Aircraft History

Jet Provost T.3 XM479 was built at Luton, and was delivered to the Royal Air Force in the summer of 1961. It was posted to the RAF College, Cranwell, and was given the identity '32'. It remained in service until mid-1966, when it was ferried to RAF Shawbury and put into long-term store with 27MU.In early 1973 following the closure of 27MU, XM479 was moved to RAF Kemble for a further period of storage, this time with 5MU, where it remained for the next three years.

On 9th February 1976, XM479 was ferried to Warton airfield in Lancashire, for conversion to T.3A status. One of the last aircraft to be upgraded (number 76 of 85), XM479 was test flown on 27th April 1976. Just three days later, on 30th April, the aircraft was delivered to RAF Linton-on-Ouse and immediately went into service with 1FTS, as aircraft '54'. It remained in service at the airfield for the next seventeen years, until final retirement in 1993.

Sold into civilian hands, XM479 was acquired by Global Aviation, based at the former RAF Binbrook.

Put on the civilian register as G-BVEZ in October 1993, the aircraft was returned to flying condition and operated from Sandtoft airfield during the majority of 1994.During late 1995 XM479 was acquired by the Newcastle Jet Provost Company, a consortium made up of several private pilots. Following the replacement of its UHF radios to VHF equipment it moved to its new home, Newcastle Airport, in early 1996.Still in their ownership today, XM479 is kept in excellent condition, and is one of the lowest-houred JPs in existence, thus ensuring many more years in the air.

Info from jet provost heaven
M Russell
http://www.jetprovostheaven.com/jpt3/xm479.html

More detailed history below supplied by Mick Boulanger from the UK Serials/Demobbed website http://www.ukserials.com/

XM479 Jet Provost T.3,