to - Jet Art Aviation

FROM THE WORKSHOP JET ART AVIATION
nests,” says Chris. “It actually had
its own little eco-system going on
inside. The older nests had rotted
down to soil and things had started
to grow. Once we got the access
panels off underneath, they were
coated in about two inches
of dirt, grot and twigs.”
Unique
airframe
The final plan for
the Swift, other
than finishing it to
look exactly as it did
when it made its final
flight, has yet to be decided.
Chris has sourced a photograph
of the machine during its time at
Hatfield, where it appeared to have
a red nose cone, a grey and green
camouflage scheme on the top
surfaces and silver underneath.
The fuselage is currently without
colour having been paint stripped
to bare metal, though a coat of blue
Inside the Swift’s cockpit.
Supermarine Swift F.4 WK275.
This important machine is
currently a long-term restoration
project at JAA, nestling alongside a
Harrier GR.3 and a Lockheed F-104G
Starfighter, the latter finished and
awaiting transportation. The Swift
has been entrusted to the company
by a private owner, based in York.
The gentleman in question had first
visited Chris in late 2011, to discuss
buying an ejector seat from him.
“When I arrived and saw what
Jet Art Aviation was capable
WK275 - a potted history
Supermarine Swift F.4 WK275 first flew in May 1955 in the capable hands of test pilot Peter Thorn. Years later, Peter would
describe ’275 as being among his top ten aircraft of the hundred or so that he tested. Upon acceptance, it was largely
used for development work and was never commissioned for military service.
It was principally used in trials to address the problem of the Swift’s reheat not functioning at high altitude. As a result
of these trials, Supermarine introduced the FR.5, some of which were converted F.4s. While the reheat issue meant that
only nine F.4s were ever built, they were renowned for their speed. At the controls of F.4 WK198, Cdr Mike Lithgow set a
new world speed record of 737.7mph (1,187km/h) on September 26, 1953.
WK275 ended its days of service with de Havilland at Hatfield, Herts, where it was used to test noise emissions from jet
engines. It was then purchased by Percy Sheppard who placed it outside his company headquarters in 1965. Here it
remained until 2012 when it was acquired by its current owner.
“It would be worth more if we broke it into bits, but we’re
determined not to do that. It would be sacrilege”
of, I was so impressed that my
focus switched from a seat to
a full airframe,” he says. “I was
surfing various social media
websites when I found out that
Sheppards Surplus of Leominster
were looking to sell their Swift, an
aircraft that had sat outside for
about four decades.
“Having been over to speak to
them in March 2012, and having
seen the Rolls-Royce logo still
visible on the Avon engine, I
quickly came to the conclusion
that it was worth saving.
“My father worked for Avro in
the 1960s and also on the Blue
Steel missile, so I learned a lot
about things like metal fatigue
from him. I believed it was in good
enough condition to be saved,
and it has transpired that it is
actually better than we thought. I
contacted Chris again to ask if he
would be interested in helping to
move the aircraft and then restore
it, and thankfully he said yes.”
Time capsule
“Moving it alone was quite an
interesting experience,” Chris
recalls. “It was hard to get it
disassembled because it had
been parked outside for so long,
mounted in the air on stone pillars,
and the wing bolts took some
shifting.
“We felt we were very much
delving into the unknown as we
couldn’t find anyone that had
worked on a Swift. We took three
days to dismantle and remove
it, but the overall condition was
far better than we had expected.
The main thing is that it has been
saved – it has not been chopped
up. It could have just ended up as
a cockpit for someone.”
The restoration of the Swift,
which is being led by aircraft and
component restoration
expert Naylan Moore, will
be fitted around JAA’s
other projects. “Normally
we only work on one
aircraft at a time, but
this one is different,”
says Chris. “It is unique
and deserves to be
preserved correctly. It
should take a couple
of years, but if it takes
longer, so be it. The
important thing
is that it’s done
properly.”
One of the first
problems to be tackled
was actually opening the
cockpit, which had been sealed
shut many years ago. It took three
men an entire Friday afternoon to
get inside.
“We eventually uncovered about
40 years’ worth of dead birds and
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