#TF301 Opener Tornado F3 - 40th Anniversary Bottle Opener Coin
Description
First Tornado F3 Flight - 40 years ago this year - 1985-2025 Bottle Opener
(If you are attending the Re-union please do NOT buy from the website)
The first production Tornado F3 was ZE154 (construction number AT009). The higher thrust Turbo Union RB199-34R Mk104 extended re-heat engines that were designed for the F3 was first flight trialled in ZA267, a Tornado ADV, first fitted in April 1983. This aircraft is still on the RAF’s books and sits in 25(F) Sqn colours at RAF Syerston.
ZE154 was the first production Tornado F3 to fly on 20 Nov 1985 from BAe Warton. ZE154 was transferred to the RAF on 24 Dec 1985 and after much trials work was delivered to RAF Coningsby on 16 Jul 1987. The aircraft later was damaged by Airworks Ltd and took the centre fuselage of ZD901 a Tornado F2. On 6 Jan 2006 she was flown to RAF Leeming for ‘Reduce to Produce’ (RTP). She was finally scrapped on 14 Nov 2007. The aircraft flew as “AK” and “AD” with 229OCU/65(R) Sqn, as “GI” with 43(F) Sqn, as “AN” with 56 Sqn, as “LT” with XI(F) Sqn, 111(F) Sqn and 56 Sqn. ZE157 was the next F3 to fly, but that would not be until 14 Jan 1986, and ZE156 was 3rd to fly on 6 Feb 1986. ZE156 was the first non-F3T single stick aircraft to fly.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Tornado F3’s first flight this Challenge Coin has been made. It features the Tornado F3 patch that BAe originally sponsored (effectively the force badge), a gold “40” and the numbers of all the Squadrons the F3 served on (229 was an OCU and not a Sqn, so 65 and 56 feature instead - but 229 coins have been produced as a nod). On the reverse are the 4 main operating bases - CGY, LEE, LEU and MPA - with a head on F3 with the dates 1985 to 2025. Finally, for those who served, in commemoration of ANIMAL HOUSE there is bottle opener embodied in the coin so you can relive those KEO and Charlie moments of the satisfying “ching” of that well worn fire bell.