In 1994, Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B XV361 was put up for disposal by the Ministry of Defence and purchased by the Ulster Aviation Society.
Recorded in 1994, the video in this post shows the final flight of Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B XV361.
The Ulster Aviation Society website notes that Buccaneer XV361 was the last aircraft in a batch of 30 S.Mk.2s ordered for the Fleet Air Arm in 1966. Delivered in 1968, it flew in the strike-attack role and also operated as a tanker with 809 and 800 NAS, serving from the carriers HMS Eagle and HMS Ark Royal.
Sydenham records indicate that the aircraft arrived from Lossiemouth in February 1972 and did not fly again until May 1973, still in primer (the extended stay likely reflects its conversion to S.Mk.2B). It returned to Sydenham twice more: from January to March 1974 while based at Honington, and from February to May 1975 while at St. Athan. In 1978, the aircraft joined HMS Ark Royal for the carrier’s final operational deployment.
In November 1978, the aircraft was handed over to the RAF and flown to Bitteswell for upgrades, after which it was assigned to 15 Squadron at Laarbruch, Germany, in early 1982. The next year, it moved to 12 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth and became one of six Buccaneers sent to Cyprus in September 1983 to support UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon.
After returning in April 1984, the aircraft remained with 12 Squadron until 1986, when its airframe was modified to carry the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile. It then served with 208 Squadron for the remainder of its operational life. Shortly before the Buccaneers were retired, six aircraft were repainted in the colours of every RAF squadron that had flown the type, with XV361 receiving 15 Squadron markings.
In 1994, the aircraft was declared surplus by the Ministry of Defence and acquired by the Ulster Aviation Society (UAS). It was first flown to Aldergrove and then on to Langford Lodge in April of that year.
The “Bucc” landed at RAF Aldergrove, but moving it by road to the UAS site at nearby Langford Lodge proved impractical. Instead, the RAF crew flew it there on a record-breaking hop lasting just 92 seconds, as shown in this video, leaving the landing gear extended throughout. In 2005, the UAS relocated its collection to a former World War Two hangar at the old RAF base in Long Kesh, Lisburn, where the Buccaneer has since been one of the main attractions.
Photo by Rob Schleiffert from Holland via Wikipedia
