Beaufighter for sale!

Just because nobody has responded to the ‘for sale’ advertisment yet does not mean people are not interested. I can think of two or three American collections that would be happy to spend a bit of money on another British aeroplane, take to bits and let it join a very long line of other aircraft stored, out of sight awaiting restoration.

My suggestion does not imply that I do not want to see the aircraft in the sky. But as the current owner feels unable to proceed with the project it is doultfull if any other UK group would consider taking it on. Steve states that the Beaufighter is the last mk1c and is of historic significance, therefore would it not be better owned by a National museum with a restoration funded by the state, with public /corperate sponorship and the assitance of a fund raising campain. When complete it would stand as a tribute to all servicemen and women who used the aircraft during the war years. It could take pride of place in a new WW2 themed aviation galley to compliment an alreday excellent museum.

Come IWM show us that you care about British Aviation, purchase the Beaufighter, apoint Skysport to to restore it static condition and in years to come we can all enjoy the sight.

Dont give it to the RAFM they with paint as a target tug and hang it from the roof :>)

DOUGHNUT

ps my point about staying ‘on thread’ was not to mention the Mosquito but Graeme C already done that

OK lads and lasses, lets get our act together,

for Moggys sake:D

Willow

Originally posted by Willow

Moggy, do you have a twin rating?

Willow

😀 😀 😀

I do indeed, though it’s a while since I’ve flown anything with more than one engine. But hey, for a Beaufighter I’d fund the renewal myself, even if it meant selling Mrs Moggy 😉

Moggy

But can you get a move on? I’m not as young as I used to be and 100 year old Beau pilots are a bit of rarity.

Originally posted by Graeme C
i think we ” readers” should donate money towards the beau, and possibly a Mossie.

We could ask the readers of flypast to donate a £5 to see a flying mossie or beau. Or in the beaus case to keep it in the country. Flypast could collect the money, then they could sponcer the aircraft,but the aircraft would be owned by us?

We could all become shareholders in it.
To keep DOUGHNUT happy, the finished aeroplane could be based with a regularly open museum, but one with a runway long enough to operate it.

Coventry springs to mind, but how long is the remaining runway at East Kirby? Cosford and Middle Wallop would also be suitable.

We’d need a pilot though.

Moggy, do you have a twin rating?

Willow

😀 😀 😀

Originally posted by DOUGHNUT
My question to you is how quickly and at what cost could the aircraft be returned to static display condition?
DOUGHNUT

NO PLEASE NO!

If there is even the remotest chance of an historic aircraft flying please don’t suggest some static ‘restoration’ so that it can sit gathering dust and corroding in a museum someplace.

Aircraft belong in the sky 😡

Moggy

Doughnut,

I wasn’t aware we’d wandered ‘off thread’ at all.

Yes, I do feel quite proud of the fact that I’ve been involved with the aeroplane, but at the end of the day I was just an unskilled volunteer who decided to devote some spare time to a very worthwhile project. For Tim Moore to welcome me onto the project despite my lack of an engineering background, and the fact that all I could offer was enthusiasm, speaks volumes for the man. I have a great deal of respect for Tim, and I wouldn’t want to comment on what type of deal he may or may not accept – that’s very much his business.

A far as whether the aircraft would make a good static exhibit, yes, I’m sure she would. But in my opinion, it would be a waste. It has always been the intention to restore her to airworthiness, and everything done to her so far has been to that end. You wouldn’t believe some of the standards on that aeroplane – it’s been a real eye opener for me. For all that work to go into an aeroplane that would then spend the rest of its days cooped up in a museum somewhere, rather than up where she belongs, would be wrong. That said, we know it’s a huge job to return ANY aeroplane to flight, let alone something as large and complex as a Beaufighter. But the boys at TFC are showing the world it CAN be done; just add copious amounts of time and money.

Ah yes, money. You see, this is where it all falls down a bit. You wrote “I feel that in such a condition it would become more relevant and interesting to a museum as a new exhibit. …… with the museum paying for the nessecary materials and labour.”, which assumes that there are museums or individuals out there who have the money to take the Beau on. I’d suggest, given that she’s been available for some months, that that isn’t quite the case…

Steve

i think we ” readers” should donate money towards the beau, and possibly a Mossie.

We could ask the readers of flypast to donate a £5 to see a flying mossie or beau. Or in the beaus case to keep it in the country. Flypast could collect the money, then they could sponcer the aircraft,but the aircraft would be owned by us?

To Steve Young,

You are obviously proud of your invovlement with the the Beaufighter project, and rightly so. But much is made of the cost and time required to finish the aircraft as an airworthy project. My question to you is how quickly and at what cost could the aircraft be returned to static display condition?

I feel that in such a condition it would become more relevant and interesting to a museum as a new exhibit. Could a deal be made with Skysport and a potential buyer? For Skysport to prepare the Beaufighter to their usual high standards, with the museum paying for the nessecary materials and labour. If dealt with correctly everybody wins, the museum gets a rare and historic aircraft, Skysport recieve work, therefore money, therefore a small profit, (and also clears a small corner of their workshop) and, most importantly, we all gain the oppertunity to see the finished product.

Comments welcome, but lets try to stay ‘on thread’ this time please.

DOUGHNUT

Maybe if all of us here on the forum club together, we could buy it. 🙂

Between us we’d certainly have the enthusiasm and the expertise to restore it!!

Possibly not the cash though.

HEY… wait a minute.

It’s a Flypast Forum, maybe Key Publishing would sponsor us.

What do you say???????

Willow

Anne, X7688’s been available since early this year. She’s had some restoration work done, which is to a very high standard as you’d expect from Skysport, but there’s still a long way to go before she’d be ready to go again.

Sadly there just wasn’t enough resource on her as she’s house owned and therefore not a revenue earner, therefore the only labour on her was voluntary. Despite lots of enthusiasm, the most recent bloke who’d been working on her wasn’t an engineer by trade, and so couldn’t really get into an in depth work, and of course as a volunteer was only getting in once a week and even that was work permitting.

That said, I’d love to see X7688 fly eventually, as she’s the last true Mk1 left (that USAF Museum aircraft is supposedly a 1C, but I’m not so sure), and is certainly a very historic aircraft, having flown operationally for 18 months in 1942 / 43.