The Duxford Aviation Society

Hawker Siddeley H.S. 121 Trident 2E G-AVFB The Trident was the first civil aircraft built specifically for automatic landings in bad weather. FB was the second Trident "E delivered to BEA in 1986, who operated it until June 1972, when it was sold to Cyprus Airways. On the ground at Nicosia airport during the Turkish invasion of Northern Cyprus in 1974, it suffered gun fire damage and remained abandoned on the ground until it was repaired and flown back to this country by British Airways. It flew the inter city shuttle services and was eventually donated to the Society in 1982, when it flew into Duxford in June of that year it had flown 22,000 hours and made 12,726 landings. In 1985 a small crew was formed to provide the nucleus of a restoration team that has varied between five and twelve members. This team initially treated the worst of the external corrosion with a combination of grinding, filling and resurfacing deep seated patches and using chemical inhibitor on the surface patches. Internal restoration later began, this involved the cabin being cleaned and repainted and the restoration of the seating to its original configuration, mains powered lighting was installed and a dehumidifier was plumbed in. The aircraft was then subject to a prolonged period of external restoration when the remaining surface corrosion was removed and the surface treated with a two part primer. This was initially carried out in the open but the aircraft was then moved into Hanger 1 for its repainting in BEA colours in 1990. Since then it has been used as one of the aircraft that the Society opened to the public but it has recently been closed to general tours and a second even more thorough internal restoration has begun.