A GRANDE dame of Christchurch and British aviation history is all dressed up in a new livery - but has nowhere to go.

The last remaining De Havilland Sea Vixen jet still in flying condition has been grounded outside her hangar at Hurn while owners seek a new sponsor for the estimated £250,000 cost to get the big bird airborne again.

Following the end of a four-year sponsorship deal which saw Sea Vixen XP928 decked out in the bright colours of drinks firm Red Bull the aircraft has been returned to the Fleet Air Arm livery she wore when she last took off from the decks of the carrier HMS Eagle in 1971.

While XP928 was built by De Havilland at Chester in 1963, she is typical of scores of Sea Vixens which came off the production line at the company's factory in Christchurch.

And parts of the present XP928 were cannibalised from the Sea Vixen airframe which previously stood on a plinth at the entrance to the industrial estate on the site of its birthplace in Somerford Road.

Hundreds of enthusiasts flocked to the airport at the weekend for a close up view of the Sea Vixen outside the hangar of the De Havilland Aviation concern, which jointly owns the aircraft with Hurn-based Drilling Systems.

While the costs of the constant maintenance of the 40-year-old supersonic jet will be borne by the owners the colossal bills for insurance and fuel - the twin jet engines guzzle five tons of avgas an hour - are beyond them to provide flypasts and displays at airshows and events around the country.

"It is sad, but as of now she is grounded," said De Havilland Aviation chief engineer Paul Kingsbury, who also serves as flight engineer aboard the Sea Vixen.