Spitfire – What a dish.

It’s difficult to describe the situation surounding the Swift without going into personal detail,but I can say that the idea of swapping it for another airframe is now not an option. The owners have stated that they wouldn’t want another airframe on the premesis if the Swift were to leave.
I second the apologies for dragging the discussion off topic,sorry Mark.

Info on the Swift courtesy of Damien’s site:

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/swift/survivorspics1.html

Is it right that the owners at Sheppards would consider a swap for a Harrier? With all of the Sea Harriers coming onto the preservation scene there might be scope for a deal.

Maybe the FAAM museum could offer one of the less significant Sea Harriers (one without combat history etc..) to save a direct relative of some of the interesting Supermarine jets stored at Yeovilton. Did the Swift have any naval history ? (not that I’m aware of but it is not a subject I have much background knowledge on)

Alternatively could the Swift form an exhibit in nearby Cosford’s new cold war exhibition? Conserved in its present condition (but kept indoors with steps taken to stop further corrosion), it could demonstrate how the rapid pace of change during the cold war led to ‘high tech’ aircraft with very short service lives….

…the fact that it has SURPLUS painted down the fuselage in big letters would make it an interesting exhibit in this context!!!!!

PS. ~Suddenly feeling rather guilty~ Sorry about hijacking your thread Mark12 😮

The Swift is still there,and withstanding the British climate pretty well considering she’s largely unpainted. She’s looking very scruffy,and she is rotting quite badly in a few places,but conversely she’s as good as new in many places. I last saw her about 18 months ago.
Solent Sky have made numerous approaches to the owner over the last couple of decades,but have never been able to clinch a deal. Now they have the F.7 project,it does seem very unlikly that she’ll find a home there.
Part of the reason this aircraft hasn’t been rescued is the painful experience the owner had when he sold the Spit. I’m not going to give any details,but it’s true to say that any trust the owner may have had in the preservation movement was severely dented.Any appraoch would have to be a long term trust building exercise before any practical or financial discussions.

Slightly off topic (but next door), the adjacent surplus/outdoors/garden centre for a long while has been home to a Supermarine Swift. I haven’t visited for a couple of years, is it still there? I have not heard any news about it lately.

Presumably one potential avenue for proper preservation has closed off now that ‘Solent Sky’ have secured a Swift in better condition.