Red Bull Sea Vixen. No more sponsorship.

Placing the aircraft on loan to RNHF would not automatically qualify it for Crown indemnity. Without going around this buoy again, everyone wants to see the Sea Vixen continue to fly – no doubt about that. But sadly life isn’t quite a simple and convenient as we would all like it to be.

A vastly complex issue.

Here’s a thought, I’m tired, got a cold and cant sleep so bare with me! 🙂

Is the insurance for the RNHF covered by the crown? If so could not the Sea Vixen be put on loan to the RNHF who could then subcontract the maintenance back to dehavilland Aviation. This would save £90k on insurance. I take it the aircraft owners are willing to pay a certain amount of the yearly costs as this is what private aircraft owners do. That would then leave the remaining shortfall to be funded by a seperate account either with the RNHF or a branch of dehavilland Aviation. This could take the form of sponsors, donations and monthly direct debits from supporters. Is this idea mad?

I can see the first problem being the requirement that the RNHF aircraft need to be piloted by serving airmen but the pilot issue has to resolved anyway.

I’ll dissappear back to bed now.

I don’t know where this rumour started but as far as I know there isn’t (and never was) any substance to it whatsoever.

The rumour started in this thread! DeHavEng stated that was the plan although he later added that the situation had now changed.

The last we heard is that if no sponsor is found, she will be stored there.

I don’t know where this rumour started but as far as I know there isn’t (and never was) any substance to it whatsoever.

Thanks for the update, lets hope someone comes in with a sponsor. If the Vixen was a registered charity of course, you could have a Just Giving web page for donations which takes minimal effort to maintain, and the cash & gift aid goes straight in the bank at month end.
I know there is a lot of people here would gladly bung £5 – £10 your way on a semi regular basis ( figures based on a pint of beer in my local costing £2.80 a pint!) if results could be seen. Good luck with the Vixen, may we see her in flight soon.

Yep definitely include me! Come on lets get the ball rolling! Can she fly on a test permit or does the insurance predicament preclude that??

Will the Sea Vixen be taken to Yeovilton (flown?) for their Air Day static on 7th July? The last we heard is that if no sponsor is found, she will be stored there.

Hi again,some more info, the Vixen has had her Permit to Fly renewed however she has to have an air test prior to the issue of a full permit, and because of the predicament she is in at the moment the CAA has issued the test permit for one year (normally its a month), we carry out ground runs and fast “taxy’s” to maintain the engines as required by the CAA. she is coming in for her annual next week and having the tanks fitted!!!!!!. With regard to sponsorship that is still ongoing some sparks but no dosh. As for going around with the hat, its a good idea but having checked into the legal side of it we would need to employ a lot more people to administer it, again the paperwork side haunts me.

Thanks for the update, lets hope someone comes in with a sponsor. If the Vixen was a registered charity of course, you could have a Just Giving web page for donations which takes minimal effort to maintain, and the cash & gift aid goes straight in the bank at month end.
I know there is a lot of people here would gladly bung £5 – £10 your way on a semi regular basis ( figures based on a pint of beer in my local costing £2.80 a pint!) if results could be seen. Good luck with the Vixen, may we see her in flight soon.

Hi again,some more info, the Vixen has had her Permit to Fly renewed however she has to have an air test prior to the issue of a full permit, and because of the predicament she is in at the moment the CAA has issued the test permit for one year (normally its a month), we carry out ground runs and fast “taxy’s” to maintain the engines as required by the CAA. she is coming in for her annual next week and having the tanks fitted!!!!!!. With regard to sponsorship that is still ongoing some sparks but no dosh. As for going around with the hat, its a good idea but having checked into the legal side of it we would need to employ a lot more people to administer it, again the paperwork side haunts me.

Hi again,some more info, the Vixen has had her Permit to Fly renewed however she has to have an air test prior to the issue of a full permit, and because of the predicament she is in at the moment the CAA has issued the test permit for one year (normally its a month), we carry out ground runs and fast “taxy’s” to maintain the engines as required by the CAA. she is coming in for her annual next week and having the tanks fitted!!!!!!. With regard to sponsorship that is still ongoing some sparks but no dosh. As for going around with the hat, its a good idea but having checked into the legal side of it we would need to employ a lot more people to administer it, again the paperwork side haunts me.

Many thanks to P-K for his detailed post of a couple of weeks back. Apologies if my earlier post was somewhat provocative. The Sea Vixen is indeed a wonderful aircraft and many more airshow goers now know what it is thanks to the stirling efforts of DHA over the last few years. (and the two pilots involved). The new paint job looks superb and it is a sad irony that whilst many people were looking forward to seeing it displayed this year in the new livery that there is a very real possibility that it is to be grounded. The annual costs seem horrendous and it is easy to appreciate that a sponsor in todays “green-driven” climate might not be forthcoming. The question that remains though, is there anything that we can do?

Airtime are not the cheapest outfit in the UK and I suspect the above prices reflect this. They do however have some good expertise particularly the cover/paint work they did on a Maule a few years back and of course (i assume) on the Red Bull scheme

Im not “Vulcan’d” out but Im skint Id give my right arm to able to support both the Sea Vixen & Vulcan but any spare pennies I have go to a certain lovely little Cranberry. Oh by the way, my 4 yr old step son knows what a Sea Vixen is, along with a Canberra, Phantom, Shacklecon (not a typo thats how he says it LoL) HUnter & Whirlywind (again “Sammy Speak”) Buccaneer

Bex

Phixer – Nothing negative about it – enthusiasts always think th level of interest of the general public in historic aviation is greater than it is.

Ask any member of the public to name ten aircraft and you might get Harrier,Tornado,Vulcan,Cessna,Jumbo Jet etc – I somewhat doubt that
anyone could even name the Sea Vixen in the first twenty !
That’s why money doesnt flock to it.

Maybe, but my experience is that more people than one may think have heard of the Sea Vixen. Besides some of us aim to change that and it has been a popular attraction at air displays over the last few years.

Why be so negative?

Ask any member of the public to name ten aircraft and you might get Harrier,Tornado,Vulcan,Cessna,Jumbo Jet etc – I somewhat doubt that
anyone could even name the Sea Vixen in the first twenty !
That’s why money doesnt flock to it.

So presumably its game over. Am I the only one interested in getting info on this wonderful machine whilst a huge piece of grounded metal gets thousands thrown at it? 😡 :confused:

Thanks for that P-K. Please dont assume we, the willing ?? volunteer donators are Vulcan-d out. Perhaps if the tin triangle hadnt been such a cash sponge then many other projects, c-cvix included might have got a good share out. My frustration comes form the fact that we obviously know of the huge expense required but absolutely no fund rasing in the public sector has been forthcoming. Yes you need lots of fivers but unless you ask, you aint gonna get! With that in mind are we still counting down to 18 May as d-day re loss of CoA?

Bl***y bureucrats! They make me mad

hi Blue Max, read EASA regulations for aircraft with a maximum take off weight of over 28,000 lbs, they do not specify (or care) if the aircraft is VFR only. Cheers MarkW

£25K for Radio’s?Avionics, for VFR only:confused: