The Fairey Gannet: Unattractive, Lethal, Fierce

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Join us as we explore the story of the Fairey Gannet, a British aircraft famous not for its looks but for its practical design. Unlike the beautiful de Havilland Hornet, the Gannet was built to meet specific needs after World War II, especially for finding and tracking submarines. This video uncovers how this unusual plane came to be, its various roles from the 1940s onward, and how it was even used by civilians after it retired from military service.We also discuss today’s challenges with keeping personal information safe online and how to protect yourself from privacy breaches. This episode is sponsored by Incogni, a service that helps remove your personal information from the internet. Check them out through our special link below to keep your data safe and support our channel.Key Points: Why the Fairey Gannet looks different from other planes How it was designed and used by the British Navy Different ways the Gannet was used over the years Its life after military service Tips on protecting your privacy online🔔 Subscribe for more insights into historical and modern technological transformations.#FaireyGannet #BritishMilitaryAviation #ColdWarEra #SubmarineWarfare #AviationHistory #MilitaryTechnology #DataPrivacy #Incogni #ProtectYourData
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[@Dwaynesaviation]

Use code dwaynes at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/dwaynes

[@therealrobertbirchall]

Stop hiding ads in the videos. What's the point in me paying for KZbin premium if I have to put up wit ads anyway?

[@macdodd]

I was there at the scrapping of the last Gannets of B flight 849 Sqdn Royal Navy at RAF Lossiemouth. I was the Corporal Storeman tasked with overseeing all the paperwork & weighing of the scrap which was reduced to metal ingots for transportation. A really sad day as I used to love watching them fly, a lovely aircraft

[@steveclark5357]

respect

[@IdeasBox]

The RAN have one in their naval museum and it's my wife's favourite. I love them, a perfect example of.. who cares how it looks, it works.

[@justintrett9663]

I’m feel the same as you and your wife.

[@user-en9zo2ol4z]

I have always found this a significantly practical and attractive aircraft. Love it.

[@jtjames79]

Unconventionally attractive. Every single bit of the plane is beautiful. You put it all together and you got a Steve Buscemi.

[@steveclark5357]

I appreciate the fairey gannet , she was a real tough plane

[@jameshall1300]

I've actually always loved how these looked, and I'm not even British. There's just something unique and purely function-over-form about then that makes them look good to me.

[@Kimdino1]

The Falklands War shows a classic case of HMG spending a pound to save a penny. Saving the cost of 3 or 4 AEW Gannets cost 5 ships plus several others damaged. Hermes had carried Gannets as part of its wing just a few years previously and was capable of deploying them again. But the bean counters said "We've got helicopters so why should we spend the money to put the Gannets back in the air?" - Big mistake.

[@aerotube7291]

They spent a fortune hiring ex RAF short Belfast's I think in the same war.

[@johnlucas9477]

The Gannet isn’t “unattractive”, it’s steampunk funky.

[@andyronayne7947]

I agree!

[@capt_benry593]

Steamfunky

[@wildolan]

it's gorgeous. and even prettier in real life!!

[@mikemulligan5731]

@@wildolan I can only imagine..

[@Chad-xh8zs]

i actually like it more than the "attractive" hornet

[@retepeyahaled2961]

I bet they first tried to modify a double decker bus into an airplane. That would explain the large surfaces covered with red paint.

[@aerotube7291]

Haha yeah, interesting plane

[@AishaShaw-cl6wc]

Good point.

[@aerotube7291]

@@AishaShaw-cl6wc impressive amount of people and kit onboard. Bet it was hi-tech as for the era!

[@andi346208]

There was one of these parked up outside a technical college in North Wales for decades. I used to pass it everyday. It was in pretty poor condition but occasionally they'd start it up and run it for a while. It was a huge (and loud) machine - loved it.

[@AlphaWhiskey_Haryo]

fun fact, in the 1980s an Indonesian gannet pilot was selected to be one of the final four of the future astronauts that was planned to launch with the space shuttle in 1987. but the program was cancelled after the Challenger incident.

[@JTA1961]

Props (multiple) to you for making this video.

[@bobroberts6155]

Turbo props?

[@terrystevens5261]

@@bobroberts6155 Yes, Mambas.

[@davidhouston1729]

The engine inlet was a single casting which included the complex gearbox that allowed 2 A S Mamba gas turbines to drive the co-axial airscrews together, or separately (so that either turbine could be shut down in flight). The boxing for this sand casting was over 6 feet high!

[@terrystevens5261]

One never says "THE" HMS Eagle etc, just HMS Eagle. you got it correct later when you refered to a HMAS vessel though. Good video.

[@COIcultist]

That and there isn't a British Navy, it's the Royal Navy!

[@Parawingdelta2]

When you get to 12:05 into the video and see the spread of photos, you'll notice the Gannet on the top left has the letter 'V' on the tail (HMS Victorious) and the number 3 on the forward fuselage. I have a photo of that same aircraft taxiing after landing at RAF Luqa in Malta in 1966. I got into a lot of trouble because I was sixteen years old and had gone to work with my father, who was on duty in the control tower. He had allowed me to accompany the fellow driving the 'Follow Me' Land Rover but hadn't counted on me jumping out in the middle of the airfield taking photos. The Gannet pilot saw me and did a 'folding wings' demonstration for me as he taxied past. Met him later in the control tower. I remember him being soaked in sweat. Must be hot in those things.

[@mrentertainer47]

Brings back fond memories of HMS Hermes which had one or two AEW Gannets and a mail delivery unit also (1967 to 1969).

[@rossmansell5877]

Had these on board EAGLE..great aircraft....Did the job.On landing on board they just cruised in solidly.

[@lonl123]

I'm weird, but I think it's cool looking.

[@justintrett9663]

I love it. Beautiful.

[@cluckingbells]

I'm sure I read somewhere the Gannet had a really slow landing speed. Something like 70mph ? They could be rebuilt and used without traps.

[@kikufutaba524]

I saw this type of aircraft at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson AZ, USA. It was so cute. I was fascinated by it.

[@melangellatc1718]

The Pima Air & Space Museum is a nice place to visit. Prepare to get toasty... desert and all.

[@grantm6514]

11:25 With its wings folded it looks just like Private Baldrick doing his Sopwith Camel impersonation. 🤣🤣

[@joaogomes9405]

I think it looks cool. The twin propellers, the thick body, the curved wings. It's like a corsair, a wildcat and a wyvern got frisky together

[@billfarley9167]

Not even close dude.

[@joaogomes9405]

@@billfarley9167 that's your opinion dude.

[@lornecunningham326]

Love the Gannet, such a cool aircraft.

[@hingng9772]

Practicality over Beauty

[@tectorama]

I remember as a youngster, camping in S.Wales not far from RNAS Brawdy. There were Gannets flying around all day long.

[@HDSME]

This aircraft is awesome built like a tank !!!!

[@richardjardine5864]

Legendary test,pilot Peter twiss,who broke the 1000mph barrier in the unique fairey delta,did loads of test flying on the gannet

[@williamprice3929]

Who cares how it looked, it fulfilled it's function.

[@colcot50]

I remember these being in the hangar when I went through training at HMS Daedelaus back in the 80’s as well as lots of Wessex helicopters

[@ericdidiergeorge4125]

A kind of flying yellow submarine to hunt submarines! Good point!

[@jaex9617]

I genuinely find it beautiful.

[@johnfisk811]

Thank you for this. I always liked the Gannet but was it necessary to use some shots of American aeroplanes and sailors when referring to British naval aviation?

[@user-en9zo2ol4z]

Absolutely, the Hornet was beautiful, building on the mosquito concept, visually, anyway. In its own right, it was a stunner.

[@vincentcondron588]

Very nice video on this rare aircraft all credit to you

[@chuckcawthon3370]

Always good stuff.

[@Gynra]

Why name a Naval aircraft after a bird known for hurtling into the sea at a high velocity? Seems like tempting fate to me. Joking aside, I have always liked the shape of the Gannet.

[@belperflyer7419]

Indeed. I used to sail in the Clyde estuary and loved watching the gannets in their headlong dives. Beautiful and large seabirds. I even landed on Ailsa Craig once and a lighthouse keeper took me up to the gannet colony - very noisy (and noisome :) )

[@frglee]

There's a Fairey Gannet at the entrance to the Dumfries aviation museum in South West Scotland - I drive past it quite often.

[@CH-tp4wz]

I've always loved these planes I don't know what's ugly about them I personally think their really cool looking...

[@belperflyer7419]

I was in the Naval Section of the school's CCF back in the early 50s and we visited RNAS Stretton on a couple of occasions. The Gannet was still in service and I loved it! True, it's ugly in a way but perhaps I have a soft spot for ugly aeroplanes that seem to be purposeful (Westland Lysanders were another favourite). The Wyverns were also in service at the time and I admired them, too. You have to allow for schoolboy tastes :) I build and fly RC models now and I'd build a Gannet if there was kit - I'm not clever enough to design my own.

[@gblan]

Pretty cool looking plane to me.

[@jeanlavoie5598]

Its look like the search radar was the big American APS-20.

[@wadde30]

An aircraft engineers nightmare for sure...can't imagine anything being worse....the amount of maintenance on that thing must have been astronomical...

[@MrArray1967]

I first noticed this airplane a few years ago and I must admit the first impression is not the one to last, because it was quite ugly. As ugly as it makes it so unique and beautiful in its own way. I love it.

[@oxcart4172]

I hear that the aircraft at the beginning is being inspected by the Royal Navy Historic Flight (or whatever they call themselves now!) With a view to bringing it home

[@aerotube7291]

Cool video

[@TheWGLOVER]

I actually think it looks cool.

[@BlueJazzBoyNZ]

A Beast !!

[@alexwilliamson1486]

Great film, minor quibble, it’s the “Royal Navy” not “British”

[@jaex9617]

Great comment, minor quibble. It's a "video," not a "film."

[@terrystevens5261]

@@jaex9617 Yes, a video of maily film material. but i won't quibble.

[@brianspendelow840]

Very interesting video. On the subject of looks, Fairey had experience building ugly aircraft. Check out the Fairey Barracuda.

[@dartmoordave]

If the Ministry hadnt pensioned them off 10 mins before Falklands, we would have had an air defence over the Fleet. They'll circle all day on a gallon of AVGAS.

[@TommygunNG]

I kind a like the looks.

[@robert-oq9jq]

All birds are beautiful you just don't know what you're looking at

[@babenberg]

Any Cessna is worthy to be called disgusting looking plane thousand times before this one.

[@martinsmith9054]

They commissioned a propellor plane in case the jets didn't work.

[@rogerhudson9732]

It was a nuclear weapon carrier so very powerful. Very clever engineering.

[@notreallydavid]

This is great. HMS Illustrious - no 'the' ('the His/Her Majesty's Ship') 'aitch emm ess' - not 'haitch' All best!

[@onlythatonetime]

On first glance I saw "fairly unattractive, lethal, fierce" and thought it was another F-35 video.

[@Netcentric-fk6ek]

Someone at Fairey should have been brave enough to say to leadership 'Oh Honey, what you doin' ? '

[@rustycann6887]

clean in bomber form i think it is a good looking plane

[@gar6446]

Ugly birds are loyal, dependable, and grateful.

[@jonathasfigaro4992]

Love it reminds me Ducktales

[@drcovell]

Looks like a British creation similar in functionality to the “Skyraider” that served in the post WWII era.

[@stephenconnolly3018]

Double Mamba.

[@ianscoot2]

In your video featuring the Fairey Gannet you make several references to the "British Navy" - this is not only incorrect but irritating. It's the Royal Navy - please correct this inaccuracy.

[@stevetaylor8698]

Saying "the HMS......" is just wrong. What you are effectively saying is, "The His Majesty's Ship....."

[@localbod]

It's almost as if aircraft designers of propeller-driven aeroplanes forgot all they had learned during the second world war. Very odd.

[@user-qk4qy3tu5l]

So why have we never heard of it?

[@paulfeaheny3055]

What rock have you been hiding under??????❤

[@simongills2051]

This aircraft was function over form But it worked really well. How about two engines in line so it flies just as well one one. The French copied it with a prettier plane but less capable.

[@alanbrown5593]

Not sure who the British navy is, the Royal Navy however......

[@AcademyMike]

Did it fly, did it do the job? If the answer is yes, then what is the problem?

[@johnking6252]

I'm pretty sure there's a kitchen sink in there, somewhere! Just saying ?

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Please, it's HMS Eagle or the Eagle never the HMS Eagle.

[@Anmeteor9663]

No one cares. Get a life.

[@jimtaylor294]

^ Only you don't care. Get a life 😝 .

[@AlfieDoug]

​@@jimtaylor294 I don't care for the grammar police either you muppet, losers hanging around in youtube looking for minor things to criticise need to get a life.

[@billfarley9167]

You sound like another anal Englishman. Chill dude.

[@jamsstar2010]

Yeah don't care Who said anyway?

[@willhovell9019]

From Fairey Swordfish also from the same stable, so effective against the Nazi German and Italian Fascist navies

[@DrTWG]

What difference do aesthetic qualities make to a military plane ? I've watched a few Gannet videos and they always kick-off with an apology for how 'ugly' it looks. It's the priority that's given to it and the grating clichés . It just seems pretty/very stupid to me.

[@christophermancrief4916]

Never ever say "The HMS --------", it is simply HMS, which stands for His/Her Majesty's Ship, hence putting 'the' in front of it makes no sense. Unfortunately this obvious error is common, presumably because people are ignorant of the proper title.

[@williamromine5715]

Why would the Brits have to send planes to the U.S. to test propellers?

[@terrystevens5261]

I must have missed that bit. i did however hear him say they sent a plane to Dowtys for propeller testing, they are between Cheltenham and Gloucester in the UK.

[@goodviewfromuphere120]

So ugly that it was banished out to sea.

[@throwabrick]

I don't like Gannets. They wet their nests. That is why I prefer the expurgated version of Olsen's "Standard Book Of British Birds"

[@clickbaitcharlie2329]

Expurgated...like, ejected from the nesting material?.

[@throwabrick]

@@clickbaitcharlie2329 It's a Monty Python sketch about a very fussy customer in a book shop.

[@clickbaitcharlie2329]

@@throwabrick should have known, "albatross", pining for the fjords?..

[@chrisknight6884]

There were a lot of factual errors in this. The Seaking AEW 2 was introduced in 1982 with a highly effective and advanced radar and was used right up until the Merlin replaced it. The installation of the Searchwater radar looked odd, but it was innovative and worked very well as was proven by its longevity. Why, oh why do people, such as this narrator, keep referring to Royal Navy ships as 'the' HMS Whatever? HMS is an abbreviation - for His Majesty's Ship, so to say 'the His Majesty's Ship' makes no grammatical sense. So please just call it 'HMS Ark Royal' or drop the HMS bit and simply call it 'the Ark Royal'. Additionally, the plural of aircraft, is aircraft - not aircrafts. This is another disturbing trend of corrupting the English language.

[@garyjonah22]

'Haytch' EM ESS? What's the matter with you?

[@foreverpinkf.7603]

Form is following function and doesn´t care about aesthetics.

[@TontonMacoute]

I believe the first plane shown was the De Haviland Mosquito? Not Hornet.

[@bluskytoo]

when ugly and homely had a child

[@austinmifsud2697]

Your aesthetic judgment is unnecessary. I like the oddball aircraft though. Keep on trying.

[@raphael7552]

Ugly as the french carrier aircraft "Alizé" (anti submarine).

[@migranthawker2952]

Why oh why do you insist on saying "haitch", when the letter "H" is properly pronounced "aitch"?

[@inkycat191]

Because people like me don’t remember that English makes absolutely no fucking sense and mispronounce things

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Because most English is based on Old French.

[@Anmeteor9663]

No one cares. Get a life.

[@jimtaylor294]

^×2 Not really. English has a lot of languages to thank, while French has mostly pig Latin as its basis.

[@TinMan0555]

Interesting info on a plane I’d never heard of. Thanks 🫡

[@hamshackleton]

Another one with a fake - and American accented - AI talk-over.

[@inkycat191]

Wait, the Firefly was a fight? Nah, that heavy piece of shit was actually a fighter… That large flying box of a plane was a god for saken fighter plane…

[@paulbriody297]

"Aeroplanes" airplanes is American English, how embarrassing.

[@tommypaget2294]

It’s a pilots dream for a safe and reliable aircraft!!!!

[@PORRRIDGE_GUN]

To be fair, the RN has had many uglier aircraft.

[@julianmartin8356]

The sea vixen being one of them!