Yorkshire-based Jet Art Aviation (JAA) has completed the restoration of Tornado F.2 ZD899…
Known as ‘AT1’, this was the first production ADV (Air Defence Variant) Tornado and spent the majority of its ‘life’ as a trials aircraft allocated to the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment and British Aerospace at Warton. Last flown in 2004, the jet was then used as a spares source at Boscombe Down to support other Tornado test airframes…
JAA was contracted to first dismantle and extract the airframe from Boscombe Down in September 2015 and then hold it in storage before delivering and assembling it at Bury’s Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Training Centre. The Tornado formed part of a disaster training scenario with the jet installed next to a row of collapsed structures to simulate an incident where an aircraft has crashed. After two years in this role, it was transferred to JAA on the proviso that the company extracted it from the site.
In early 2023, a private client of JAA contacted the company wanting a Tornado as an addition to a private collection. The aircraft required repainting and a full cosmetic restoration after its time outside. As t…
