Scramble Messageboard

Following Newark Air Museum's recent announcement that Cockpit Fest 2021 will take place this August (lifting of Covid restrictions permitting) we are pleased to confirm that XV490 will be taking part and the BPAG will be on site to conduct cockpit tours and meet and chat about all things Phantom. E...

We have recently received a kind donation of a number of original F-4J(UK) parts from Mr Jamie White after he read about the restoration project on social media. We would like to say a big thank you to Jamie for reaching out and offering these instruments, which we believe may come from ZE360 hersel...

Today will see the 30th anniversary of ZE360`s delivery flight from RAF Wattisham to Manston where she would take on the new role as a training aid at the resident fire training school. The year was 1991 and the world`s attention was focused on Operation Desert Storm and the ongoing conflict in the ...

In addition to the parts that will be visible in the cockpits and on the exterior of our aircraft, there is also much support equipment that will be needed as the restoration projects continue. So, during summer 2020, we were fortunate to be able to buy these two items from another collector. The la...

Here’s the first lot of ‘before and after’ pics of some of the items recovered from XV411. These are a selection of bulkhead unions and fittings from the hydraulic system. It has always been our intention that our aircraft would be as functional as possible and as the Phantom was basically a flying ...

This is the Telescopic Sighting System (or TESS). Our associate Dave Gledhill has a good basic overview of it on his website-

https://www.david-gledhill.co.uk/the-phantom/tess/

As many of you will be aware, we were recently fortunate enough to be able to undertake a spares recovery process on FGR.2 XV411 before it was finally scrapped. We are very grateful to Richard Murray of Spey Bay Salvage for allowing us this opportunity, which brought up some extremely useful bits an...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50751291853_dd3505e5e9_o.jpg Good Evening everyone. We were going to wait until we’d finalised every single detail before releasing this info but after this most extraordinary year, we all need some good news. So, we can at last confirm the speculation that some ...

A kind and thoughtful recent gift from the O/C of DFTDC Manston to the BPAG was a copy of this photo from 1991, showing ZE360 being towed across the road from Manston airfield to the fire school premises. A process that almost ended in mishap if recollections are to be believed. https://live.staticf...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50667596226_3b5e9de1fd_o.jpg The BPAG are saddened to report that on 30/11/2020 the scrapman came and removed the mortal remains of FGR.2 XV411 from the grounds of the former DFDTC Manston. Unlike ZE360, which luckily avoided burning, XV411 was used in live fire ...

Many thanks BPAG, for the continuous updates. Your Phantoms bring back good memories, like the first time up close with XT597 at the Air Tattoo, or all of us wondering what the logic behind 74 Sqn's codes would be with ZE350/T, ZE351/I, ZE352/G et cetera. :mrgreen: The restoration and cleaning real...

With the work to extract ZE360 from Manston on pause due to lockdown, the ongoing process of restoration of parts still continues elsewhere. Andy Groves at JW Smart Services has once again produced another amazing transformation, this time on the nosewheel steering torque links. https://live.staticf...

Five years ago today, the British Phantom Aviation Group (in the shape of David Butterfield and Paul Wright) started work on a small touch up job at an exhibit at Newark Air Museum. We think that it came out alright in the end, if we do say so ourselves... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/5062000...

With opportunities and progress on the main work at Manston being dictated by the weather and the rules of social distancing, this may be a good time to take a look at some of the more intricate restoration tasks going on elsewhere. The instrument and electrical work is being done by our very dedica...

The new social distancing rules and a dodgy looking weather forecast meant that activity at Manston had to be downscaled for last weekend's work party. With just a small group present, any milestone moments or herculean efforts were unlikely but some good headway was still made on vital smaller task...