As first reported by Vintage Aviation News, one of the largest and most ambitious painting projects ever undertaken at the Yorkshire Air Museum is about to be officially revealed. On Thursday, August 28th, the museum will debut its freshly repainted Handley Page Victor K2 tanker, XL231 “Lusty Lindy,” once again wearing the camouflage scheme it last displayed in the 1980s. The Victor, a Cold War-era jet that has been a cornerstone of the museum since 1993, had previously sported a hemp-colored finish. Originally designed in the 1950s as a nuclear bomber, the aircraft was later converted into a tanker capable of aerial refueling. In this role, Victor played a pivotal part in both the Falklands Conflict of 1982 and the First Gulf War.
The repainting project began in May, with scaffolding erected by Kaefer Ltd. and painting carried out by specialists from Bagnalls. To capture the transformation, Site Eye Ltd. of Hebden Bridge mounted a time-lapse camera on the museum’s Control Tower. Over six weeks, it photographed the process every three minutes, ultimately producing a striking two-minute film that chronicles the restoration of XL231’s Cold War look. The official unveiling will take place during Victor Day 2025 at the Yorkshire Air Museum. The day’s program will feature a talk by Sqn Ldr Bob Tuxford AFC RAF (Retd), who piloted a Victor K2 during the Falklands, including in Operation Black Buck, the daring long-range mission to strike Port Stanley’s runway. In the afternoon, visitors will also witness an engine run of XL231, offering the rare chance to hear and feel the power of the historic jet. Inside the Museum’s cinema, archive footage of Victors in service will be shown alongside the newly created time-lapse video of the repainting.
“This project has been a tremendous team effort, with staff, volunteers, and contractors all playing their part,” said Jerry Ibbotson, Marketing and Communications Manager at the Yorkshire Air Museum. “The result is stunning—so much so that some visitors have asked if this was a new aircraft, even though ‘Lusty Lindy’ has been here for 32 years! Victor Day will be a wonderful opportunity for people to learn more about this magnificent machine and appreciate the painstaking work that went into restoring its camouflage scheme.” Victor Day is included with standard museum admission—no special tickets are required.
