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KNOWN JET PROVOST T.3A SURVIVORS
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HUNTING JET PROVOST T.3A XM357 (N27357)
 
   
Jet Provost T.3 XM357 was built at Hunting Aviation's Luton factory.
It entered service with the Royal Air Force on August 31st 1959, following a short period at 5MU at Kemble where it was prepared for military service. It's first operational posting was the Central Flying School, based at RAF Little Rissington as aircraft 'R-C'.

Between 1962 and 1964 XM357 was used by numerous RAF Training Schools. In February 1962 the aircraft was transferred to 3FTS based at RAF Leeming, where it became aircraft '24'. In early 1963 it was part of 2FTS, RAF Syerston as '7', and by the end of the year it was based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse with 1FTS, carrying the code '12'.
XM357 then returned to RAF Leeming for a second spell with 3FTS in early 1964 as '16' and remained in service until June 1968 when it was flown to 27MU at RAF Shawbury for storage. The 'rest' lasted just three months as it was back at Leeming in September.

On 14th June 1973 XM357 was ferried to Warton for conversion to T.3A status, the first Jet Provost to undergo this upgrade.
It was test flown in November 1973 and was flown back to RAF Leeming and 3FTS for further service in January 1974. At the end of the year XM357 was in service with 1FTS at RAF Linton on Ouse, where it again served as aircraft '12' until mid 1976, when it was flown to Kemble for storage.

The aircraft's next confirmed posting was to RAF St Athan in 1981, where it was used as the Station 'hack'. RAF St Athan is and remains today the RAF's main aircraft maintenance base. XM357 was used to ferry the unit test pilots to the various RAF bases in the UK, so that they could pick up and ferry aircraft back to St Athan for maintenance. The aircraft was placed in store during 1983 at RAF Shawbury.
At the end of 1984 XM357 returned to RAF service, going to 1FTS at RAF Linton-On-Ouse, as aircraft '45', remaining in service until its final retirement in 1993.

XM357 was sold by tender at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in 1994, and subsequently exported to the USA.
The aircraft was registered but never licensed, and it went through several owners before being acquired by the Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum, based at Hillsboro, Oregon, in 2002. The aircraft emerged from overhaul, and first flown during the summer of 2005.
XM357 is now on display at the museum, and is available for US airshow appearances.

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