Hunter down, pilot OK

[MartG]

A Hawker Hunter has crashed in the US, pilot ejected. Details in the article:

http://theaviationgeekclub.com/atac-hawker-hunter-...

[SVX]

I'm just up the road in Santa Clara at present, sad news to hear of another Hunter hull loss, glad the pilot made a successful ejection.

[RoverP6B]

Not another one! What chance it being recovered so they can at least diagnose the failure, if not restore it?

[mybrainhurts]

Hunters cost £100,000 in the 50s

Six were lost in bad visibility in 1956.

[Dr Jekyll]

mybrainhurts said:

Hunters cost £100,000 in the 50s

Six were lost in bad visibility in 1956.

1956 military aircraft losses

http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm

[hairyben]

Sad news. Never quite appreciated it at the time but I got to see a lot of interesting things fly at RIATs as a teenager in the 90s, today seems so much more... homogenous

Out of interest whats the advantage of using quite an old jet in a role like this, over a newer say trainer jet, which must much be much cheaper to operate?

[FourWheelDrift]

Lots of Hunters still around, airworthy ones selling for between £15k (for one undergoing a big maintenance job) to £250k for Hunter "Miss Demeanour".

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/sur...

[mybrainhurts]

Dr Jekyll said:

mybrainhurts said:

Hunters cost £100,000 in the 50s

Six were lost in bad visibility in 1956.

1956 military aircraft losses

http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm

Blimey...fell like flies.

[Dr Jekyll]

hairyben said:

Sad news. Never quite appreciated it at the time but I got to see a lot of interesting things fly at RIATs as a teenager in the 90s, today seems so much more... homogenous

Out of interest whats the advantage of using quite an old jet in a role like this, over a newer say trainer jet, which must much be much cheaper to operate?

The old ones are actually cheaper to operate taking into account purchase price.

The Hunter's etc are operated by private firms that provide them to whoever needs them at the time, and of course a few hundred grand (if that) to buy an old jet is preferably to millions for something new, if the new ones are for sale to civilians at all.

Mind you, a UK company has an F4 Phantom and a Sukhoi SU22 available, don't know what the costs would be like on those.

[RoverP6B]

Miss Demeanour has been failing to sell at 250k for 3 years. I'm afraid Jonathon Whaley has an inflated idea of his aeroplane's value, even if it does come with such a vast pile of spares that it includes a whole donor Hunter...

Hawker Hunter Aviation at Scampton have a Su-22, a Phantom (J-79 powered, not one of ours) and a Buccaneer, but none of them ever fly AFAIK. Mark Hanna was trying to do something similar with his old Phantom FGR.2, but the CAA shut him down when they came out with the edict about civvies operating supersonic/reheated/complex types.

[StephenP]

RoverP6B said:

Hawker Hunter Aviation at Scampton have a Su-22, a Phantom (J-79 powered, not one of ours) and a Buccaneer, but none of them ever fly AFAIK.

My understanding from when I spoke to them a few years ago was that they got them in case they won a contract that requires their particular capabilities but that they won't fly otherwise.

[RoverP6B]

How are they supposed to keep them in operational condition (or indeed have pilots with adequate currency!) without flying them? It would make sense to market their capabilities at a few airshows... and with no sign of a contract being put out that exceeds the considerable capabilities of the Hunter...

[StephenP]

RoverP6B said:

How are they supposed to keep them in operational condition (or indeed have pilots with adequate currency!) without flying them? It would make sense to market their capabilities at a few airshows... and with no sign of a contract being put out that exceeds the considerable capabilities of the Hunter...

I'm guessing it makes sense to them