Hartlepool College of Further Education
BAC Jet Provost T5
Ex-Royal Air Force Training Jets XW309 and XW404
In the 1950s the Royal Air Force issued a requirement for a dedicated aircraft to train pilots who would be flying a new and ever-advancing generation of jet fighters. The Hunting Percival company, later to become part of the Government-merged British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), developed the Jet Provost from its piston-engined basic trainer the Percival Provost. The resulting design was responsive, reliable and inexpensive, and Jet Provosts were operated by the RAF in a training role from 1955 to 1993. Our two examples are T.5s, a mark introduced in 1967 and the first Jet Provost model to feature a pressurised cockpit.
Prototype XD674
BAC Strikemaster
Luck of the Draw
On 26 June 1954, the prototype Jet Provost XD674 made its maiden flight from the factory at Luton Airport, flown by Dick Wheldon. It was the first of 741 aircraft built in total across a range of marks and variants, including machinegun armed versions for export designated the T51, T52 and T55.
The BAC 167 Strikemaster is essentially a heavily armed version of the Jet Provost T5, modified with an up-rated engine, wing hardpoints, a strengthened airframe and other combat-ready features. First flown in 1967, the Strikemaster’s excellent low-speed characteristics made it a superb counter-insurgency aircraft.
Jet Provosts were withdrawn from RAF service in the early 1990s and replaced by turboprop Short Tucanos. Many have since been scrapped or left to decay, while others, like XW309 and XW404, have been luckier and found a new lease of life.
Hartlepool College of Further Education
Westland Gazelle AH.1 British Army Lightweight Utility Helicopter
The Gazelle is a five-seat light helicopter that was used widely for training, observation and general transport duties by the British Armed Forces. Fondly referred to as the “whistling chicken leg”, it was designed in the late 1960s by Aérospatiale in France and manufactured under licence by Westland Aircraft. The innovative helicopter was the first to carry a Fenestron (or fantail), which allowed considerable noise reduction. Also, the rotor blades were made of composite materials, a feature now used widely in modern helicopters. The Gazelle has seen active service in the Falkland Islands, Kuwait, Iraq, Kosovo and also for air patrols in Northern Ireland.
Precision Response
A Gazelle with Teeth
Movie Star
The Gazelle’s agility led to the adoption of the HT2 (Fleet Air Arm) variant by the Royal Navy’s helicopter aerobatic display team The Sharks. Formed in 1975 of Instructors from 705 Squadron, the team operated until 1992, performing aweinspiring displays in machines painted with a distinctive red livery.
British Gazelles were only armed when used in the Falklands, where they were fitted with machine guns and rocket pods, but these were never used. However, Gazelles have seen extensive action with other nations, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, where they have built up a reputation for toughness and accuracy.
A Gazelle formed the basis of the fictional police super-helicopter Blue Thunder in the 1983 film of the same name (the tail is a dead giveaway). Many of the thenfanciful systems on board, such as voice control and helmet-led targetting, are now very real technologies.