26th August 2009: A fifth Olympus 301 arrives at Wellesbourne

Thanks to the generosity of the XM603 Club, and with the assistance of BAe Systems at Woodford, 655MaPS have acquired a fifth Olympus 301. The engine had previously been installed in XM603, and after developing a fault it was removed and put into storage.

engine leave woodford

The engine leaves Woodford, with XM603 in the background

engine arrive wellesbourne

Safely offloaded at Wellesbourne

The engine will first be used by MaPS to develop and rehearse an inspection procedure for the engines installed in XM655. It will also provide a source of spare parts if necessary. Eventually we hope to prepare it for display at Wellesbourne to show visitors rather more of the inner workings of a jet engine than can be seen when it is installed in the aircraft.

655MaPS wish to thank all members of the XM603 Club for providing this welcome addition to our equipment.