Warplane to be auctioned
A Hawker Hunter fighter jet is going under the hammer in a spectacular auction.
The warplane, along with the cockpit and nose cone of a Lightening, missile trolleys, and a mountain of other military hardware, is being sold off following the decision of one of the region’s largest surplus equipment companies at North Scarle, to relocate and downsize its business.
The sale of the single-seater jet, which was one of the most highly rated British fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, is attracting international interest.
Charles Moses, managing director of industrial auctioneers CJM Asset Management, said: “The Hawker Hunter is still regarded by many aficionados as the most graceful jet fighter ever to take to the skies. It was certainly quite a performer in its day, arguably capable of outperforming a Mig 17, if only slightly.
“This particular aircraft rolled off the production line in 1956 and spent its working life with the Royal Danish Air Force before being bought back by Hawker Siddeley in 1974. It then went on display at RAF Brawdy in Wales before being moved to RAF Cranwell and then on to RAF Sealand in North Wales.
“When Sealand closed during 2004-06, the aircraft was acquired by MoD surplus specialist Nigel Spurr and it has since been gracing the firm’s depot at North Scarle.
“It has a steel plinth, which means the footprint is quite small. It would fit into any half decent sized garden.
“We are expecting it to sell for around £15,000, which for a classic jet fighter aircraft in nice condition really Other collectable lots in the auction include the propeller blades for a De Havilland Devon, still in their original box, two Rolls Royce Viper jet engines that have been cut out to display their inner workings for training purposes and missile trolleys used for loading Tornados.
Mr Moses said: “It is a fairly unusual auction, even for us. The Hunter and the other collectables are obviously grabbing the attention, although in fact most of the value of the sale lies in the large amount of workshop and general surplus equipment.”
The viewing session for the sale is by appointment at North Scarle on Tuesday. The sale is an on-line auction, with bidding scheduled to end at noon on Thursday. Catalogues and bidder registration are available at www.cjmasset.com
