XV361

XV361 was the last of 30 Buccaneer S.2s ordered for the Fleet Air Arm in 1966. Delivered in 1968, it flew strike and tanker sorties with 800 and 809 Naval Air Squadrons from HMS Eagle and HMS Ark Royal. It came out of a visit to Sydenham, Belfast, in 1973 still in primer, probably converted to S.2B.

In 1978 it embarked in Ark Royal for the carrier's final cruise, then passed to the RAF that November. It joined 15 Squadron at Laarbruch in early 1982 and 12 Squadron at Lossiemouth in 1983. That September it was one of six Buccaneers sent to Cyprus in support of peacekeepers in Lebanon.

From 1986, modified to carry the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, it flew with 208 Squadron until the type retired in 1994. Near the end it was painted in 15 Squadron colours, one of six Buccaneers marking the RAF units that had flown the type.

The Ulster Aviation Society bought it from the MoD in 1994. Trees along the road from RAF Aldergrove ruled out moving it by lorry. In April 1994 an RAF crew flew it about 4 miles to Langford Lodge, wheels down, in 92 seconds.

After the Langford Lodge lease ended in 2004, it moved by road to Maze Long Kesh. Volunteers have exercised its hydraulics about every four weeks since 2002. On event days they still fold the wings, work the undercarriage and rotate the bomb door.

In Hangar 1, one of the first aircraft you see. It still holds fuel, so the cockpit is closed; systems demonstrations run on some event days.