Yes, of course it would be regrettable to loose the only Comet 2/C2, and currently the only Comet in RAF Transport Command colours, but the only really appropriate place to display it, Cosford, already has a Comet.

And Comet 1XB XM823 has a history that fits well into the Cosford collection; it was a trials aircraft, carried a military serial, was painted in Transport Command colours (nearly) and could be painted so again.

It is also very important in its own right as the last complete Comet 1.

Who knows, with the current trend for painting aircraft in authentic colours (RAFM Tempest, IWM Mosquito) isn’t it possible that one of the other genuine RAF Comet C4 aircraft may wear Transport Command colours again?

No, no, no…..Tu-144…..ugly sister…..with a moustache…

…moustache…..get it? 😀

Sorry guys, maybe I should have said ‘race of masterminds’ or ‘master-race’…

…it’s obviously a bit early for jokes! 😀

Unfortunately we lost our only airliner standard 707, in a wicked cull…

Wasn’t the 707 scrapped at Cosford the last surviving Rolls-Royce Conway engined version?

I’m not much of an airliner fan myself but the accidents that overtake them are well documented and usually contain a lot of engineering so spark my interest. The only other thing that I know about the Conway engined version of the 707 is that a BOAC one was lost over Japan when it broke-up in severe turbulence. No prizes for guessing why that has been on my mind recently.

Same goes for my Comet knowledge; I’m pretty sure the RAF C2/C4 fleet had a good safety record…..because I know little about them.

A question for those who are primarily interested in airliners…..why are there so few in museums?

The deal has effectively been done with Magna International/Russian banks, and this has been approved by the German government (who are providing a significant portion of the funds, in return for a promise that no German factories will be closed).

So, no protectionism there then! :rolleyes:

Goodbye Ellesmere Port. 😡

A bit more oblique thinking.

While there are five other complete preserved Comets in the UK only two of them are under cover at Duxford and Wroughton (I’m guessing)…..or maybe it is the Comet 1 at Cosford that is under cover?

Comet 1 – XM823, F-BGNY – RAF Museum Cosford – Under cover?

Comet 4 – G-APDB – DAS Collection, IWM Duxford – Under cover
Comet 4B – G-APYD – Science Museum collection, Wroughton – Under cover
Comet 4C – G-BDIX – Museum of Flight, East Fortune.
Comet 4 – XS235 – Cold war jets collection, Bruntingthorpe

(Hopefully Bruce won’t mind me appropriating part of his list.)

So if the budget for even moving the Lyneham C2 to storage somewhere is of the order of £100,000 wouldn’t that money be better spent in ensuring the long-term survival of the remaining Comets? How much is a hangar?

How long have the other Comets been outside?

How long will they last if they remain outside given the fragile nature of some of the exotic early alloys they were built with?

…this is still the only RAF example in the UK…

…she is more important in the military jet transport context than in the wider Comet one in general.

Am I missing something; is there an RAF Comet C2 preserved abroad?

While I agree that this Comet is better representative of the RAF service of the Comet the obvious places to preserve it, Cosford, Hendon or Duxford either already have one (but not a C2 obviously) or don’t want this one…..the RAF Museum having already washed its hands of this particular airframe.

Don’t get me wrong I’d truly love to see it saved but it is going to be an uphill struggle if the best options are non-starters.

…if we lose Vauxhall in the UK to be replaced by the far more stylish Opel brand I can’t say I’ll be sorry.

I wouldn’t take that attitude very close to Ellesmere Port if I were you! :diablo:

The Vauxhall and Opel brands are identical surely; literally, only the badge is different.