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Buccaneer jet landmark in Elgin sold to be displayed in Fife animal park

The Buccaneer jet in Elgin will now be moved 140 miles. Photo: Jason Hedges/DCT Media
The Buccaneer jet in Elgin will now be moved 140 miles. Photo: Jason Hedges/DCT Media

The former RAF Buccaneer, which currently sits outside a petrol station in Elgin, is to be moved 140 miles to the Scottish Deer Centre.

The fighter jet, which has been a popular landmark in the Moray area since the 1990s has been sold to David Hamilton.

Mr Hamilton saved the Scottish Deer Centre from administration in May this year.

Perhaps the ultimate impulse purchase, Mr Hamilton told The Scottish Sun he had to convince his business partner Gavin Findley the jet, which was advertised for sale at £28,000, was a worthy buy.

He joked: “I bought a zoo during lockdown and now I’ve got a jet. When I phoned him I told him to have a seat.

The Buccaneer jet has maintained a watch outside the Elgin petrol station since 1996. Photo: Jason Hedges/DCT Media

“Everyone is going to want to come and see it. Our biggest problem will be policing how long dads sit in the cockpit.

“I’m happy I managed to convince Gavin to help pay for the jet and come along with my craziness.”

The duo now face the challenge of moving the massive jet 140 miles to the animal park in Cupar.

Mr Hamilton says he has contacted the police and councils to close roads and even the Tay Bridge for the journey.

History of Elgin’s Buccaneer jet

Original owner, Iain Aitkenhead, listed the unique item on Gumtree this August. after selling off the land the jet was parked on.

Buccaneer jets were once commonplace in the sky over Elgin while flying from nearby Lossiemouth.

The aircraft flew from the north-east base when it was run by the Navy in the 1960s and 70s before returning under the command of the air force in the 1980s.

All three of the squadrons were dispatched to the Middle East in 1991 to serve in the Gulf War, including the aircraft that now stands at the petrol station.

It was towed the four miles to its current home from RAF Lossiemouth in 1996 after the Buccaneers were replaced by Tornados.