Grumman Panther FB.Mk.1 - WF305/287, 804 Naval Air Squadron, RNAS Lossiemouth

[Knightflyer]

The allocation of a Grumman Panther aircraft to the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in 1955 occurred under the auspices of the Allied Aircraft Testing and Evaluation (AATAE) Programme.

In general, the programme, for all its intentions to provide a wide variety of aircraft from NATO and other Western nations for testing by their fellow NATO members had seen the aircraft come mostly from the United States.

This was perhaps somewhat obviously because the United States government was the most willing and able to support the Programme (note British spelling!) as an offshoot of its Mutual Aid Program (US spelling! 😊)

On hand to help introduce the Panther to his Royal Navy colleagues was Captain Eric Brown, who In January 1952 (whilst as an exchange officer at Patuxent River ) had demonstrated the steam catapult to the Americans, flying a Panther off the carrier HMS Perseus while the ship was tied up to the dock at the Philadelphia Naval Yard.

The Panther at Lossiemouth was something of a minor embarrassment to the FAA. Whilst having some similarities in performance to the Sea Hawk then being flown, the Panther was an aircraft coming to the end of its front-line service and had served during the Korean War whilst the FAA was still flying Seafires, Sea Furies and Fireflies. Whereas the Sea Hawk was still in front line service with its successor still some years off.

However, useful comparisons were made although it was really too late in its career for the Panther to have any influence on FAA tactics or aircraft developments.

The end of the Panther's time with the FAA came to an end with the outbreak of the Suez Crisis. It was firstly kept out of sight in a hanger to avoid offending any American sensibilities (and also prevent any inadvertent and incorrect reporting of U.S. involvement in any shape or form in the ongoing crisis) Once the ceasefire and withdrawal by British forces from Suez had taken place the Panther was quietly shipped back to the United States

[TomZ]

Nice!

TomZ

[Captain Canada]

Very nice. Looks right in those colours and markings. Of course,  you had me with straight wings and tip tanks !

[Wardukw]

Very nice indeed...clean ..very nice 

[Dizzyfugu]

Oh, very nice! Reminds me that I have a Hobby Boss Panther (very good kit!) somewhere that waits for an EDSG/Sky RN-style livery some day...

[McColm]

Well done 

[zenrat]

 

[Pellson]

Cool 

[NARSES2]

That's come out really well 

[Old Wombat]

 

[Weaver]

Oh nice one! 

I did an FAA Panther some time ago, but with a radically different backstory: https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=37765.msg613330#msg613330

[Knightflyer]

Oh nice one! 

I did an FAA Panther some time ago, but with a radically different backstory: https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=37765.msg613330#msg613330

Yes, my backstory was definitely a cop-out when compared with yours, but the purpose of the Allied Aircraft Testing and Evaluation (AATAE) Programme has always been to 'shoe-horn' any aircraft that I like the look of into the RAF or FAA without too much timeline disruption (ohh hark at the technobabble!) A Banshee serving with the RAF was my previous example https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=40557.msg683166#msg683166

[DogfighterZen]