Gnat fighter at 'Weald

摘要

A Folland Gnat F.1 is now under restoration with the Heritage Aircraft Trust/Gnat Display Team at North Weald and is set to become the first single-seat example of Teddy' Petter's graceful design to fly in the UK for more than half a century. The former Indian Air Force fighter, E296, is a genuine British-built machine, not a Hindustan Ajeet, the Indian development of the Gnat. The aircraft has been acquired by the Trust from Sonoma, California-based George Perez. It will be registered G-SLYR, an abbreviation of'Sabre Slayer' - the nickname the Gnat gained in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan wars when the type is thought to have been responsible for seven Canadair Sabre kills. It is hoped that E296 will be airworthy in about two years.