Grace Spitfire NOT leaving Duxford

I’m pretty sure that Ipswich was closed while Bentwaters was still an active military base…circa 1989/90 (before the “cold war” ended so the Council wouldn’t have known it would soon become available).

Ipswich Council decided to close the municipal airport in 1993, it’s official closure date was actually in 1996, but the protestors hung on for another 2-3 years.
Bentwaters closed down in 1993, it’s A-10’s departing for Germany.
Quite a coincidence of dates don’t you think.
It was stated at the time that Ipswich were considering Bentwaters as some kind of international airport, they already had their eyes on the old airfield for housing development.
What happened to the Bentwaters base housing was interesting. It was sold off and further houses built.
However the people moving in were expecting the former USAF facilities to be made avaliable, shops, sports centres etc, but this never happened, there were a lot of complaints at the time as the whole place was to be considered as a bit of a mini town, all existing, but never developed.
What the situation is like now, I don’t know, I have the impression that many of the base buildings were demolished, and new one’s built, typical bit of MoD/Local Government money wasting, I wouldn’t be surprised if the local residents still have to drive back down the road to Woodbridge for a bit of decent shopping.
The same thing happened at RAF Wethersfield when the USAF moved out, all the facilities were more or less trashed. The MoD police that live up there now more or less have to put up with a ghost town.
The excuse I heard for all this was that the USAF operated on a different voltage system and it would be too expensive to rewire all the buildings, yeah, right.
Incidentally, if Caroline Grace will be spending a bit more time in that part of the world, may I reccomend to her the fantastic smoked fish that you can buy in nearby Orford, quite frankly, I’d move to that area anyday, and take my Spitfire with me, if I had one.

A few of thoughts come to mind here:-

Arco is a commercial operation very much wrapped up with restoration and maintenance of historic aircraft types; I seem to remember a heavy involvement with the DH Chipmunk.

All the warbird operators at Duxford are to some degree or other commercial operators, unless they have all suddenly attained charitable status!

That’s what puzzles me too!

From the Grace Spitfire website:

“We have set up our maintenance organisation at Bentwaters due to the limitations placed on the hangarage of aircaraft and maintenance at Duxford. One of the Duxford policies is that you may not run a commercial operation on site. Because it is a working museum and the aeroplanes based there are historic a commerical maintenance organisation would not meet with Duxford’s impressive conservation ethos”.

Whilst I can understand the space and hangarage issue, maybe I’m being a bit stupid in my understanding of what a ‘commercial maintenance organisation’ is, and I’m hoping someone can clarify the differences between the smaller Grace Spitfire maintenance organisation (which I’d never thought of as being a commercial one) and the various other (notably larger) companies & operators who could be termed and seen to be this also! :confused:

As to the future of airworthy historic aircraft at Duxford, I read in one of the mags a while back (I can’t lay my hands on it at the moment to get the full details!), but it said that there might have to be changes and a shuffle round of the private machines that share hanger space with IWM exhibits in the future, due to certain criteria the museum will have to meet if they apply for type of funding or status, or something along those lines.

Basically, it seems all the hangers that house IWM exhibits will need to be properly conditioned and set up for them, but this of course creates a conflict with the private airworthy machines, hence the mentioned shuffle.

Maybe someone can clarify this as well?

Cheers

Paul

I’m pretty sure some of the runway was excavated, not near enough to preclude the use of most aircraft, but certainly its not its original length.

Would love to be able to fly into ‘Crooked Creek’, great memories of the Hog’s there……them’s were the days!

My own opinion from visiting the place for 20 years is that another working maintenance hangar would not go amiss; the question would be where to put it and who would pay for it / be installed in it! Using the location of the former hangar blown up during the filming of that Movie is I think a non-starter, the footprint is too small and constructing something that would blend in with the existing buildings would be much too expensive.

What land is available on the South side of the runway? Could they not put up a row of hangars like the new (old looking) ones at Chino?
If someone would/could buy that large field right next to the M11 & south of the runway they could build a bunch of stuff right there…

It’s just money… 😉

A few of thoughts come to mind here:-

Arco is a commercial operation very much wrapped up with restoration and maintenance of historic aircraft types; I seem to remember a heavy involvement with the DH Chipmunk.

All the warbird operators at Duxford are to some degree or other commercial operators, unless they have all suddenly attained charitable status!

Duxford by its very nature has become a unique combination of the private and public sector, which generally seems to work reasonably well. That is not to say that one does not hear the odd rumour of an occasional bust up within the Duxford family, but then rumours can be just that!

My own opinion from visiting the place for 20 years is that another working maintenance hangar would not go amiss; the question would be where to put it and who would pay for it / be installed in it! Using the location of the former hangar blown up during the filming of that Movie is I think a non-starter, the footprint is too small and constructing something that would blend in with the existing buildings would be much too expensive.

The bottom line is that the Imperial War Museum and Cambridgeshire council must always remember that Duxford is wonderfully unique because of the partnership that exist between them and the private operators / restorers who also live on the site, without them it becomes just another museum!

WF:):):):)

When Ipswich Council closed down their local airport, they tried to use the excuse that Bentwaters had better facilities, they were probably right, a huge modern airfield in a relatively unpopulated area, well, compared to Ipswich anyway.

I’m pretty sure that Ipswich was closed while Bentwaters was still an active military base…circa 1989/90 (before the “cold war” ended so the Council wouldn’t have known it would soon become available).

So what happens if it goes U/S at Dx?

Is this the shape of things to come.
What maintenance facilities are actually set up at Bentwaters, I know that there is a museum, an MoD dealer selling various airframes and TV’s ‘Dog Borstal’.
When Ipswich Council closed down their local airport, they tried to use the excuse that Bentwaters had better facilities, they were probably right, a huge modern airfield in a relatively unpopulated area, well, compared to Ipswich anyway.
With hangars and buildings desperately needing use and presumably at a much lower cost than DX, it could easily form a cheap base for the historic aircraft movement, and what a runway, I doubt whether the Vulcan would even need to deploy it’s landing parachute.
Don’t forget, when Al Queda eventually manage to detonate nuclear devices around the country, ML407 would be safe in it’s hardened shelter, at least one link with the past would be left.

Title corrected…

Mark

taken your advice

Rob
Yep that’s the plan
Andy

Just had a new pair 2 weeks ago, think ill be going back to specsavers!!!
glad we can nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand though.

Reading

Rob,

You are most welcome to borrow my glasses if needed !!!!

Andy

As said “am i reading this wrong?” I am glad i was

The Grace Spitfire

Dear All,
Darren has responded to this thread while I was waiting to register, and as he says if you read what has been posted on the ML407 website and message board then all should be clear.

So just to put all on the right track……..

I have been asked to clarify this before it gets out of hand over the ML407/Bentwaters topic.

I was told to say it came from the horse’s mouth but I don’t think that is quite the right terminology !

As stated it is the maintenance organisation that has moved to Bentwaters only.

ML407 is still based at Duxford and still hangered in the same place.

I hope this will put the matter straight and stop any futher speculation on this subject

Regards and have a good 2008
Andy Day
Gatemaster
ML407 Team

THE GRACE SPITFIRE HAS NOT LEFT DUXFORD!!

Carolyn has moved the maintanence facilities to Bentwaters.

Please read her posting on the ML407 forum carefully.

Thanks

One of the Duxford policies is that you may not run a commercial operation on site. Because it is a working museum and the aeroplanes based there are historic a commerical maintenance organisation would not meet with Duxford’s impressive conservation ethos.

If ML407 has had to move out where does that leave all of the other operators on site at Duxford?

I am trying to work that out too!!! Does it mean that all operators who just base their aircraft at DX have to move and operators with a fleet who carry out restorations can stay? :confused:

Brian.