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Another shot of 93 Sqn Sabre F.4 XB812 U on display upside down in the RAF Museum at Cosford.   XB812 was part of a batch of 370 Canadair Sabre F.4s allocated to the RAF on 14Oct52.   First flight 16Apr53 at Cartierville, Montreal with RCAF serial number 19666.   Flown to 5MU Kemble on 3Jun53 for application of a camouflage finish to the natural metal along with acceptance tests and the modification of the navigation equipment.   Joined 112 Sqn at Bruggen on 29Jan54.   Arrived on 93 Sqn on Tue 11 May 1954 and was passed to 33 MU Lyneham when the Squadron UEs were reduced on Wed 1 Jun 1955.   It has been pointed out that in the museum it has fixed leading edge slats whereas during its time on 93 Sqn, like all 93 Sqn Sabres, it had retractable slats on the leading edge.   4 Sqn Sabres, on the other hand, at the same time had fixed leading edges.   The slats were dangerous as occasionally only one side would come out.   This is believed to have happened to Ted Scott when he was pulling out during ground attack at the Meppen range and he was subsequently killed.   After the RAF, XB812 was sold to Turkey and then finally recovered to the RAF museum from the Italian Air Force where it was being used as a training airframe in an Italian mechanics school.   By this time, somewhere along the way, it was modified and the retractable slats were replaced by "hard" leading edges as it is now displayed.  (Thanks to Barry Golden.)
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