{"id":7035129,"date":"2026-07-24T09:42:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T09:43:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:43:06","slug":"de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/","title":{"rendered":"Britain&rsquo;s Twin-Boom Widow-Maker"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<p>From the front it looked like the future: a big, twin-boom jet with a needle nose and no visible cockpit canopy where you would expect one. The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/de-havilland-sea-vixen\/\">de Havilland Sea Vixen<\/a> was one of the most futuristic fighters the Royal Navy ever flew. It was also one of the deadliest &mdash; mostly to the men who flew it.<\/p>\r\n<p>Fast, missile-armed and radar-equipped, the Sea Vixen should have been a triumph of 1950s British engineering. Instead its story is dominated by a grim accident record and a cockpit its own crews nicknamed &ldquo;the coal hole.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><h3 style=\"padding-top:0;margin-top:0\">Quick Facts<\/h3><ul style=\"margin:0;line-height:1.8\"><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen, carrier fleet fighter<\/li><li><strong>Operator:<\/strong> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, 1959&ndash;1972<\/li><li><strong>Layout:<\/strong> Twin-boom, two Rolls-Royce Avon engines, two-seat<\/li><li><strong>Armament:<\/strong> All-missile &mdash; Firestreak then Red Top &mdash; plus rockets; no guns<\/li><li><strong>Claim to fame:<\/strong> First British two-seat aircraft to go supersonic (in a dive)<\/li><li><strong>Grim record:<\/strong> Of 145 built, 55 were lost in accidents, 30 of them fatal<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zWt-1BvmU64\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A fighter with no guns<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Sea Vixen broke with tradition in a way that startled contemporaries: it carried no cannon at all. Its punch came entirely from guided missiles &mdash; first the Firestreak, later the Red Top &mdash; backed by unguided rocket packs. In an age when most fighters still bristled with guns, an all-missile interceptor felt like science fiction.<\/p>\r\n<p>Underneath, it was a thoroughly modern machine: 45-degree swept wings, two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets tucked into a twin-boom tail, and a radar to hunt Soviet bombers over the sea. It even became the first British two-seat aircraft to punch through the sound barrier, though only in a dive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=922289970  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-offset-cockpit.jpg\" alt=\"Preserved Sea Vixen showing offset cockpit\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The pilot&rsquo;s canopy sits offset to port. To starboard, almost flush with the fuselage, is the observer&rsquo;s window. Photo: Ian Dunster \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The coal hole<\/h2>\r\n<p>That futuristic nose hid a cruelty. The pilot sat under an offset canopy on the left. His radar observer sat down and to the right, almost entirely inside the fuselage, with nothing to see out of but a window roughly seven inches by ten, usually covered by a blind so the radar screen stayed readable. Crews called it the coal hole, and nobody volunteered for it happily.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;NBG &mdash; no bloody good &mdash; for any activity other than airborne interception.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>A Sea Vixen observer<\/strong> &mdash; on the coal-hole cockpit layout<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;Observers really needed to have a sense of humour.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lt. Jonathan Whaley RN<\/strong> &mdash; Sea Vixen pilot<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PYWImmS5k9c\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A shadow from the start<\/h2>\r\n<p>The type was born in tragedy. On 6 September 1952, the DH.110 prototype from which the Sea Vixen was developed broke apart in the air at the Farnborough Airshow. The wreckage fell into the crowd, killing 31 people, including test pilot John Derry and his observer Tony Richards. It remains one of the worst air-show disasters in history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1193277184  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-faw2-museum.jpg\" alt=\"Sea Vixen FAW.2 preserved at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A preserved Sea Vixen FAW.2. Most survivors are museum pieces; only one has flown in recent years. Photo: mgaylard.co.uk \/ CC BY 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>In service the losses kept coming. Of 145 production Sea Vixens, 55 were destroyed in accidents &mdash; 30 of them fatal, and 21 of those killing both pilot and observer. The airframe was capable, but ejecting from the coal hole was slow and often deadly, and the Fleet Air Arm paid a heavy price flying it from pitching carrier decks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mrBFoEYQlmo\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>By 1972 the Sea Vixen was gone, replaced by the Phantom. It is remembered now as a beautiful, forward-looking fighter &mdash; and a reminder of how brutal the jump into the jet-and-missile age really was.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia; BAE Systems Heritage; Thunder &amp; Lightnings; SeaVixen.org aircrew testimonies.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/eric-winkle-brown-greatest-test-pilot-487-types\/\">The Man Who Flew 487 Different Aircraft<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/suez-1956-operation-musketeer-air-war-sea-hawk-canberra\/\">The Last Old-Fashioned Air War<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the front it looked like the future: a big, twin-boom jet with a needle nose and no visible cockpit canopy where you would expect one. The de Havilland Sea Vixen was one of the most futuristic fighters the Royal Navy ever flew. It was also one of the deadliest &mdash; mostly to the men [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":7034937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7035129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>De Havilland Sea Vixen: The Coal-Hole Fighter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a futuristic gunless twin-boom fighter with a deadly accident record and a cockpit crews called the coal hole.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"De Havilland Sea Vixen: The Coal-Hole Fighter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a futuristic gunless twin-boom fighter with a deadly accident record and a cockpit crews called the coal hole.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T07:42:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T07:43:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"852\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\"},\"headline\":\"Britain&rsquo;s Twin-Boom Widow-Maker\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T07:42:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-24T07:43:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":610,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/\",\"name\":\"De Havilland Sea Vixen: The Coal-Hole Fighter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T07:42:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-24T07:43:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a futuristic gunless twin-boom fighter with a deadly accident record and a cockpit crews called the coal hole.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":852,\"caption\":\"A formation of Royal Navy Sea Vixens in 1961, showing the twin-boom planform\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Britain&rsquo;s Twin-Boom Widow-Maker\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\",\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Kerr\"},\"description\":\"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/connorkerr\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"De Havilland Sea Vixen: The Coal-Hole Fighter","description":"The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a futuristic gunless twin-boom fighter with a deadly accident record and a cockpit crews called the coal hole.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"De Havilland Sea Vixen: The Coal-Hole Fighter","og_description":"The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a futuristic gunless twin-boom fighter with a deadly accident record and a cockpit crews called the coal hole.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-24T07:42:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-24T07:43:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":852,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Connor Kerr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Connor Kerr","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Kerr","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9"},"headline":"Britain&rsquo;s Twin-Boom Widow-Maker","datePublished":"2026-07-24T07:42:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-24T07:43:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/"},"wordCount":610,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/","name":"De Havilland Sea Vixen: The Coal-Hole Fighter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-24T07:42:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-24T07:43:06+00:00","description":"The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a futuristic gunless twin-boom fighter with a deadly accident record and a cockpit crews called the coal hole.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/sea-vixen-formation-1961.jpg","width":1280,"height":852,"caption":"A formation of Royal Navy Sea Vixens in 1961, showing the twin-boom planform"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-sea-vixen-coal-hole-twin-boom-fighter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Britain&rsquo;s Twin-Boom Widow-Maker"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9","name":"Connor Kerr","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Kerr"},"description":"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/connorkerr\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7035129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7035129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7035129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7035190,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7035129\/revisions\/7035190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7034937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7035129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7035129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7035129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}