Bac JET PROVOST T.5 G-BWOF (formerly XW291)
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Developed by Hunting Percival Aircraft from it's piston Provost primary trainer of the late 1940's, the Jet Provost was built in response to a 1953 RAF requirement for a jet powered primary trainer so as to provide pupils with all through jet training. A fairly simple re-design led to the Alvis Leonides engine in the nose being replaced by an Armstrong Siddeley Viper jet of 1750 Ib thrust, and the fitting of a nosewheel undercarriage. The first often Jet Provost T.l's flew in the summer of 1954 and the type was used for trials by No. 2 Flying Training School from the summer of 1955 alongside the existing piston Provost. These trials proved that trainee pilots showed no great problems in receiving their initial training on a jet as opposed to a piston aircraft. A greater benefit was that pilots on the Jet Provost took less time to reach their solo flying stage than on the existing Provost. During 1957 and 1958 four aircraft from the Central Flying School operated the RAF's Acrobatic Team.
The success of the trials led to the RAF ordering large numbers of a developed version in 1957 - the T.3. This version had a more powerful Viper engine, improved canopy vision, tip tanks for extra fuel, shortened undercarriage and Martin-Baker ejector seats. The first of 301 RAF Jet Provost T.3's were delivered to No. 2 Flying Training School at Syerston in the summer of 1959, with the first all jet "ab initio" course being completed the following June. The T.3 was developed into the T.4 which had an even more powerful Viper, giving it a much greater rate of climb. This was of advantage to student pilots who were progressing to more advanced training as they could receive more advanced instruction at higher altitudes, and 185 T.4's were delivered to the RAF between November 1961 and the middle of 1964. During the 1960's and 1970's most of the RAF's Flying Training Schools operated their own acrobatic teams for display at Air Shows, including "The Macaws" from the College of Air Warfare, "The Poachers" from RAF Cranwell and "The Red Pelicans" from the Central Flying School.
Service use of the Jet Provost T.4 led at yet a further development - the T.5. The need for high altitude training was restricted by the fact that the T.4 was not pressurised, and so British Aircraft Corp (who had absorbed Hunting Percival) developed the new version as a private venture. The prototype flew in February 1967, and entered service with the RAF's Central flying School at Little Rissington in September 1969. 110 were delivered to the RAF, again a number of them flying with acrobatic teams during the 1970's and 1980's. The Jet Provost remained in service until the early 1990's when they were replaced by Short Tucanos.
G-BWOF was an early production T.5 built by BAC at Preston in the summer of 1969, and delivered to the RAF with serial number XW291. Initially issued to the Central Flying School at Little Rissington in the autumn of 1969, it later saw service with the RAF College at Cranwell and No. 6 Flying Training School at Finningley. On withdrawal from service in 1993 the aircraft was stored at Shawbury. It was flown to North Weald in February 1996, overhauled by McCarthy Aviation and placed on the civil register as G-BWOF. Repainted in a striking red and blue colour scheme, G-BWOF was purchased by Philip Meeson in the summer of 1997 and delivered on the 25th October to Bournemouth for hangarage in the Museum.