As another year draws to an end, were really please to 'reunite' two iconic aircraft amongst our latest products. For many enthusiasts, seeing the Red Arrows in formation with a Boeing 747 during the 2019 airshow season was a real highlight. It seems bizarre that a few years later, their wings were very much clipped, but this very limited release of new pieces captures the moment.
Those of you who've been following us for a while will know that the longest serving Red Arrows BAe Hawk T1, XX227, passed through our workshop earlier this year and its outer wing section became a coffee table! The opposite wing will almost certainly undergo similar treatment next year, along with the tailplanes - drop us a line if their of interest! As ever, we try to ensure that nothing goes to waste and have managed to produce a small number of tags and desk stands from the offcut skin.
XX227 was the longest serving Red Arrows Hawk. Built in 1979, she was among the first tranche delivered to the team on 6th February 1980. For the next 38 years, she’d wow crowds all around the globe, making the last of her 13 855 landings and 8077 hours on 16th February 2018.
She retired to RAF Cosford as an instructional airframe, training the next generation of RAF engineers, many of whom may have been inspired to join up after seeing ‘The Reds’. During that long life, XX227 underwent a number of upgrades and rebuilds; this coffee table coming from the second set of three pairs of wings fitted.
You'll also be aware that, following the controversial scrapping of the former British Airways BOAC special scheme Boeing 747, G-BYGC, and after some deliberation, we acquired a small amount of material from the aircraft. Again, following our ethos that nothing should be wasted, we have used the offcuts to produce a range of pieces that will ensure she lives on. We really wanted to make them something special and decided to use 24 carat gold leaf to highlight the iconic 'Speedbird' logo - it seemed somehow fitting for the Queen of The Skies!
We're delighted to offer these pieces exclusively to you, our members, 24 hours before they go on general sale. You'll find them on the Members' Area page https://www.aerotiques.co.uk/members-area.
We really do appreciate your continued support for what we do and would like to take this opportunity to wish you the very best for Christmas and the New Year.
STOP PRESS!
Huge thanks to all of you who purchased in the last few hours! Orders will ship early next week and you'll receive updates in due course.
We completed our fuselage section and window pane clocks too, available now in the Members' Area.
