Aircraft available for future preservation?

The one that doesn’t look likely to get a Vulcan

Moggy

If it wasn’t Blackpool then, apologies. I haven’t been following the saga very closely

The Vulcan (or rather Vulcan shaped mass of corroded aluminum) is in Blackpool………the pub is in Dukinfield, Cheshire. 😉

And you’re probably quite wise in not following the sorry saga very closely…. :rolleyes:

Which pub in Blackpool would that be then….. :confused:

The one that doesn’t look likely to get a Vulcan

Moggy

If it wasn’t Blackpool then, apologies. I haven’t been following the saga very closely

Sell it to that nice man with the pub in Blackpool. 🙂

Which pub in Blackpool would that be then….. :confused:

I would hope, but won’t hold my breath :rolleyes: that someone from RAFM or whatever has eyes on Chinook ZA718 ‘Bravo November’ for preservation for it’s famous sole surviving role in the Falklands War.
(I can hear Moggy saying out loud…scrap the eggbeater 😀 )

Rubbish.

Sell it to that nice man with the pub in Blackpool. 🙂

Moggy

It seems to be a hit and miss thing about ear-marking airframes for future preservation.
This seems to have happened with Tornado ‘Foxy Killer’ as the highest mission Tornado from Gulf War 1.
But it seems gems from the Falklands War have been overlooked.
To me it seems incredible that the Vulcan that went into Hendon wasn’t XM607, being the 3 mission Black Buck aircraft……… 😮 😡

The Sea Harrier situation with most being converted to FRS.2 looks a bit bleak as well.

I would hope, but won’t hold my breath :rolleyes: that someone from RAFM or whatever has eyes on Chinook ZA718 ‘Bravo November’ for preservation for it’s famous sole surviving role in the Falklands War.
(I can hear Moggy saying out loud…scrap the eggbeater 😀 )

I’m sure there are other examples of missed opportunities or ones about to be missed.

Hello All,

I have just looked at the Ministry of Defence Disposal Service Agency website and found they have two aircraft on the list for disposal.

1. The ETS Harrier GR.3 at RNAS Yeovilton, the SHAR they have was in a previous tender document.

2. The Buccaneer XV359 currently preserved at RNAS Culdrose

Cheers

Tim

RNZAF Weedons is closing this year I believe. It may already be gone. So I dear say the Canberra will be making its way to Wigram soon if not already.

Weedons was an amazing tresure trove of aviation junk. Most airmen never got to see inside the big store rooms there. I was lucky because I had a mate in the RNZAF Museum restoration team who was a volunteer, and he often used to find jobs for me to do officially (the base workshops used to do a fair amount for the museum in those days). He took me out on an official job once to assess stored saftey gear there. Funny thing was, he had been the same trade as me and knew the job backwards so this was really an excuse to show me round there. I remember then they had the crashed Dauntless there which was sad to look at, both for the plane, knowing it’ll never be restored, and for those who dies in it. Lots of Vilde and Vincent parts and Oxford bits, all of which are coming to something valuable now in the museum’s workshops where a Vildebeest and Oxford are being restored. Plenty of other stuff there too, all covered in pigeon crap.

Canberra B(I)8 – WT346

This airframe is still in storage at Weedons in NZ in its transportable state. See http://www.bywat.co.uk/wt346.html

WT346 was a good sample of the Canberra designed as an Interdictor and was the only complete airframe in the UK. Flixton has a cockpit section, XM279 (http://www.bywat.co.uk/xm279.html), and there’s a burnt out example at RAF Barkston Heath – WT339, (http://www.bywat.co.uk/wt339.html)

The only complete B(I)8 airframe left in Europe is XM264 at Flugausstellung Junior – near Hermeskeil, Germany. And its in a sad state (http://www.bywat.co.uk/xm264.html)

Hope this helps. 🙂

(All this makes me very sad! 🙁 )

This is of course how it should be done by professionals – It will however continue to be not done in accordance with the current Jethro Tull “thick as a brick” system.

Regards
John P

On this basis, I hope when the Oz Government decide to retire you they are compasionate. 🙂

Hi

I’m no expert in this case but I think you will find that the Hercs main value is as a spares reclaimation product to Marshalls – with so many in service there is a very good market for good quality spares and a lot of good aircraft are reduced to components as they are stripped of their useful parts. Often the aircraft is worth much more in parts than as a whole – unfortunately this means there isn’t much left to preserve as the cost of replacing the good bits with time expired / worn out stuff is prohibitive and the dead carcase is just scrapped. Towards the end of a types active career this is less of a problem as there tend to be more expired aircraft than demand for parts so aircraft then become available for preservation as their latent value has decreased.

Regards
John p

I’m sorry you didn’t receive a reply, I’m not sure why that would be. I can anticipate the answer however; I would think the only circumstances in which DX would intervene to acquire an aircraft of that size were if it were a) to be scrapped (as in this case) b) not taken by an institution with available resources *and* the clincher, c) one of the very last examples of its type. Which sadly any Hercules would not be. The reasons are the usual of resources or various types. Had we acquired a Herc it would have had to go outside in a substantially unconserved state.

Only six tankers were built.
In each case I wrote to the PR department. I suppose I thought that ideally a near time expired tanker would be handed over to Marshalls who would restore/repaint as necessary and hand it over to Duxford or RAFM Cosford.
Would have been good PR for Marshalls.
Dream on.. 🙁
mmitch.

Anyone know what has happened to XZ439?
My last record of it was at St Athan in storage in December 04

Tim
In reply to your question about ZA195, it came as part of the deal with XZ499, both aircraft had donated items to the active fleet, it was decided as XZ499 had a combat history that should be the one to be preserved as the type example. As for ZA195 going to a certain location in Suffolk, I have no knowledge of that, I am trying to get our Curator of Aircraft(the Corsair King) to join the forum. At least then he could exchange thoughts with a certain gentleman who keeps an aircraft in a hangar next to the A303 up the road from VL. He is the person who could answer many of the questions about the aircraft at FAAM that crop up from time to time on the forum.

More than a year ago now I tried to get RAF Lynham, Marshalls and Duxford interested in preserving a Herc. I suggested one of the tankers that Marshalls converted as a tanker for the Falklands would be ideal as a tribute to the company’s efforts (in 6 weeks?) I understood that they were near the end of their airworthyness. I was later told that 2 were scrapped. None of the places mentioned above replied.
mmitch.

I’m sorry you didn’t receive a reply, I’m not sure why that would be. I can anticipate the answer however; I would think the only circumstances in which DX would intervene to acquire an aircraft of that size were if it were a) to be scrapped (as in this case) b) not taken by an institution with available resources *and* the clincher, c) one of the very last examples of its type. Which sadly any Hercules would not be. The reasons are the usual of resources or various types. Had we acquired a Herc it would have had to go outside in a substantially unconserved state.

Yes, stretched Hercules, both the original version and the latest C-130Js, still serve with the RAF. Quite a few other nations use the long-fuselage Herks, but I can’t recall any other operators actually stretching their existing short-fuselage aircraft in the same way that Marshall’s did for the RAF in the late-70s / early-80s.

More than a year ago now I tried to get RAF Lynham, Marshalls and Duxford interested in preserving a Herc. I suggested one of the tankers that Marshalls converted as a tanker for the Falklands would be ideal as a tribute to the company’s efforts (in 6 weeks?) I understood that they were near the end of their airworthyness. I was later told that 2 were scrapped. None of the places mentioned above replied.
mmitch.

Last time I saw ZA175 was when it was being loaded onto the flatbed. We were down at Yeovil on a ski jump trial, and the ground crew found the spectacle of ‘175 being loaded much funnier than watching our jet off the ramp!

I hope ZA195 gets put back together and put on display. Did a large structural repair on the nose hinge frame just before she left Dunsfold for Warton. Shame to see her in such as state!

Anyone know what has happened to XZ439?

When did the B(I)8 go to NZ?
I was there in April ’04 and the only Canberra I recall was an ex RAAF one (unless it is being kept away from Wigram?)

The RNZAF Museum has two Canberras. The one on display in Hangar 1 is indeed an ex-RAAF one that was kindly donated to the musuem in about 1987. It flew into Wigram and is no doubt still quite possible of flight.

However it is quite different from those operated by the RNZAF, which is why they left it in RAAF colours. The RNZAF Museum bought the B(1)8 in about 1992 or 93. I recall it arriving when I was based there. This was the same model as those used in No. 75 Squadron. I didn’t realise it had come from Britain, I was told it had Indian origins, but that was probably just a base rumour.

I didn’t see the Canberra when I was there in Feb 04 and suspect it is still in storage awaiting assembly, possibly at Weedons. Sadly they haven’t the money and manpower to get all their projects done. The Catalina has been there untouched (after an iniial spurt of restoration by the Hobsonville workshops) since 1991. 🙁

Does the RAF still operate those awesome strecthed Hercules’s? One vistied Auckland when I was based there, and I simply loved it. One at least of those should be in a museum when they retire. Did any other nation use that modification on their Hercs?

Hello All,

Can anyone (inclding Seaking93) add anymore info on the SHAR FA.2 prototype ZA195, that was looking slightly gutted outside Cobham Hall last September?

Will it join the growing batch at Everett Aero near Ipswich.

On the subject of a Herc for Duxford or Cosford, I suspect we might have a long wait for that, as they are selling well on the second hand market.

Austria, Mexico, and Poland are getting/have got some of the first aircraft that were exchanged in the C-130J deal, and the W.2 has been sold to the Netherlands.

I also wonder if the Belfast at Southend has been rebuilt yet, it was supposed to join the other out in Australia.

Cheers

Tim

It looked a bit like this when it first arrived……..

Safely under cover now though. When I get some spare time I’ll be doing some further research on ZA175. Most obviously it made a kill as an FRS.1 in the Falklands. I’m fortunate to have a print of the incident signed by ‘Sharkey’ Ward hanging over my desk.

Hi

Well in an ideal world there would be a proper process observed at government level for the appropriate disposition of aircraft types from service to preservation/conservation including a position on airworthy preservation and spares packaging where appropriate. This position would also involve communication and joint Governance with Private and Public elements of the preservation industry as well as interjurisdictional liason to avoid SALT etc issues.

The Governance process would be overseen by a board with representative from the major stakeholder groupings.

This is of course how it should be done by professionals – It will however continue to be not done in accordance with the current Jethro Tull “thick as a brick” system.

Regards
John P