This is the Gloster Meteor F.8 of the Forca Aerea Brasileira, or Brasilian Air Force. The aircraft is F-8 FAB 4413, 2/1 GAVCA (c. 1957). This aircraft is preserved AFA, Pirassununga/SP. Due to the limitations of the 3dz, and some bad warping, the skin is not entirely accurate, but will have to suffice for now.


The new skin is by me, the 3dz is by Charles Gunst (who says it needs updating badly, which will happen shortly, fingers crossed!), and this zip comes with a new "Meteor" cockpit and Brasilian wingview, adapted from one of Serb's 262's. Also comes with modifed FM and weapons loadout, courtesy of Flyright.

Thanks guys!

About the Meteor in FAB service:

Gloster Meteor F.8
TYPE: Single-seat fighter and ground attack aircraft 
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom 
ENGINES: Two Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 turbojets of 3,600 lb. thrust. 
DIMENSIONS: 
Wingspan: 37 ft 2 in / 11.33 m. 
Length: 44 ft 7 in / 13.59 m. 
Height: 13 ft 0 in / 3.96 m. 
PERFORMANCE: 
Max. speed: 519 kts / 962 kph / 601 mph
Initial climb: 7,000 ft / 2,134 m. per min. 
Max. range (internal fuel): 666 nm / 1,234 km. 
Service ceiling: 44,000 ft / 13,411 m. 
ARMAMENT: 4x 20mm cannon; 2x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or 8x 60 lb. / 27 kg. rockets under wings. 
WEIGHTS: 
Empty weight: 10,700 lb / 4,853 kg 
Max. loaded: 19,100 lb / 8,664 kg 
Normal loaded: 17,350 lb / 7,870 kg. 
CREW: 1 (The FAB also operated some 2-seat variants) 

As an interceptor, the Meteor was not properly used in Brazil. If interceptions were to be carried out efficiently, an adequate radar network would be needed. This was not the case, as the radars available to the 1 Esquadro de Controle e Alarme and 1 Esquadro de Controle e Alarme were of World War II vintage and required constant maintenance. Therefore the Meteor was used by the FAB as a tactical aircraft, used in the interdiction and close air support rles, as it had been used by the RAAF in Korea. Armament load in the Brazilian Meteors were usually general purpose 250lb or 500lb bombs as well as 5in HVAR rockets.

Between 1963 and 1965, nine aircraft from 1 GAVCA, four from the 1/1 GAVCA and five from the 2/1 GAVCA operated as an air demonstration squadron, and in 1963 they made a display in Paraguay. Those aircraft were modified to leave a smoke trail behind, sprinkling oil in the turbines exhaust tube.

The explosion of the canoy, mentioned previously, was another problem that affected the Brazilian F-8s. When they arrived, the F-8s were equipped with canopies which had a metal rear part, which obstructed the pilot's view in that quarter - important because "the enemy that you don't see is the one that shoots you down". That canopy was very much criticized by the RAF pilots and soon Glosters provided a new one, with unrestricted 360 view. The FAB also installed these new canopies by the end of 1957, after the F-8s based at BASC suffered a spate of accidents. It seems that those were caused by a sudden change in temperature experienced by the canopy when the aircraft, after spending some time parked outside, on the hot weather in Rio de Janeiro, was flown to a high altitude; as the metal part of the canopy expanded more than its plexiglass, excessive pressure was caused on the latter leading to its fragmentation. After the canopies were replaced, no more accidents of that type were experienced. Also, crash helmets were procured in the U.S.A., to replaced the leather helmets then in use; in January 1957, an F-8 pilot had its life saved when the canopy exploded and two pieces of plexiglass cut across its crash helmet, but it suffered no injuries.

The Meteors were retired from service when metal fatigue appeared due to its use as a tactical fighter, the stress of flying at low altitudes taking its toll. In June 1961, Glosters sent a correspondence establishing a number of recommendations if the Meteor was to be used in low-altitude flying. In February 1962, the company sent another correspondence, this time prohibiting the use of the T.7s who had logged more than 2,280 flight hours and of the F.8s with more than 1,750 flight hours. As none of the Brazilian Meteors had logged such numbers of flight hours, the letter was disconsidered (to the extent that the 1/14 GAV was not even notified of the contents of that letter). Finally, on 24 April 1965, Hawker Aviation Ltd., which had absorbed Gloster Aircraft Company, issued a number of restrictions on the Meteor operation: prohibition of manoeuvres in clean configuration which exceeded a load of -3g to +5g, and of spending more than 10% of the flying time below 1,000ft. Unless these restrictions were met, cracks along the wing spars would appear undoubtedly.

These restrictions brought a halt to Meteor flights in Brazil, until Hawker personnel inspected all aircraft at BASC, BACO and PAe-SP. A large number of aircraft were found with cracks in the wing spars and were retired; some with less severe damage were repaired, which extended their lives in 50%. This effectively reduced the number of Meteors available and, in 31 October 1966, the 1/14 GAV ended its association with the Meteor - during which its pilots logged 21,837 flight hours on the both the TF-7 and F-8 - becoming a Lockheed AT-33A-20-LO operator. On 30 November 1966 a flight, made up of Maj.-Av. Ernani (the squadron CO), Cap.-Av. Jaeckel (operations officer), Cap.-Av. Trompowski and Ten.-Av Gatti took the last remaining Meteors from the 1/14 GAV for storage at PAe-SP. The 1 GAVCA retired its Meteors during the 1966 to 1968 period. The last TF-7 flight was on 7 October 1971, the aircraft being FAB 4309. 

After their retirement from active service, several Meteors found a place to rest, displayed in air bases and town squares in Brazil. Examples of these are the F-8s on display at the town of Canoas - RS, and at BASC and BACO, as if to perpetuate the time when their Derwent engines whistled across the Brazilian skies.

However, the FAB operated another F-8, which was registered initially as 4399 and, later, as 4460. It was built from replacement parts and a main fuselage and wings stored at PAe-SP, and was used as a target tug by 1 GAVCA, from the second half of 1970. Initially painted in aluminum, it later received a camouflage in two shades of green and tan, similar to the EMB.326GB AT-26 Xavante aircraft briefly used by the group in the early '70s. Its last flight was on 22 April 1974, when a series of manoeuvres were performed over BASC before taking the course of Campo dos Afonsos, home to the Aerospace Museum, where it did a few low passes before landing and being handed over to the museum, where it is displayed together with TF-7 4309.




Richard "Gramps" Kaminski
6 November 2002
Endeavour2000@hotmail.com
