Hawker Hunters in San Jose CA Last Week?

[NoSpam]

Early last week I was surprised to see a pair of vintage jet
warbirds on short final for San Jose International Airport,
SJC, here in California. They looked looked like Hawker
Hunters, but I didn't think anyone is still flying those?

Does anyone know about these aircraft that visited SJC and
what they were doing?

[Keith Willshaw]

"NoSpam" > wrote in message
...
> Early last week I was surprised to see a pair of vintage jet
> warbirds on short final for San Jose International Airport,
> SJC, here in California. They looked looked like Hawker
> Hunters, but I didn't think anyone is still flying those?
>

There are quite a lot in private hands, I know of at least one
owner in California.

Keith

[Guy Alcala]

Keith Willshaw wrote:

> "NoSpam" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Early last week I was surprised to see a pair of vintage jet
> > warbirds on short final for San Jose International Airport,
> > SJC, here in California. They looked looked like Hawker
> > Hunters, but I didn't think anyone is still flying those?
> >
>
> There are quite a lot in private hands, I know of at least one
> owner in California.

Interesting someone brought this up, as a friend of mine who's a
controller at Oakland Center was asking me on the phone tonight
which if any military might still use Hunters, as he had a flight
of four out in one of the military restricted areas off the coast
within the last week or so. I couldn't remember if anyone still
had them in service, but if they were military the only air forces
I could think of that had them (at least at one time) and could
get them here reasonably easily would be Chile or Peru. However,
if the OP saw them going into SJC, that would tend to confirm my
guess that they were most likely privately-owned and doing
contract work for either the military or a DoD contractor, like
that outfit that flies ex-Israeli A-4s. So I'd like to second
the OP's question -- does anyone know if any military is still
using them? FAC or FAP or ?

Guy

[Keith Willshaw]

"Guy Alcala" > wrote in message
. ..
> Keith Willshaw wrote:

> Interesting someone brought this up, as a friend of mine who's a
> controller at Oakland Center was asking me on the phone tonight
> which if any military might still use Hunters, as he had a flight
> of four out in one of the military restricted areas off the coast
> within the last week or so. I couldn't remember if anyone still
> had them in service, but if they were military the only air forces
> I could think of that had them (at least at one time) and could
> get them here reasonably easily would be Chile or Peru. However,
> if the OP saw them going into SJC, that would tend to confirm my
> guess that they were most likely privately-owned and doing
> contract work for either the military or a DoD contractor, like
> that outfit that flies ex-Israeli A-4s. So I'd like to second
> the OP's question -- does anyone know if any military is still
> using them? FAC or FAP or ?
>
> Guy
>

AFAIK the only military that still has Hunters on strength is Zimbabwe
and I doubt that they were involved.

there's a list of survivors at
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivors.html

[NoSpam]

Keith Willshaw wrote:
> "Guy Alcala" > wrote in message
> . ..
>
>>Keith Willshaw wrote:
>
>
>>Interesting someone brought this up, as a friend of mine who's a
>>controller at Oakland Center was asking me on the phone tonight
>>which if any military might still use Hunters, as he had a flight
>>of four out in one of the military restricted areas off the coast
>>within the last week or so. I couldn't remember if anyone still
>>had them in service, but if they were military the only air forces
>>I could think of that had them (at least at one time) and could
>>get them here reasonably easily would be Chile or Peru. However,
>>if the OP saw them going into SJC, that would tend to confirm my
>>guess that they were most likely privately-owned and doing
>>contract work for either the military or a DoD contractor, like
>>that outfit that flies ex-Israeli A-4s. So I'd like to second
>>the OP's question -- does anyone know if any military is still
>>using them? FAC or FAP or ?
>>
>>Guy
>>
>
>
> AFAIK the only military that still has Hunters on strength is Zimbabwe
> and I doubt that they were involved.
>
> there's a list of survivors at
> http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivors.html
>
>

There were two of them together, appeared to do a downwind
to base in loose formation, then separated on final with one
landing ahead of the other, suggesting these guys fly
together. They also had the same or extemely similar paint.
If they're privately owned, I guess I'd start thinking
about who owns two of them?

[Ditch]

> If they're privately owned, I guess I'd start thinking
>about who owns two of them?

There is a company (in Canada, I think) called Northern Lights aircraft that
operate Hunters on various military contracts. There is also Aerogroup in
Florida that operates a variety of aircraft including Hunters.


-John
*You are nothing until you have flown a Douglas, Lockheed, Grumman or North
American*