Thorium is as-yet undeveloped technology. And you can’t make bombs from it. Apart from that, I don’t think you are missing anything.

Several L159s operating out of Teesside International Airport most days.

Thanks. I had rather assumed as much- it was just the “heading South from Wetherby” that had me puzzled. If it originated at Leyburn that would make absolute sense.

Oh Mighty Runway23. I bow down to your excellence. It is said that humour on the Interweb doesn’t translate well. I hope that this is the case here. In your post you accuse me of being “even lazier” than the OP. The OP posted a picture, admitted that he was lazy, and then walked away.  I stared at it for ages trying to work out the best fit for the serial number on an admitted low resolution picture. I then went through several of my reference books repeatedly cross-referencing them, for about an hour. I posted my best guess for what I found. Lazier? Bollocks. Post your apology or at least qualify your attempt at humour. The second poster took up my post and found a picture that matched my guess at the serial number. That picture actually adds another question as to what the fuselage codes mean. I spent a while today and can’t work it out.

Finally- you claim that you are right and I am wrong. The interpretation of the last digit is nuanced. Unless you know for sure for a reason other than looking at the picture. If you do know for certain please educate the forum as to why. As a scientist I never denied the possibility that I might be wrong or my interpretation could have missed something. I hold that position to this day. Right now we have my best interpretation versus your statement that I am wrong and lazier.

It might sound odd, but as a retiree with a bit of money around, does anyone of the forum have any idea as to how likely any of those Griffons are to be restorable to ground running, and how much they are likely to fetch in the end. I know that a few ex- Shackleton Griffons have been retrofitted to single prop but they haven’t in general done well.

It’s not so much a tough crowd as no crowd. Even the former enthusiasts who pass by say that it is just that- the occasional pass by.  You can’t expect comments from folk who aren’t here.

I have been here for a while now. I can’t say exactly why folk left the mess that the forum descended into, but it is a hard reality that lots of the serious experts and all of the Duxford photo guys walked away. The forum might grow slowly into a new being- although I doubt it- but it will need a quantum shift to tease those lost experts back. Yes it is a free forum but millions of expert life years were also given back for free until………………. I find more posts from the big Spitfire names on a facebook page. I wish this forum well but while I drop in occasionally, there is rarely anything to make me want to stand up and offer a thought. So long and thanks for all the fish.