Scots Beau Pic?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drem
Try sending an email to East Fortune, they might be able to supply you with a couple of pics then and now.

JDK
A good suggestion, one I’ve already tried…

I wonder have the Museum provided you with any pictures. Some of it coming off the transport would be interesting as would some from Portugal. Or will we need to wait for a magazine article?

Jonathon – Not for one minute would I suggest they deviate from best practice ! However if it’s a supersonic airliner and the wings are too wide to move it……………

So because you see one area in which you perceive the museum to failing to meet best practice, you criticise an attempt to do elsewhere.

Doesn’t really follow, does it?

I’ll offer 50p, with your present exchange rate I reckon you could get a nice new motor for that :p

On a similar tangent – Skysports Beau (as championed by the late Steve Young) is that still for sale…? Any movement….?

TT

Please dont delete the tread JDK! 😉

Do I see offers of money? No. 😀

As the thread’s served it’s original purpose, I don’t mind letting it run. My comment would be that running museums is also ‘the art of the possible’ and that ‘possible’ includes a lot of politics and diplomacy that’s invisible or irrelevant to some of us – but dictates what can be done much more than we like to acknowledge, but the museum needs to accept – hence cropping wings and storing, for two items mentioned.

Jonathon – Not for one minute would I suggest they deviate from best practice ! However if it’s a supersonic airliner and the wings are too wide to move it……………

Hope JDK is not reading this as he said “Anyone wishing to debate the collecting or current policy of the museum is welcome to do so – but on a new thread. If it appears here, I will just delete this thread entirely, as it was created for a specific and different purpose..”
Please dont delete the tread JDK! 😉

Jonathon – Not for one minute would I suggest they deviate from best practice ! However if it’s a supersonic airliner and the wings are too wide to move it……………

Jonathon – that must of been the same type of water that was raining down on it for years when stuck near the sea at Alverca !

Less than ideal conditions, for sure. I’m sure you’re not suggesting this is a reason to avoid using the best available materials and techniques once an airframe is out of harm’s way.

Hi James,

Not sure if you are still interested but here are a few shots of Beaufighter TF.X RD220 from my visit to East Fortune a few years ago. For the life of me I can’t remember the date, but I think it was August 2002 ish, I will confirm.

Jonathon – that must of been the same type of water that was raining down on it for years when stuck near the sea at Alverca !

Thanks Jonathan, thats the stuff.
I think it was APSS (Aircraft Preservation Society of Scotland), that started to carry out the early work on the Beau, seem to remember the pilots seat and the rear wheel also being on show for a while as well.

Tiny little bits of the Beau have been restored and were on display before the whole lot was packed away.
A couple of people I know walked of site when the NMS brung in their own “Experts” and demanded that the first thing they would need was specialy treated water (what they meant by that I dont know), where as before bits and pieces were simply run under a tap containing ordinary “Cooncil Juice”.

I’m sure that as professional museum conservators, they did indeed suggest deionised water.

Tiny little bits of the Beau have been restored and were on display before the whole lot was packed away.
A couple of people I know walked of site when the NMS brung in their own “Experts” and demanded that the first thing they would need was specialy treated water (what they meant by that I dont know), where as before bits and pieces were simply run under a tap containing ordinary “Cooncil Juice”.

I can’t recall whether it was in the storage hangar at the time of the Scottish meet up (which was 2 years ago now!), but something tells me it was temporarily on display before Concorde arrived. :confused:

Ok will keep my comments for another day! Here are some photographs (sorry it took a few goes as I had to delete all my other submitted photos to release enough space) taken at the “Official” arrival day at East Fortune when the Beaufighter had been uncrated and arranged in a reasonably viewable state. If you wish bigger originals just email me and I will scan them for you. You will note that some work had been underatken on the forward fuselage but the state of the wings highlights the extent of the work required to produce a proper exhibit. I have not seen the airframe since the exhibits were moved around after “Concorde” arrival, but it seems to have all the major parets but little in the way of interior fittings unless they were still in boxes.

The Beaufighter was bought by the Museum of Flight in 2000 after raising £190,000. Much of these funds were from the general public, with I understand I person donating £60,000. Since then it has been in store. Thats 6 years now with no restoration work and not even on display. The museum web page says its under restoration!!

Fair points, Robert. In balance, I should point out that a museum’s first duty is to preserve its acquisitions. Restoration later rather than sooner is no crime, however disappointing that may be. And it’s not helpful, and disingenuous to say it’s under restoration’ when it’s stored, but I think we have to accept that museum’s are leaning to ‘spin’ their public information just like politicians and businesses.

Anyone wishing to debate the collecting or current policy of the museum is welcome to do so – but on a new thread. If it appears here, I will just delete this thread entirely, as it was created for a specific and different purpose.

Thanks to those who’ve responded.

The Beaufighter was bought by the Museum of Flight in 2000 after raising £190,000. Much of these funds were from the general public, with I understand I person donating £60,000. Since then it has been in store. Thats 6 years now with no restoration work and not even on display. The museum web page says its under restoration!!

Try sending an email to East Fortune, they might be able to supply you with a couple of pics then and now.

A good suggestion, one I’ve already tried…

“Filton Flyer’s” already been in touch. Many thanks all.

See here for pictures of it at East Fortune

www.filton.flyer.co.uk/bristol/surveylist.htm

Try sending an email to East Fortune, they might be able to supply you with a couple of pics then and now.

Hi Oliver,
Good man. Check your PMs.

From the Warbirds Directory…

(to FA Portuguesa as BF-10)