why dont we have a sr71 in the uk?

This is why I like the SR-71.

(Oh and hello Moggy ;))

Hi you.

I bet those film cans are really shiny and dust-free 😉

The ‘Sally B’ item you mention sounds utterly stupid, the B-17 has much to do with our aviation past, thus is highly relevent.

Just so you don’t think I’m making this up….

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=31342&highlight=scrap+sally

I’m not sure why you think I’m wrong when you seem to agree with my basic point…:D

but anyone collection can only do so much with a given amount of time and money.

And the natural inclanation is to proritize by relevance…hense a unsuccessful prototype is less relevant than a Spitfire of Fortress.
Or a F-82 (though rare and interesting) is less relevant to most UK museums than a Barracuda.

You could argue that getting rid of the Mystere and the Comet 2 from Duxford are prime examples of prioritisation i.e removing aircraft that are either duplicated or not of ‘national’ interest.

As for Cosford – you could argue that the RAFM Museum acquired the Britannia from Southend – therefore they paid for it and displayed it in BOAC
colours so effectively it wasn’t just BA ‘dumping’ it’s unwanted aircraft at Cosford. You could also argue that the RAFM gained for a great number of years from the collection in terms of visitor numbers – what happened to the cash ?? Could they not have forseen that a national airline couldn’t maintain
aircraft for ever! Everyone loves giving BA a kicking – the reality is that the RAFM wanted them there as an attraction .

That will be the special heat dissipating and lower radar signature paint finish then!

JBoyle if you are correct in what you say (which I doubt) I am amazed anyone with an aviation/restoration bent can come up with anything as simplistic as prioritising looking after aircraft types because of national relevence. The ‘Sally B’ item you mention sounds utterly stupid, the B-17 has much to do with our aviation past, thus is highly relevent.
I can’t say I have ever heard of this prioritisation, in fact Duxford could be highlighted in going balls out, quite rightly, to protect and raise the profile of American types in the UK. Some may argue (pointlessly) why the British types wern’t afforded the same treatment. And it goes on and on, but anyone collection can only do so much with a given amount of time and money.

The Cosford thing was completely different, as Kev says.

Ashley, a one time Mod here and famed Spitfire polisher at Duxford set about it with her dusters shortly after it was put in place.

The result was the special matt and rather dusty looking finish being adorned with lots and lots of yellow fibres.

I think she retired quickly and quietly from the scene and only ever admitted it here.

Moggy

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

In my defence I knew nothing about the SR71, and was just handed a yellow fluffy duster and told to do some dusting 😮 I couldn’t really see the top of the aircraft, but immediately realised that there was a problem, so stopped, picked the fluff off and then beat a hasty retreat! 😀 The surface of the aircraft felt a bit like sandpaper, which knowing nothing about the aircraft at the time came as a bit of a surprise!

Fortunately for the SR71, these days I am more likely to be found slaving over a hot film can…

(Oh and hello Moggy ;))

Ashley, a one time Mod here and famed Spitfire polisher at Duxford set about it with her dusters shortly after it was put in place.
Moggy

Mouse?

She’s in need of a good clean and rub down

Ashley, a one time Mod here and famed Spitfire polisher at Duxford set about it with her dusters shortly after it was put in place.

The result was the special matt and rather dusty looking finish being adorned with lots and lots of yellow fibres.

I think she retired quickly and quietly from the scene and only ever admitted it here.

Moggy

J Boyle.

As far as I understood it British Airways retained ownership of the Cosford Airliners, not the RAF Museum. So, in essence, it was not so much a prioritisation by the RAFM, but a complete abandonment of responsibility on the part of their owners, British Airways. (Heathrow Concorde anyone?) As far as I could see, the rigt between the RAFM and BA became a chasm as evidenced by the sudden removal of the artefacts in the BA Museum annexe attached to Hangar 1 at Cosford and in the equally sudden removal of all references to BA. I personally sensed some antagonism between the two parties in the haste with which all trace of BA was removed and also in the fact that the old BA annexe which was the entrance to Hangar 1 was left empty for some appreciable time.

Regards,

kev35

Alot of the aircraft in post 20 don’t exist anyway, so kind of beside the point!
I cant agree with J Boyle, I’ve never heard of anyone prioritising preservation of types because one nationality is more important than the other.

You misunderstood what I was getting at, my point isn’t strictly about nationality…rather its relevance to UK aviation (and to be honest, the two factors are nearly always synonymous).

Not long ago, someone here attempted to highlight this issue with a tongue-in-cheek posting of “Let’s Scrap the Sally B”…their point being that resources should be spent on other types than the well-preserved B-17.
And we see Museums prioritize their collections all the time…(Cosford airliners, anyone?).

Again, my point is that there are many types absent from the UK and even if there were to be a sudden surpply of US, French, Japanese, German or Russian types available to UK museums, some would (correctly) ask the question…”Why do we want this aircraft” when hangar space, paint, general maintenance, etc. could be better used on a type with real UK aviation significance?

thanks for that! so much 2 see and so little time! lol
think newark will have 2 wait for the next trip by the looks of it i might be tight on time seeing everthing at duxford in one weekend!

is there no russian air force museum up there would rearly make it a good day out then!

Head north on the East Coast mainline and stop off at Newark Air Museum – they’ve a couple of MiGs on their inventory http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/newsItem.php?id=9

bbspolo, Good move ! If you go to Duxford for the weekend I am sure you will love it ! and learn so much ! I think you will need to ask a million questions and expect half a million answers ! We all have so much to learn and so much to enjoy, and so much of it is there just waiting for you ! Keith.

ooooooo space shuttle tiles would like one of them for the front room!!! 🙂

You can heat them up with an oxy/acetylene torch, then put the torch down & pick up the tiles barehanded without so much as a sizzle:cool:

y is there no russian air force museum up there

why would you want that 😀

well ive just booked a travel lodge for the weekend and booked a train ticket so im off 2 the Duxford next week! 🙂
y is there no russian air force museum up there would rearly make it a good day out then!

Alot of the aircraft in post 20 don’t exist anyway, so kind of beside the point!

Some American types are relevant to our aviation history, but personally I think we have a good coverage of types here in the UK in that respect.
A B-47 and a Marauder would be nice additions.
I cant agree with J Boyle, I’ve never heard of anyone prioritising preservation of types because one nationality is more important than the other.

There are hundreds of types missing from UK collections….some esoteric (Do 335), some decidedly less so (B-47…many of which were deployed here in the 50s).

But ask yourselves. “Do they need to be in the UK?”
(Other than to entertain UK aviation fans…as opposed to the average punter that goes to a museum or air show for a day out with the kids.)

Many foreign types have no UK connection.
Even IF there were a Brewster Buffalo or F-82 here, I can aleady hear the few voices on this forum that would say…”scrap/dispose of it, so we can take better care of planes with a UK connection”.

wow did not know there was that many missing from uk collections!
are most of those types no longer around or is it a case that for some reason we just dont seem to have any?

ooooooo space shuttle tiles would like one of them for the front room!!! 🙂

what other types do we not have in the uk?

Oh one or two types….

DH Hornet
Bristol Brigand
Westland Welkin
Fairy Barracuda
Supermarine Seafire FR47
AW Albermarle
Grumman Tigercat
Westland Wyvern S4
Lockheed P-38
NA P/F-82 Twin Mustang
Brewster Buffalo
Dornier 335 Pfeil
Focke Wulf TA152
AW Whitley
Short Stirling
Handley Page HP 42

er, there’s a whole heap more than that, but they are a few on my personal wish list.

C 6