One of the first I worked on, and great memories of showing a wealthy Texan around it at Goodwood. Not a bad old stager…

I guess it’s inevitable. You can’t save them all, and unless the flying community is thriving there, I’m sure it’s use is somewhat questionable. I visited a few years ago and apart from the museum there, it looked incredibly desolate and bleak. Wind farms add a level of interest IMHO, and unless the CAA and local flying populace stand together, this will happen again and again.

Can it be test flown by ARC, or are only BBMF crew approved to operate it ?

BBMF Personnel Only. It’s a military aircraft and there’s no authorisation or insurance for a civilian to operate them.

There is also a place for the large scale model displays of otherwise missing airworthy types.

Oh dear god no! That would make it crass beyond belief!

If I can speak for the current serving members of the RAF, why not ask what you can do for them as opposed to what they can do for you! A few extra days leave would be nice to spend with the family, and maybe a public funded holiday that isn’t a sandpit, for starters. Beers all round, and maybe some entertainment would be nice too. That should do it, and we’ll all raise a glass to those past and present.

Oh Kermit, please use, rebuild, restore your airplanes! If you’re not going to use them please sell them to someone who will. I hope to see so many of your projects come to life, though I suspect most of us aged 40 plus won’t see them fly. Credit where it’s due though, at least you saved lots from the smelter…

I truly hope we get to see at least one of these aircraft flying in the UK (properly marked with full tail insignia) and soon. Being named after a certain German aircraft designed and fed a diet of black and white films as a child does tend to lead one down a certain path….

Kurt