On Tue, 25 May 2010 18:07:09 +0100, D. St-Sanvain wrote
(in article ):

A joke, with a Vampire ?
Twin-tailed, it helps ; and the shape of the engine, behind the
cockpit.

12HS could be a fake registration, based upon a French codification
system ?
HS = Hors-service (FR) = Unserviceable

May be a dark navy-blue scheme ? A SNCASE Aquilon, perhaps, but no wing
fences, not sure...

Not a Vampire, not an Aquilon.

I "give my tongue to the cat"

Ah, you were so close, so very close - and then you gave up.

It was, as you say, a joke.

The 'aircraft' was shown at an open day at Royal Naval Air Station Abbotsinch
(near Glasgow) in 1961 where it was described as the Royal Navy's "new secret
weapon".

It combined the front end and modified wings of a Sea Venom (so not really an
Aquilon) with the tail of two Gannets, together with various other parts
which were lying around.

RNAS Abbotsinch was, at the time, used as an aircraft storage facility so
there would have been plenty of spare parts to play with.

I like the HS theory - I suppose it's possible Aquilons were sent to
Abbotsinch for disposal. It's also possible the HS comes from HMS
Sanderling, the name given to the RNAS base.

So very close...