Look at post 26 on this thread. The recent photos tell about all you need to know of current condition, I imagine.

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?93056-Current-status-of-the-quot-Kee-Bird-quot-B-29-Superfortress

Maybe I missed it, but there doesn’t seem to be a mention of salvage rights on this thread?

I believe there is/was an active thread on WIX which is visited by those ‘in the know’.

If you don’t like the look then don’t look. Simples

Brian

…someone’s tired!

Turning nasty? It turned nasty when the FAAM decided to comprehensively cr@p on the dedicated volunteers who had put in so much effort on the aircraft.

I would dearly love to see this project come to fruition, but there are those within the Museum and its wider organization who should hang their heads in shame. If it ever does get completed, it will not be to the credit of these people.

But I can only hope that this latest ‘episode’ doesn’t colour people’s perception of the Bluebird group, who have been thoroughly transparent in their dealings. And let’s not forget they also did a bloody good job!

I have to agree with SADSACK on that one, as I think both the RAFM Tempest and Duxford Mossie look superb in their target tug colour schemes. I’m pretty sure there are other Mosquitos around in front line colours, so why not remember those on more mundane but just as important duties?
And to prove the point how many people know of the importance of the Sturgeon target tugs during the run up to the Suez crisis in helping the guns of the Royal Navy fleet with sighting and target practice?!

Rob

I didn’t have a problem with the scheme – just the inference that it would only be OK if it were colourful!

Sounds a bit too ‘specialist’ (interesting) for the mainstream press (unless you can find a tenuous link to a Spitfire or a P-51). I’d try Aviation Historian:

http://http://www.theaviationhistorian.com/

Yes, if you didn’t see the whole program. There were 12 special factory built Aluminum bodied E-types built for racing around the early years of the series 1 E-type. They were raced by the factory and had mostly professional drivers, so if you own one of the 12 then it’s likely a famous works driver of the early sixties raced it at some point and now you can buy a Spitfire or Mustang for less (gratuitous aviation reference)!

Driven by a famous driver – no doubt. Drivin by a works driver – not quite. The Lightweights weren’t really a Works effort, in the same way as E2A – the progenitor of the E-Type – wasn’t raced by the works either.

And i’m sure that the final ‘Lightweight’ of the original 12 had a steel chassis?

So there were original ‘Lightweight E-Type’ Jaguars?

I must have got the wrong end of the stick from the part of the programme that I saw; how close are these new-build ‘Lightweights’ then to the originals?

Well it’s a fair point: since these cars were often different in specification (esp the Lindner/Nocker car and the other low-drag car), they’re continuing ‘in the spirit of’. I see no problem with them and will consider them as true Jaguars in the same way as I’d 100% consider TWR-built XJR’s to be 100% Jaguar.