Gloster Meteor WK800
While the retirement of WK800 has now occurred its fate has not yet been decided, it is truly a historic airframe not only as the last surviving drone Meteor but also a veteran of the Korean conflict and possibly one of the longest serving military aircraft ever built.
WK800:A nice photo of Wk800 at Llanbedr by Paul Major
Here are two pictures on the day of WK800's last flight with Martin-Baker's WA638 keeping it company at Llanbedr.
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The d16's drones last flight was on 11th october 2004 flown by captain John Webb Qinetiq's chief pilot. It does not appear to have been allocated to an RAF squadron but did appear at the Battle of Britain display at Andover, 19th Sept 1952. It joined the RAAF as A77-876 on the 21st February 1953.
77 Squadron RAAF returned to Australia from korea in 1954 with 41 aircraft which they retired from front line service in favour of locally built Commonwealth Sabres. The Meeteors went on to training duties and between 1961 & 1963 15 f8's including a77-876 were converted to u-21's by fairey aviation at bankstown. They were converted using kits supplied by Flight Refuelling at Tarrant Rushton.
A77-876 returned to England in july 1971 after suffering some damage in Edinburgh Australia after conversion, taking up its original WK800 identity. In the UK it became a u16 following equipment changes later redesignated a d16. It has been used in to train jindivik controllers and for calibration flights until Llanbedr ceased operations on oct 31st 2007 after nearly 50 years of drone operations for the Royal Aircraft Establishment. It was placed up for sale as a non-effective airframe with time expired engines in late 2007 at a reserve of £5,000. It is not currently known if is has been purchased.