The Vimy is also due to attend the Goodwood Revival meeting tomorrow and through to Sunday before heading for Turweston – despite persistent wet weather, today saw the Vimy reunited at Dunsfold with its original 1994 crew – Peter McMillan and Lang Kidby. The aircraft was also refuelled late afternoon, its engines ground run successsfully before Lang made a brief couple of circuits (in Vimy terms this = 15 minutes) to re-familiarise himself with the machine which he had last flown some 5 years ago. He also needed to experience the Vimy’s performance with its latest (Orenda) engines and propellers – and said afterwards that he had never seen the Vimy ASI’s needle so far round the dial before!

Perhaps I missed an earlier thread, but has Ikea definitely bought this former airfield? If so, what for?

Yes – G-BMPL was still hangared at Dunsfold on 4th June – shame it did not appear in the static park. I’m told it is non-airworthy.

The Vickers Vimy finally crossed the Atlantic and landed today at Clifden, Ireland, at 17.04 local time! What an incredible achievement for this superb replica aeroplane to have re-created all three record-breaking long-distance Vimy flights of 1919-1920 – very well done!

Excellent news! Like Melvyn, I’m on tenterhooks for them and wish I could be there to see the Vimy arrive at Clifden……and I’d love to see some photos of the departure last night. Latest update says that the aeroplane is travelling at 120mph thanks to a good tailwind – this could well be the fastest it has ever flown!

I seem to recall the 1999 flight was covered in some detail by ‘Aeroplane’ and National Geographic’ magazines.

Meanwhile, I hear the Vimy made a test flight around St John’s yesterday, so we can assume the vital spare part was delivered and fitted OK.

If the weather permits, the Vimy is apparently now due to depart from St John’s, Newfoundland. tomorrow (Sunday) a.m. with an ETA at Clifton, Ireland, of 0600-0700 on Monday morning…..anyone know any more?

I understand that this weekend’s weather has been no good for the Vimy’s departure – a contact in St John’s says the weather has been miserable there all week and even Friday’s test flight appears to have been postponed.

After several day’s silence, the Vimy website’s Daily Updates now states that next Weds looks like the next opportunity for the Atlantic flight and meanwhile engineer John Lanoue is doing further work on the aeroplane.