all made redundant with the Vixen's departure.

I think you are being a bit disengenuous. Of course it's sad if people lose their jobs - but it must be important that the aircraft has been saved for the nation. And it won't be just "spotters" who will be pleased. Anybody with an ounce of interest in British aviation and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm will be pleased. Or do you consider that people with a love for British aviation heritage are all classified as "spotters".

[FourWheelDrift]

Just flown over my head, can't see any events it's due at today but it was heading in a South East direction over the Bucks/Beds border, same direction aircraft take when they going to Farnborough.

It's not on the FNHT events I linked above, but it's on here, it was at the Shuttleworth Collection Fly Navy Day today - http://britishairshows.com/british-uk-airshow-cale...

http://www.shuttleworth.org/events/flynavy/

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Sunday 5th June 14:19

[Shar2]

My old watch chief from 899 Sqn, whose colours she wears, is helping look after her at VL.

[Boatbuoy]

FourWheelDrift said:

It's not on the FNHT events I linked above, but it's on here, it was at the Shuttleworth Collection Fly Navy Day today - http://britishairshows.com/british-uk-airshow-cale...

http://www.shuttleworth.org/events/flynavy/

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Sunday 5th June 14:19

And a fine display it was too. Brilliant A/C.

[Cyder]

We were at Shuttleworth and it was fantastic display in great weather, what a gorgeous aircraft it is.

[BrettMRC]

She was practicing over the garden last week, did the validation flight on Thursday IIRC.

Sounds epic, love the way it gets thrown about.