Fairey Delta 2 WG777 (the second of 2)Photographed at Cosford on 18 February 2004.
This is a single-seat, delta-winged aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon engine with an afterburner. To improve the pilot's forward view during landing, taxiing and take-off, the cockpit and nose section could be hinged downwards by ten degrees.
Fairey test-pilot Peter Twiss flew the first FD2, WG774, on its maiden flight on 6 October 1954. On the 10 March 1956 an attempt was made on the World Air Speed Record, which Twiss broke by more than 483kph (300mph). The new record was 1820kph (1132mph).
Some believe that the Dassault Mirage series of very successful delta wing fighters owed much to this design.
See also
picture #925.
Always overshadowed by its more famous sister, this, the second Fairey Delta 2, WG777 first flew on the 15 February 1956 from the Aircraft & Armaments Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down and during the 25 minute flight went supersonic. Throughout its working life WG777 was mainly used for research and trials work. On 31 May 1957, during a low-level supersonic run at 10,000ft over the Wash, WG777 reached Mach 1.15. On 18 June 1957 WG777 reached Mach 1.25 at 10,000 ft and in the following November, while involved in flights for partial glides and associated airbrake angles, drag measurements and induced drag research, Mach 1.6 was reached. In February 1961 Mach 1.64 was attained at 32,000 ft. On 8 June 1966 WG777 flew as supersonic chase aircraft for WG774 (by then rebuilt as the BAC.221) before being released from trials use after 429 flights on the 27 June 1966 with a total of just over 198 hrs of flying time on the clock.
The Avon engine was removed on the 29 November 1966, spares recovered and the airframe was then stored at R.A.E. Bedford until 8th September 1967 when WG777 was transported by road to the station museum at RAF Finningley before finally arriving at RAF Cosford in April 1973.
Picture added on 25 January 2009
