Pilot 'delighted' as fighter jet lands at new home

A pilot who was part of the Royal Air Force's "Top Gun" says it is a coup that a fighter jet which helped eliminate enemy planes has been saved from scrap.

A Hawk T1, which was held in reserve for the Red Arrows, is now on permanent display at the North East Land, Sea and Air Museum in Washington, Sunderland.

It was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Lord Lieutenant Lucy Winskell, past and present service men and women, and museum volunteers on Tuesday.

"It's an absolutely win for the museum and locality that we can show this aircraft to the public," said former RAF pilot Richard Pargeter.

He flew the Hawk T1 with the now-disbanded 100 Squadron, which was responsible for training fighters against potential enemies.

The aircraft, which was capable of exceeding 550 knots (632mph), was built in 1979 and based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.

Its last flight took place in 2017 before it was placed into storage, where it faced being stripped for parts, until it was offered to museum bosses.

"It would have gone back as spares for the Reds [Red Arrows] for the foreseeable future," Mr Pargeter told the BBC.

"It means a huge amount, my love for this aircraft is undying, she's just a beautiful aircraft and I'm absolutely delighted."

The jet was disassembled before being transported by road, and reassembled at the Wearside museum over the weekend.

Museum chair David Charles said it was a "significant" moment for the museum, as it "really puts us on the map".

Despite existing on the former site of Sunderland Airport for nearly 50 years, not everybody was aware of the museum, he said.

Mr Charles said: "When we knew they [Hawk T1 model] were being retired, we said one of them needs to come home.

"The RAF took the fuselage off the wing, we collected it and put it back together, it was a giant Lego kit."

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