P.1121 transferred from Cosford to Brooklands

I remember seeing what I thought was the P1121 air intake in a storage area at the Rolls Royce Patchway engine test area in the late seventies. The engine test site was viewable from Patchway Railway Station. From the footbridge you could see a partially covered storage area with various bits of ductwork together with this curvy air intake section with a distinctive primer and purple rivets look of real aircraft structure. It was gone by the time I was working at Rolls Royce in 87, I looked.
 
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overscan (PaulMM) said:
It was probably destroyed in materials testing at Cranfield. It was delivered there as a separate item visible in period photos, but disappears in later photos.
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I finally managed to get a copy of your book last week (and wasn't easy)!
I did notice those photographs, but is it possible those components ended up in private hands?
 
The airframes sent to Cranfield weren't intended for preservation, but for use as instructional airframes for the students. This certainly included destructive testing at times. I can't say specifically that this happened to the nosecone, but I think it is most likely.
 
overscan (PaulMM) said:
The airframes sent to Cranfield weren't intended for preservation, but for use as instructional airframes for the students. This certainly included destructive testing at times. I can't say specifically that this happened to the nosecone, but I think it is most likely.
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There is something similar near my Bordeaux homeplace - Latresne. I think they have the F1-M53 playing the same role.

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Since the P.1121's engineering-drawings still exist it would be good if new parts could be built to make the P.1121 prototype structurally completely for a proper display in a museum.
 
overscan (PaulMM) said:
The lights are new.
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They are really good at showing it in its, well, best light. Opens it right up and shows details very well, more so because the exhibition space is pretty dark (some of my photos mask this thanks to the phone camera compensating).
 
Mike Pryce said:
They are really good at showing it in its, well, best light. Opens it right up and shows details very well, more so because the exhibition space is pretty dark (some of my photos mask this thanks to the phone camera compensating).
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Yes, I took a boatload of photos in January but it was very dark and interior details were not really visible.
 
NMaude said:
So how is the book going?
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If you're asking about mine, I don't know! Hopefully some are reading it.

I think Paul is also working on an F-16/lightweight fighter-related book, which I hope sees the light of day soon.
 
Mike Pryce said:
If you're asking about mine, I don't know! Hopefully some are reading it.

I think Paul is also working on an F-16/lightweight fighter-related book, which I hope sees the light of day soon.
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I think he means an update to the P.1121 book.

I've recently been working more on the Lightweight fighter stuff.
 
A few more different angles as of September 2026

It'd be nice if they updated the sign to be factually correct
 

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