Buccaneer c/n question

[ehusmann]

Within the range of construction numbers of the Blackburn Buccaneer there seems to be one anomaly. The RN (later RAF) Bucc XN983 is mostly given as being B3-11-64. Scrapped in the late nineties (only the nose may still be alive).
However, this same construction number is given for the last of the South African Buccaneers, the 426. The 16 numbers for them are mostly reported to be:
411 to 415 as B3-11-63 to B3-15-63
416 to 426 as B3-01-64 to B3-11-64

So B3-11-64 is quoted double, while B3-10-63 seems not to exist.
Question is, is the XN983 really the B3-10-63, or should all the South Africans be offset with 1?
Or any other possibility of course...

Scramble Database also gives the above supposedly incorrect situation.

Erwin

[ehusmann]

To answer my own question, though I would still appreciate any further info from anyone in the know, it seems XN983 is really B3-10-63 and not B3-11-64. Listed as such on blackburn-buccaneer.co.uk and britishaviation-ptp.com.

Erwin

[mikebursell]

Erwin,

Sadly I do not have a complete and definitive list of Buccaneer fuselage numbers, but I can at least clarify that there issues with most/all published lists. Both the Scramble list and the British Aviation-ptp list that you quote are effectively based on the premise that the fuselage numbers were allocated to align with serial number blocks. I contend that the numbers align more correctly with production sequence. Take for example:-

British Aviation-ptp 
XN974 - XN983  B3-01-63 to B3-10-63

Scramble
XN974 - XN983 B3-01-63 to B3-09-63 and B3-11-64

The production sequence was:-

XN974 Buccaneer S2 1 B3-1-63
XN975 Buccaneer S2 2 B3-2-63
XN976 Buccaneer S2 3 B3-3-63
XN977 Buccaneer S2 4 B3-4-63
XN978 Buccaneer S2 5 B3-5-63
411 Buccaneer S50 6
XN979 Buccaneer S2 7 B3-7-63
XN980 Buccaneer S2 8 B3-8-63
XN981 Buccaneer S2 9 B3-9-63
XN982 Buccaneer S2 10

The plates for XN977 and XN981 have been verified by an impeccable source, the others shown above have not been. Nevertheless, one can draw 2 conclusions:-

1) The serial to c/n tie-ups in the Scramble and British Aviation lists for these aircraft do not align with what has been read off the plates.
2) The quoted c/ns for the SAAF aircraft (always problematical) look suspect given that from the information above one could conclude that it was much more likely to be B3-6-63 than B3-11-63.
3) One SAAF aircraft that has been positively identified is 421 - as B3-11-65. This blows a further hole in the quoted lists.

Anyone got other confirmed tie-ups to contribute? The other two extant SAAF aircraft would be handy!

Cheers,

Mike

[Numbercruncher]

Hi Mike,

Interesting information. Could you (or anyone else) specify a location where the construction number plate(s) is/are located? That might help anyone with access to these airframes.

Thanks!

Regards,

Robert W

[Gerard]

Here you go: http://wiki.scramble.nl/index.php/CN_Lo ... #Blackburn


Regards,
Gerard

[Wrecks]

The issue might not only be with the mentioned XN-range but also with others.
I checked the mentioned c/n plate of the XX893 at Wernigerode and this had B3-1-74.
B3-1-74 is reported as belonging to XX892.
(Could be the a/c at Wernigerode is indeed XX892)

Note: XN983 has B3-10-63 acc to
http://www.blackburn-buccaneer.co.uk/S2 ... XN983.html

[patrick dirksen]

I checked the c/n of XX892 in Scotland a few years ago, and also found this was not corresponding the number given in databases. Back then there was no reply when I posted this, but now the check at Wernigerode confirms this. I should look it up to be certain, but if I remember it was indeed 1 higher or lower than expected, so that fits with the Wernigerode one.