Its time for some trumpet blowing here. Please don’t mention Pointy-eared sci-fi characters or delta winged aeroplanes here.
The NEAM / Newcastle Aviation Academy / XL319 roadshow was on tour today. We made a brief visit to the BAPC meeting at Derby, but it it the latter part of the day which I would like to say a few words about.
We went to Bruntingthorpe, for two reasons. The first was to show the Academy guys what a servicable V***** is like, just to give them some inspiration with XL319, and secondly to perform the initial stages of a deal to do with my work, to see a pair of Forumites – Rich and Max.
I would like to (VERY) publicly say thank you to Rich and Max, for taking the time to show us around the collection of aircraft and cockpits. In my humble opinion, I have finally found a group of enthusiasts who sum up all that is good about aircraft preservation. The collection (for those who have never been to Brunty) is completely in the open air, and there are no pristine examples of rare marques here, but the place is alive with enthusiasm! I love it! The Aircraft Preservation scene is full of people who polish ‘their’ collections of rare and interesting aircraft, but the hangars concerned are dead. (Sorry, but I’m thinking national collections here…). The guys at Bruntingthorpe have no such delusions of their own importance, operate live aircraft on a shoe-string budget, work outside in all weathers, AND have time for ‘outsiders’. I’m impressed in case you couldn’t tell. We were priveliged to have a good look around the Super Guppy, and we are five very happy people. For the most part, the Academy lads had never heard of a Guppy, let alone get inside one – a lasting impression has been left.
For those who have never been – GO! Put some change in their buckets. Its a worthy cause. If any collection deserve to have a hangar, its them. Before I get shouted at, i’m also including the Lightning chaps, and the Beech boys…
A note for Max especially – throughout your chosen path in aircraft preservation you will find many people who will try to put you down, tell you that you can’t do something, and generally get in the way. My humble advice is to ignore them, continue what you are doing, and do not ever let your skills slip. Above all, have fun.
Good work guys, and on behalf of XL319’s team, THANK YOU.
By: RitchandMax - 30th October 2007 at 17:01
Great idea.
Peter
I totaly agree, but can we have a HEATER in there as well!!
Denis,
No one is knocking you guys, but please, let the rest of us have a couple of seconds of fame for once. After all, once your ship has flown the nest, the rest of us will still be sitting there on the ground, all alone with no one to love us!!!
By: Peter - 30th October 2007 at 01:36
You know what I would like to see?
I would like more than anything for a HUGE hangar to be built or two LARGE hangars built to see all of the cold war jets placed under cover!!
By: Lindy's Lad - 29th October 2007 at 23:55
Come guys, we don’t wish to overshadow you, it’s just our profile is a little high at the moment, after all to a certain extent we are in the same game…. and don’t think it’s a bed of roses when it comes to shoe-strings we can boast a couple of boot laces.
I still have a connection with the cold war jets collection in Canopus and I do encourage all my hangar visitors to see the rest of the collection, but I have had to employ an enforcer to make sure they pay up when they leave us.
we are still part of the Bruntingthorpe team,
Denis
🙂
I don’t want to let this thread to degenerate into an arguement thread. All I want to do is say thank you to our hosts last weekend. The V***** has had alot of publicity and there are many other threads celebrating those achievements. I did enjoy our time in THAT hangar as a qualified aircraft engineer, but I was more impressed as a volunteer restorer with the guys outside.
Sadly I didn’t get over to the Lightning shed, or really have much time at all to savour everything – only a couple of hours, but I did look at things with a view to return! Brunty as a whole (both V-bombers included) has a huge amount of potential, and with some careful investment could become the cold war jet equivalent of Duxford. Imagine that!
By: Denis Parker - 29th October 2007 at 23:38
Come guys, we don’t wish to overshadow you, it’s just our profile is a little high at the moment, after all to a certain extent we are in the same game…. and don’t think it’s a bed of roses when it comes to shoe-strings we can boast a couple of boot laces.
I still have a connection with the cold war jets collection in Canopus and I do encourage all my hangar visitors to see the rest of the collection, but I have had to employ an enforcer to make sure they pay up when they leave us.
we are still part of the Bruntingthorpe team,
Denis
🙂
By: RitchandMax - 29th October 2007 at 18:30
Thanks!
Thanks Lindys Lad, and anyone else who has kind words for us.
It’s a pity you didn’t have more time John, as there is much more to see. We couldn’t open several cockpit’s or aircraft due to the high wind and sporadic rain, but your group did arrive with some sunshine!
As you know, we, like many others feel a little overshadowed by the Vulcan at the moment, but we keep plugging on.
Someone recently had a thread about what aircraft restoration meant to various people, and to me, it is sharing, not only our aircraft, but hopefully, some of our enthusiasm.
Both Max and myself have had the privilege of working with, and being able to call a friend, one of the most amazing men in aircraft preservation, Nev Martin. He took us under his wing, has shown endless generosity, and encouraged us when we felt beaten. He is 80 next week, but his energy puts us to shame.
I would also like to make a special mention of David Walton, who allows us to play in his back yard! the Lightning Preservation Group, who’s achievements I put above those of the V***** (sorry!) but they are an amazing bunch of guy’s, who I find particularly inspirational. They never cut corners, are a safe and careful group, but against the odds they make it happen, and I would encourage everyone who visits the tin triangle to take a look at what they are up to in the tree’s! The Canberra group, Cold war Jets, Beach restorations, the Buccaneer lads all of them individual but achieving miracles.
And our own bunch of renegades! Phoenix Aviation, I have already mentioned Nev, but in Malc, Roy, Vic, Tony the Bob’s, young Thomas, and Liam who come over from Ireland several times a year just for the fun of it, good friend’s and people I respect. The laughter over a cup of tea and a bit of cake is worth all the misery of the rain wind and cold.
Most of what people feel when they visit us at Bruntingthorpe is the spirit of what we are all trying to achieve, we are successful with bringing on youngsters, I believe because we don’t look down on them, we let them have a go, and put them right when and only when we need to.
Thanks again for the kind words, and if I haven’t mentioned anyone, sorry, a senior moment!! but you are all brilliant.
One last thought, Sunday is the official museum opening day, and most of us go down on a Saturday, so if you want to meet or see anything in particular, drop us a line and we will try and sort something out.
Ritch and Max.
By: 320psi - 29th October 2007 at 11:56
Hi ‘lindy’s Lad’
Glad you enjoyed your day, well done Max and Ritch,
Assume they showed you round the Q shed and the Lightnings ?
We wont be outside for much longer, 20 years in coming and my god has it been ‘fun’ 😀
By: Lincoln - 29th October 2007 at 10:27
I whole heartedly agree with you Lindy, we went for cold war jet day (I think it was) back in May(:confused: ) and it was chucking it down with rain, horrible weather but they still did some fast runs and noone left to get shelter, even my mum (who hates getting wet) stayed to watch, sadly my camera didn’t make it lol it didn’t like the rain, never was the same after, I have a new water proof one now lol 😀 :diablo:
I litterally only took 6 photos lol and of those these were the best of a bad lot lol:D
By: Lindy's Lad - 28th October 2007 at 22:37
lots of pics, but I’ll have to post them tomorrow – 4 hour drive each way has left me a little bit tired, and I have to edit the size of them before posting….:o
By: JetBlast - 28th October 2007 at 22:28
Cheers Lindy’s Lad, plenty of great guys (and possibly girls but i’ve never seen them!) at Brunty
Rusty will have your guts for garters saying that 😀 😀
By: Rlangham - 28th October 2007 at 22:25
Cheers Lindy’s Lad, plenty of great guys (and possibly girls but i’ve never seen them!) at Brunty, did you take any photos today? Must be very hard for the guys working out in the open, especially as winter’s approaching, it’s not the number one place to be on a cold dark windy day! That said I actually miss the place
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October 28, 2007 at 10:20 pm