URGENT – Please help save Bristol Britannia G-ANCF

Now lying outside the Devonair hangar, cluttering the place up. Very unsightly. How much did it cost to transport that thing about half a mile?? Makes me wonder why the cash that must have been spent on transportation costs could have been better used restoring the complete example that flew in to Kemble, and getting her back to taxying condition…

Tin hat on…

Tin hat on indeed Sir! It was dissapointing to read your comments above as clearly you have no understanding of the situation. To clarify this see my note below:

The costs of moving (and more importantly storing) a dismantled Britannia run into the thousands so unless a permanent home can be found, there was really no point in moving her to yet another storage location. Kemble is owned by a number of individuals and when the lease for the old BAC hanger ran out (includes the land next to the hangar where G-ANCF had been placed) the owners wanted the site clear. So the BAPT had no choice but to move her somewhere. As no permanent home has been found, the friendly and supportive team at Devonair offered her a resting place FOC. Therefore she was moved the short distance across the airfield, and here she’ll stay for the immediate future.

Update

Just to make you aware, G-ANCF has a new temporary home, outside the Devonair complex at Kemble.

She is no longer part of the Bristol Aero Collection and the BAPT are still working on finding her a permanent home. The BAPT are in negotiation with a number of locations/museums and it’s hoped that she’ll be moved to one of these within the next few months.

Now lying outside the Devonair hangar, cluttering the place up. Very unsightly. How much did it cost to transport that thing about half a mile?? Makes me wonder why the cash that must have been spent on transportation costs could have been better used restoring the complete example that flew in to Kemble, and getting her back to taxying condition…

Tin hat on…

Just like to mention that ‘Charlie Foxtrot’ was seen on Saturday 11th March at Kemble with Tractor units attached to the low loaders and a truck mounted Hiab nearby, looked like Charles Russell Transport units from our position.

Unfortunately, left the camera at Staverton where we were trying to debog Buccaneer XX889.

I really hope a suitable home can be found for G-ANCF, and most of all that she can be reassembled.
I saw her at the bristol aero collection in 2003 and i was hoping to return to see her restored to her former glory one day.

I was thinking , if no home for here is found in the uk (hope this is not the case)
Woundn’t some foreign museum be interested?
The Sinsheim museum in germany for example has quite a lot of big airliner exhibits. They already put a concorde next to a TU144, maybe they would like a Britannia to put next to their Ilyushin IL-18? would make an interesting sight.
And yes, I know that most of their aircraft are displayed on poles but I would rather see G-ANCF preserved in one piece on a pole in germany than rotting away in bits and pieces in the uk.

It’s just a thought, as I really hope she stays in the UK where she belongs.
At least Mr.B175 has given us a glimmer of hope in his last post

Eric

Thanks for posting this on the excellent British Eagle website. There may be some news for all within the next few days.

I really have only just heard of the plight of “Charlie Fox”. I well remember the day it arrive at Heathrow and was towed to the Eagle base for a check 4 and its freight door mod.I spent many a time servicing this aircraft at Heathrow. The pictures of it on the low loader whilst excellent pics bring a great sadness. We have just launched a new web site for Eagle www.britisheagle.net We are more than willing to make known the need for “CF” through the site. A place must be found for “CF” and that not easy. With the sad deterioration of “Victor Fox ” at Cosford you get the feeling it will not be many years before there will, perhaps be only Victor Tango” at Duxford left to view. But like a previous comment regarding miracles I believe that the “mission impossible” can be made “mission possible”.
Every success to those who are at the helm of this project.

Mrb. Newark is very much full of projects which require manpower. By all means contact the curator Mike Smith direct but I imagine that they have more than enough aircraft and the perenial problem of not enough manpower to deal with at present.

The hours I spent sitting on that balcony in the early 1960s 🙂

Never, ever saw a Britannia though! I’d have gone delirious with excitement!

Moggy, you didn’t go on the right days then because here’s a shot of G-AOVT in Eagle colours at Speke in November 1965…

Especially in Eagle colours! 🙂

I agree Jon, just like the attached!!! Photo of her at the Eagle maintenance base, LHR in March 1967.

What number do you ring to contact them?

Newark would be logical, they have plenty of space after shifting various airframes indoors.

I read that it on low loaders ready to go?

Newark would be an ideal location, is anyone here that can help facilitate the necessary discussions? From what Newark have acheived recently I understand besides the space, they’ve got the necessary manpower and skills to reassemble her.

As I said before she can be moved fairly easily. She was on low loaders but has now been taken off them as they were needed for another job. See photos of the front and rear fuselage in the ‘old’ BAC hangar just prior to moving outside.

You can park her here… we’ve got loads of room

Roy

Thanks for the PM. This is certainly a possibility, only problem is ideally she’ll need to be under cover for some considerable time whilst she’s put back together and a willing work force with necessary skills will be required to do this.

Does Speke offer these facilities?

Hi all

Apologies for not replying sooner but been busy this week. There is no progress as of yet, but the BAPT are following up on a few offers.

As to some of the other comments I’ll reply individually.

The Filton proposal involves somewhere in the region of £10 million needed to bring the idea to fruition. I wonder what the long term future is for Filton as it must represent a large amount of real estate to BAe Systems /Airbus UK.

Could BAC not approach AB/Filton, would save on moving her twice? as BAC is custodian of a certain plane on AB property and they work closely together for the Filton museam proprosal which will benifit both parties, surely it would be mutually benificial for them to help save her, or at least offer a temp home?

Especially in Eagle colours! 🙂

Has any progress been made in trying to find her a new home? Must say would be nice to see it at the old Liverpool airport! 😉

re

What number do you ring to contact them?

Newark would be logical, they have plenty of space after shifting various airframes indoors.

I read that it on low loaders ready to go?

Not another bl**dy scouser 😉

I remember the last Britannia at Speke, it was open to the public and I drooled a lot.

Roy.

The hours I spent sitting on that balcony in the early 1960s 🙂

Never, ever saw a Britannia though! I’d have gone delirious with excitement!

Moggy