Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/27/bargain_basement_harrier/
Man snaps up Sea Harrier on eBay
A piece of Falklands history for £10k
Posted in Bootnotes, 27th April 2007 08:59 GMT
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A Somerset man has picked up a Falklands war vintage Sea Harrier for a bargain £10,000, the Mirror reports.
Neil Banwell, 39, said: "I was 14 when the war broke out and used to watch them flying out on the news every night. I was so disappointed when they stopped flying them last year - but I couldn't believe it when I saw one on eBay so I jumped at the chance.
"It was my daughter Jess's 14th birthday and she put the bid on for me. We then went out to a barbecue and the next morning we found out we owned a Sea Harrier."
Banwell has taken delivery of ZX494 - which on 1 May 1982 with Lt Cmdr Andy Auld at the controls deposited cluster bombs on Port Stanley airfield - complete with two 30mm cannon but missing its Pegasus power plant and computer systems "due to regulations which prevent it being flown in the UK".
ZX494 is now sitting in a hangar near Banwell's home in Wedmore. He hopes to restore the aircraft, and is looking to get a second-hand engine from BAE Systems. He won't, however, have to scour car boot sales for the original ejector seat: it's still in place, minus its explosive charge.
Twenty-nine Sea Harriers served in the Falklands, with two lost to ground fire and four in accidents. They were last year taken out of service (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/29/sea_harriers_retired/) by the navy, superceded by the GR7 (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.2369) and GR9 (an upgraded model of the GR7) ground attack versions. Ultimately, the Harrier will be replaced by the Future Joint Combat Aircraft (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.289) (aka the Joint Strike Fighter), due to enter service in 2012. ®