When the invite came through from Cosford to attend the Dominie’s arrival at the museum the first thing I did was check the weather forecast and guess what, it was horrendous. We all know that forecasting doesn’t seem to be the most precise science however, so with four days still to go, I decided to confirm GAR’s attendance anyway and see what transpired. Lo and behold, come Friday morning the weather was beautiful and, despite some large areas of cloud passing through, and with rain predicted for the afternoon, there were more than enough breaks and it seemed as if the jet would probably have no issues arriving as planned.
Meeting GAR contributor Gavin Weaver at Cosford we were quite surprised to see that we would be joined only by local media for what we considered something of an auspicious occasion – the first arrival of what was the RAF’s oldest serving aircraft to a museum following its retirement. Having said that, the enthusiast community had turned out in force and as we were driven out on the airfield it became apparent that the railway bridge at Cosford Station had been temporarily inhabited by numerous photographers – some of whom were enthusiastically giving us a wave – you know who you are!
The aircraft was due at 11.30am and would be Dominie T.Mk.1 XS709. She was built by Hawker Siddeley at Hawarden in 1964 and was the first of the type to take to the air, with delivery to the RAF made on 30th March 1965. Wearing the original silver / day-glow scheme she operated with No.1 Air Navigation School at RAF Stradishall in Suffolk before transfer to the College of Air Warfare at RAF Manby and then back to 1 ANS prior to its disbandment in August 1970.
Her next home was RAF Finningley and 6 FTS (Flying Training School) and her colour scheme was changed to the red and white worn by nearly all of the RAF’s training aircraft at that time. Here she soldiered on until 1995 and received the mid-life upgrade (along with ten other aircraft) in 1992/93 while, in addition to her training duties, XS709 was even used as the display aircraft for the 1983 airshow season - the last in which a Dominie solo would perform to audiences across the UK.
When Finningley closed in September 1995 the Dominies of 6 FTS moved to RAF Cranwell and reformed within 3 FTS with the navigation element redesignated as 55(R) Squadron on 1st November 1996. Her final navex (navigation exercise) was flown on 19th January 2011 and encompassed a tour of West Wales, Haverfordwest, St Athan, Cardiff and Swansea. Held on the ground as a spare for the final retirement flypast on the 20th January she was selected for preservation in the RAF Museum and thus the flight in to Cosford, her last after nearly 50 years of life.
Arriving almost exactly on time and with beautiful blue skies overhead, XS709 made one low pass over the museum before flying a missed approach and then, with little ceremony, her final landing, taxiing off the end of Cosford’s runway to park and shut down outside Hangar 2.
Here she was greeted by museum staff to welcome the two pilots and conduct the necessary handover of the aircraft from 55(R) Squadron before ground crew began the process of putting the aircraft to bed.
She won’t remain like that for long however as, after a small amount of work to prepare the airframe, she will soon be on display for visitors to the museum to enjoy, probably within a matter of weeks.
“It was a very poignant moment for us,” said Flt Lt Andy Owen, “especially when we were sat at the end of the runway at RAF Cranwell. I think we feel we’ve all done a good job on the aircraft however and we were very proud to be flying her for the last time.”
“It’s excellent that the aircraft won’t be ending up on a scrap yard somewhere”, added his colleague Flt Lt Andy Preece, “the museum here is excellent and this really is a fitting place for her last stand.”
“We are very pleased to have received a Dominie”, added Al McLean, Curator at the RAF Museum Cosford, “it is at present the longest serving aircraft in the RAF, having been in continuous use for more than 45 years. However, its timeless design means it looks far more modern and it will be an excellent addition to the Museum's aircraft collection.”
Despite the obvious sadness everyone feels at covering the retirement of any aircraft from active duty, especially when they seem to come around as regularly as they are at the moment, we should all be glad when examples are preserved and available for the public to see. The RAF Museum is a totally appropriate location for an aircraft that has provided such sterling work and I look forward to seeing XS709 the next time I visit Cosford.
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