Vc-10,tristar,hercules + many more

“Another information wanted is on the Classic civil props Electras and the Dc-3 what is the news please help and give your views ..”

Ice pilots series one dvd has plenty of smoky Electra action, and the boss seems to keep the DC-3 to himself..you’ll find it interesting I’m sure.

Indeed…..Still very impressive!

Not if they were based at Fairford in 1967 it won’t 😉

46 then!:D

As an aside, when the VC10 retires in 2013, the fleet would have been based continually at Brize Norton for 47 years. Is this a record for a single front line type in one location?

Not if they were based at Fairford in 1967 it won’t 😉

C130 Hercules

Great news about the Herc JT!

Im hope they consider conserving a “prodded” Hercules as a memento of the sterling work done by the Herc during the Falklands affair

What you’re looking for is enlightened souls with buckets of spare cash…. and an airfield / vast amount of flat concrete. Those people are very few and far between. Mr. Walton of Bruntingthorpe fame springs to mind…. I wouldn’t like to imagine how much money he has lost through the collection of aircraft.

It’s a sad business. Given the number of abandoned airfields around the country (many of which are still retained by by the MoD), one would think that it would not be much of an effort to keep lots of airframes, even if they’re simply left in open storage. Doubtless they wouldn’t last forever but it would be far better than simply destroying them. I accept that there’s a drive to recover as much money as possible even if it’s only scrap value, but it is a shame that there are not some enlightened souls around who would accept that some aircraft could be kept for posterity. What goes-on at Wroughton these days, for example? Why is it such a difficult concept to simply retain aircraft somewhere? Heaven-knows there’s enough space around. There seems to be an absurdly eager appetite to destroy aircraft almost for the sake of it, it seems, and yet there are acres of empty concrete around the UK, slowly getting covered with grass.

Hear Hear, losing XX105 is a terrible shame.

..not to mention the second production Avro 748, G-ARAY. It seems even smaller transports are not immune from the axe, so what hope is there for anything larger?:confused:

Everybody was surprised at just how well the tankers had fared, the assumption was that they would have been very well used and abused and fit for nowt when they came home.

However, the first one back was subjected to a thorough tear down inspection and found to be in better nick than any of the rest of the fleet.

I am pretty certain that the first three tankers back were given a big refurbishment by Marshalls and sold on to the Sri Lankans. I am not sure if the refurbished versions which were sold to the Austrians were ex tankers.

This will give you an idea of how valuable C130 is in the global market. The killer for the C130K fleet has been lifex wingboxes and there is a world shortage of spare ones. If there were any available at less than stupid amounts of money we wouldn’t be having this conversation as new wingboxes would have given probably 20 years extra life.

I am led to believe that there was even a plan to strip the short J wingboxes out to fit to the Mk 3A Ks at one point, but that really set the cat amongst the pigeons.

Back on the topic of TriStar preservation, if I had my way Marshalls would be commanded by act of parliament to maintain in perfect nick at least one TriStar, as remuneration for the amount of money they have fleeced from the MOD on converting and upgrading over the years. That and the amount of days wasted in theatre by troops coming home after getting shot at for 6 months, caused by the delay in getting a jet out of Marshalls post servicing/upgrade. But don’t get me started on that!

Pah! Get some op time in shiney fleet!

Ok, deployed ops, (quite a way) outside of the UK if we’re getting pedantic.;)

Pah! Get some op time in shiney fleet!

The first troops that deployed on Op Banner in 1969, did so in Fat Albert (a mere toddler at just two years old). I flew my last Banner run in 2007 just as the op was finally declared over.

I would love to see lots of Hercules preserved all over this country as we owe it a huge debt as a nation, but the harsh reality is Lockheed’s finest is still very sought after and bits of it are VERY valuable to Military and Civil operators. If you consider the money spent on the flight deck alone in the last ten years on upgrades, a full spares recovery programme is very lucrative indeed.

A very sad end to a mighty servant, but these are the times we live in.

I would like to know what is the current update on the Comet that is at Lyneham is this going to move to Brize Norton ??

Comet looks to be going to Cosford, thread here, http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=109403

BTW am I alone in thinking that it would be great to see the last K.4 preserved?

with it’s Million pound dustbin 😉

would make sense as it is a stretched 10 and cannot think of another surviving.

I suppose that’s a question for IWM to answer as to whether they consider the C1K/K3/4 historically important enough in a military context (they have after all be continuously on ops for over 20 years).

Equally it could be asked if they could justify the expense of having two aircraft of the same type but in different paint, most visitors wouldn’t be worried about it. There then also creeps in the ugly spectre of the civil 10 possibly being disposed of when someone in the future can’t justify spending money on both airframes (see Dux Victor thread!) and the RAF one is in better nick.
As long as Cosford and Brunty get a C.1K the military version will be represented.
BTW am I alone in thinking that it would be great to see the last K.4 preserved? We have it in on maintenance and it’s surprising how different it looks to the C.1s.

Great news about the Herc JT!

Nice story TonyT, and the 10 and Herc both share some massive humanitarian accolades.

I happen to have heard that a Hercules is being saved.. and fairly soon by all accounts.

Marshalls are also well aware of XV177 (or whichever the first one to the RAF was) and will ensure it is saved providing it has a successful end to its career.

Yep I was told 808, 807 was older, but 808 was first to Brize, because Cosford wasn’t ready for her, 808 took the place of 109 on a Major and 109 was scrapped instead…….. so when 808 is due it should go to Cosford.

I suppose that’s a question for IWM to answer as to whether they consider the C1K/K3/4 historically important enough in a military context (they have after all be continuously on ops for over 20 years).

Define ops……. the C1K was part of the shiney 10 fleet and was involved in the likes of the Falklands war, they were also used to restock RAFG bomb stores during the coldwar as well as deploying / flying troops all over the world to all the little wars we get involved in……. I think she has earned her place.

She even brought back that poor girl who was one of the first known Aids sufferers when no one else would touch her……… Will always remember that, she was in a isolation tent on board and the crew / people meeting the aircraft were in full NBC kit if memory serves me correctly, it parked over the far side of Brize as she was offloaded then the aircraft departed, to I think Boscombe for a full decontamination, such was the unknown quantitiy of Aids in those days… sadly she died not long after, but what must have been going through her head, when, if she was lucid, on hearing that the RAF were coming for her to bring her home, and then seeing them in full NBC kit…… It’s just one of those little things the RAF do that never gets told.

I thought the VC-10 to Dux was off due to them already having the BOAC example?

I suppose that’s a question for IWM to answer as to whether they consider the C1K/K3/4 historically important enough in a military context (they have after all be continuously on ops for over 20 years).

I thought the VC-10 to Dux was off due to them already having the BOAC example?

Re Britannias I actually think that they are good example of the balance of preservation being just right, four complete examples is all that is realistically needed to represent the type, and two are in RAF colours, though only XM496 at Kemble is a genuine RAF C.1.

Wasn’t a 10 mooted for Duxford as well, last one will be going Brunty as a runner I believe, and one as said to Cosford, have the serail somewhere, but was the first into service i think…………….

I think the original plan was XR808 (Bob). Whether any consequences of the Libya issue, and potential extension of other airframes in the fleet will change this is another matter.

As for Duxford, is there the capacity and money for the upkeep of another very large airframe (although one that would easily fit under the IWM banner)?

As an aside, when the VC10 retires in 2013, the fleet would have been based continually at Brize Norton for 47 years. Is this a record for a single front line type in one location?

Wasn’t a 10 mooted for Duxford as well, last one will be going Brunty as a runner I believe, and one as said to Cosford, have the serail somewhere, but was the first into service i think…………….

EX VC10 man…….. 😎

Tristars make a good cinema, used watch the odd film at night in one… fuselage would make a good interactive classroom, with the ability to show films, if it wasn’t for the size