What Now and Next for OFMC?

time flies.

I’ll show myself out………..

That was baout four or five years ago. Former Historic mod Ashley arranged a forum visit to Duxford. We had an interesting tour of OFMC with Lee P. Someone asked if they were keeping their watches – the answer was yes! Also had a fab fascinating tour of the document and map store on the North Side, followed by road kill platter in the Whitt Red Lion. Hixton RL didn’t want us!

The La-9 is currently for sale with Courtesy Aircraft at $850,000.

The P40 and Corsair are now “owned” by the suspiciously similarly named Old Stick and Rudder Company based at Masterton in God’s Own Country – i.e. NZ. This is run by a chap called James Slade, also coincidentally based in Hong Kong where Ray used to be when he flew with Cathay, so I suspect they have been associated for a while. He is interviewed in the Warbirds Over Wanaka 2006 DVD and makes a point about how much of a honour it was to buy Ray’s aircraft of him!

Link for OSRC: http://www.oldstickandrudder.com/index.html

Just found out that Ray Hanna had the same veiws as me about aircraft being based in the country they flew for 😎

James

Well he disguised it pretty well for a good number of years.

Do OFMC still own the P-40 and Cosair that Ray send to NZ?Just found out that Ray Hanna had the same veiws as me about aircraft being based in the country they flew for 😎

James

Ah thats a real shame. I do know what you mean though about it no being the same since Ray and Mark.

Still its a shame that it is no longer the booming aircraft operator it once was

time flies.

I’ll show myself out………..

I don’t believe that Breitling have any connection now with OFMC. Nigel Lamb is still sponsored by them for his Red Bull flying and they sponsor the French based L39 team, plus of course the Connie so they still make an important contribution to aviation.

I believe that OFMC was never really structured as an aircraft owner itself but more as an operator on other peoples behalf. This is different to,say, the Fighter Collection, which is Stephen Gray’s personal collection. You can see this on the G-INFO website as MH434 has a different registered owner to Frankie. All the TFC aircraft are registered to the same company however. How many of the aircraft that OFMC have had over the years that the Hanna’s actually had a finacial interest is obviously not something that would be in the “public domain”.

This sort of operation is quite common in aviation. The company I work for operates a large fleet of aircraft but only a small number that we actually own – and even then no one really “owns” high value aircraft, they are all really held by banks and leasing companies! As a company we charge management fees to look after aircraft and hence make revenue, I would imagine that OFMC operates in a similar manner.

So I would presume the future of OFMC lies with the individuals who actually own the aircraft. As long as they wish to continue to have OFMC look after their aircraft then they should be able to carry on. I don’t imagine the overheads of the company would be that high as all the expensive items like maintenace and insurance would be passed on to the aircraft owners.

Hope the above is of interest, apologises if little long winded!

Hi all , i stand corrected on the breitling sponsorship, didnt realise that it had ended.

Steve

I don’t believe that Breitling have any connection now with OFMC. Nigel Lamb is still sponsored by them for his Red Bull flying and they sponsor the French based L39 team, plus of course the Connie so they still make an important contribution to aviation.

I believe that OFMC was never really structured as an aircraft owner itself but more as an operator on other peoples behalf. This is different to,say, the Fighter Collection, which is Stephen Gray’s personal collection. You can see this on the G-INFO website as MH434 has a different registered owner to Frankie. All the TFC aircraft are registered to the same company however. How many of the aircraft that OFMC have had over the years that the Hanna’s actually had a finacial interest is obviously not something that would be in the “public domain”.

This sort of operation is quite common in aviation. The company I work for operates a large fleet of aircraft but only a small number that we actually own – and even then no one really “owns” high value aircraft, they are all really held by banks and leasing companies! As a company we charge management fees to look after aircraft and hence make revenue, I would imagine that OFMC operates in a similar manner.

So I would presume the future of OFMC lies with the individuals who actually own the aircraft. As long as they wish to continue to have OFMC look after their aircraft then they should be able to carry on. I don’t imagine the overheads of the company would be that high as all the expensive items like maintenace and insurance would be passed on to the aircraft owners.

Hope the above is of interest, apologises if little long winded!

That’s news to me. I thought the Breitling sponsorship ended with the expiry of their sponsoring the four ship ‘Breitling Fighters’.

Im not sure if this has been asked already, but does anyone know if the OFMC are looking at new aircraft or are in the process of restoring any more warbirds to the skies. It just seems a bt of a shame to me that they used to have many, and now not so many.

Can any of u enthusiasts shed any light?

thanks alot

Ross

Hi Ross , personally i dont think the OFMC have been the same without Ray & Mark. I know others have carried on flying the aircraft & brietling still sponsor them but not quite the same .

Steve