Hi all,
following my posting yesterday about G-APWL (the vintage glider on public display within the Airplan Flight Equipment shop located at Chancery Gate Business Park, Kidlington), Andrew Pearson mentioned that there was also a Airbus A319 fuselage located nearby off the airfield.
Unaware and Intrigued by this, I set off this morning to investigate. This airframe is at the end of Evenlode Crescent, Kidlington OX5 1RF and the aircraft is located at 51°49’39.2″N 1°18’50.9″W (51.827563, -1.314138).
The aircraft is easily seen from the public road if you go right up to the fence and look through the gate, which was shut. It is in Meridiana colours.
I didn’t see any signage giving away what this fenced off and secure looking facility is (I knew it to be something to do with HM Prison Service) and Google Maps says the National Tactical Response Group. A quick web search leads to an interesting article that shows how this aircraft might be useful to them for training.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4640881/national-tactical-response-group-prison-riot-ntrg/
There is also an article online in which a local paper captures this arriving at Kidlington from Kemble on the evening of Thursday 26th June 2014.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11305994.you-plane-ly-do-not-see-this-everyday-airbus-on-back-of-lorry-headed-to-oxford-airport/
Now the next issue was that it wasn’t easy to come up with an identity. Having seen that there were two Meridiana A319s at Kemble around that time in 2014, one of which (EI-DFA c/n 1305) went to KidZania London, Westfield Shopping Centre, I’m left thinking that this Kidlington example is EI-DEZ c/n 1283. Planebase also suggests that it could be, can anybody confirm please?
Best regards,
Grant Robinson
www.facebook.com/groups/oxfordaviationgroup