Think I upset one poster on UKAR – I don’t think I’ve changed my view though as their thread on this subject seems to contain more than a few posts that have lost touch with reality (but then this is common to many threads!). I guess it’s true that talking about retiring XH558 to Bruntingthorpe or Elvington or Coventry is a tad premature when they don’t seem to have even been asked but then that was partly my point. As far as I know, they have never even been asked which makes the “Academy” plan all the more absurd. I would imagine that all three places would gladly welcome XH558 given the opportunity, but it clearly isn’t going to happen. There’s not been so much as one word to suggest that VTTS have considered anything other than their own plan. It’s a tad galling when we’ve been told for so long that it’s the “people’s aeroplane” and yet the “people” don’t seem to be getting consulted in any way. It’s a very sad business.

I went along to see today’s take-off and as usual the airport was virtually dead – it is undeniably under-utilised and like many people I have to wonder what it’s long-term future will hold. In many respects XH558 looks rather like a spirit from the past moving amongst the deserted airfield. I also ventured further north to Elvington to see today’s display – a delight as always but a very restrained and gentle affair compared to the magnificent performance delivered by Kevin Rumens at Fairford.

Still no news of the final flight either. I imagine it’s going to be quite a day and it will be interesting (if not worrying) to see how the event is handled at Finningley. How will the local Police handle what will surely be an astonishing number of spectators? More to the point, does this mean that nobody is actually going to be within a reasonable distance to see/photograph the final historic touch-down? What a waste that will be if such a huge moment in Britain’s aviation history can hardly even be seen 🙁

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