Folland Gnat N8626M

GlennE.Chatfield

I took this photo of a Gnat at Boeing field in 1994;

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/094414.html

It was N8626M at the time. Does anyone have information as to what happened to this plane?

stantonite

Hi Glenn

Takes a bit of following this one - first look at this link

http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=XS

Scroll down the second column until you get to XS109 - read across and it says that this aircraft became N8626M and then N61457 which is NOT current as a Gnat

However inputting XS109 as a serial into the FAA Database brings up a Gnat

N109XS registered to the Denver Aerospace Museum

Then I found this

XS109 (N61457, soon to be N109XS) David Dulabon, Astre Air International (restoration to fly), Denver, Colorado, USA

Astre Air have a website with a 'contact us' feature (if you want to follow up)

http://www.astreair.com/index.php

Hope the logic of this makes sense !

Terry Fletcher

GlennE.Chatfield

Hi Terry,

Thanks a bunch for that response. I got a personal e-mail from Peter Nicholson, also from the U.K. and he gave me substantially the same information. Except Peter states that the number isn't N8626M (in the photo there really is no "N"), but 8626M which was a maintenance serial number as he states here:

"It is my belief that Gnat XS 109, c/n FL603, after service with 4 Flying Training School, was transferred to No.2 School of Technical Training and assigned RAF maintenance serial 8626M"

Peter then gave me the tracing to the same museum as you did. My hearty thanks to both my English cousins! (Chatfields left E. Sussex County in 1639!)

cliffordrmagee

Would anyone have a correct history on Folland GNAT FL585? It appears it was a Yellowjacket and Red Arrow under the number of 991 and made it to the states as NX1CL?

L-5jockey

Clifford, Here what I've got for Gnat mk.T1 FL585

XR991

8637M

A2709

G-BOXO

N1CL (marked NX1CL)

John

cliffordrmagee

John,

Thank you for the reply. I am working on a brief article about the aircraft to bring its status up to date.

Briefly, it is currently in Houston, Texas, USA and will be relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA as an extension of the Marine Air Museum. Another gentlemen and I just finished our flight training this weekend. Compared to our L-39's, it is quiet a performing aircraft.

Again, thank you.