Nashio.

The prospect of Nimrods being donated to Museums was fine. I think it somewhat relevant that I was told by an RAFM official that a Nimrod, Hercules and VC10 would be donated to Cosford. This was before the new building had the ground broken. I was also told that it was a condition of any new building that all airframes should be kept inside with the exception of the Hunter gate guard. Do you not agree that with those conditions imposed and the knowledge that three large and significant airframes would be donated within the next few years, that it was a bit shortsighted and that provision was not made for these airframes to be kept under cover? As well as breaking the imposed conditions?

You went to Cosford today, I went yesterday. Cosford was and remains a wonderful collection, I just can’t say the same about the shortsighted planning of a National Collection, the NWCE, which now means that any future large acquisitions for Cosford are destined to remain outside.

Regards,

kev35

Kev,

James K kindly posted this image of the original publically posted proposed museum.

You will notice a couple of interesting aspects…

1) Two buildings are detailed showing a/c inside. (Not one)
2) They mention 20 airframes being inside.

Now…

The 14,300m2 is for what? Both buildings or merely one? Not clear.
20 airframes are mentionned in the text; 20 airframes are shown spread over the two buildings.. and yet 20 are currently in the smaller built building…

Admittedly one of the airframes would appear to be a 707…the Herc is not immediately apparent nor is the Valiant and the Dakota doesn’t appear to be there.

Perhaps the original plan for the museum comprising the two buildings is still applicable… one for the NCWE and a second display hall for the larger airframes as and when they become avaliable.

It wouldn’t be the first time a national aircraft collection has taken a pragmatic approach to getting some of its actual airframes under cover, all the while knowing that others were due (that were conditioned on donation/ loan that they should be under cover) that would necessitate either a new building or a major change of the exisiting collection arrangement to accommodate them….

A quick look at some key dimensions of the VC-10, Herc and Nimrod gives a rough area of 4,750m2 net needed to house the airframes (if you draw a box around each one wingspan x length) its a good guide to getting an area at this stage.

Then add approx. another 25% to that area for all the rest (other display areas, toilets, plant spaces, structure zones and so forth)….= c.6000m2…added to the c8,000m2 already built and you have the c.14,000m2 mentionned originally.

It would therefore not be too much of a stretch to imagine that the RAFM will build another, perhaps more hangar-like structure to house these airframes as and when they are actually on site. (They have their ‘icon’ and any further lottery funding would be based on gaining additional area for continuing the work started in the NCWE).

Notice that the computer generated view of the original barrel vaulted museum is cropped to a view of the second building…..

Just a thought….