Unlike the Jet Provost, which was made between 1955 -1967 and is mostly retired, the Strikemaster , which was produced between 1967-1984, is still in service with 5 countries. The Strikemaster on display at Blackpool is in the Sultan of Oman's Air Force colour scheme.
The BAC 167 Strikemaster is a training and light attack aircraft, powered by a Rolls-Royce Viper turbo jet giving it a top speed of 481 mph (418 knots) at 18,000 ft.
It's a highly manoeuvrable aircraft, and perfect for smoke displays.
Although the Strikemaster is an advanced trainer, it was capable of operating from rough air strips with dual ejection seats suitable for low altitude escape, which made it ideal for use by some third-world nations. However, following the discovery by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, of fatigue cracking in the wings of their aircraft , military use was restricted.
The Strikemaster on display is maintained by North Wales Military Aviation Services who have become specialists in overcoming obsolescence in ex-military aircraft, and have produced many spare parts for a several aircraft types.
Even though it's getting a little long in the tooth in comparison to some of it's contemporary's , its still a great looking aircraft.
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