………don’t come back ! hahahahahahahaha

hahahahahaha

RE: Duxford American Air Museum Moves

While the AAM is an interesting looking building, I think it is entirely the wrong design for a museum that is supposed to attract large numbers of people for very many years into the future.
That building is completely useless in regards to extending it for new exhibits because it has been designed as a showpiece for the architects and the IWM Board, rather than a museum building with built-in potential to grow.

I would much rather the AAM had been built at an ex USAAF airfield in Norfolk or Suffolk with lots more room, in hangers that could easily be extended to accomodate more exhibits when required without hanging them from the roof. It would of course have been another aviation attraction for us all as well, and IMHO it could have stood on it’s own as a visitor attraction if it had been done properly, with visitor interaction etc.

If there was absolutely no chance that it could ever have been built elsewhere then the new building at Duxford SHOULD have been of modular construction allowing future exhibits to be displayed without cramming them in to look like a fat bloke who’s eaten one too many burgers for his own good.

I think I am right that the AAM cost £11 million to build, I’m quite sure that if the design had not been so flashy then several normal hangers could have been built for the same amount, one or two to start with and then build more as needed.
There is still a huge range of American aircraft that could be displayed in an American Air Museum In Britain, but with the current building we are never likely to see even half of them, and it is my bet that if there was room for more then many loan deals could be done with the USAFM and the USNAM for further exhibits.

Just look at this list below and see what we ain’t never likely to see at Duxford in the AAM because they built the wrong sort of building, at the most there would only ever be any room in the future for two or three single engined aircraft without it seeming like your local well-stocked model shop, as if it doesn’t already, and these are just some of the WWII types.
Some of the following are not exactly relevant to GB but then neither are a B25 or Avenger in Navy colours, a B29 in Korean War colours or a B52 in Vietnam colours etc, and all these are already in the mueum.

Wildcat
Hellcat
Bearcat
Tigercat
Corsair
Marauder
Grasshopper
Beech 18
Commando
Airacobra
Kingcobra
Lightning
Airacomet
Catalina
Bobcat
Privateer
Warhawk
Helldiver
Dauntless
Havoc
Invader
Skyraider
Bolo
Dragon
Skymaster
Argus
Cornell
Goose
Widgeon
Duck
Lodestar
Hudson
Ventura
Harpoon
Mariner
Black Widow
Recruit
Reliant
Sentinel
Kingfisher
Valiant
Hadrian
etc etc etc

When you get to the huge number of post-war types then you can see that the AAM will be failing to tell the story of the US Forces properly for ever, if that is what it is actually meant to do of course.

Museums should be able to change, grow, evolve, whatever to keep them fresh and interesting to the punters, and that includes the people who have visited before, people will not come back again if it is the same as they saw last year or ten years ago.

Change and evolution have been designed out of the current building completely, just to satisfy a few egos, so after the B24, SR71, F15 have been incarcerated that will be just about all we are ever going to see new in that building as far as I can see.

Exhibits for visitor interaction are vitally important for any museum in these technologically advanced days we live in now, and Duxford is sadly lacking in these, and I don’t just mean for the kids.

Seriously, just how much would it cost to stick a few old jets and a fibreglass Spitfire outside for people to have a very close look at, modified for safety of course ?
Or something that they could press a few buttons, twiddle a few nobs, push the pedals and move the control column to REALLY see how an aeroplane works, it would be a huge revelation for many adults let alone the kids.
A replica Spitfire or Hurricane or Messerschmitt or Mustang that those young kids could have sat in with a flying helmet and had their picture taken while firing the guns and making a huge racket would have been much more of an adventure than just looking at them behind the ropes and told not to touch or you’ll get chucked out.
Better than that mega-expensive simulator that is already at Duxford.

And when the great unwashed have worn it out you just get another one………….

TaTa
Mick

HoHum n/t

n/t

I agree David

It’s like the people who complain about a “Police State” and then complain that there isn’t enough coppers on the streets to prevent them being mugged.

Safety First always, No Ifs No Buts.

We can all just imagine the ##### that would hit the fan all over if a B17 was to lose a wing in flight………

TaTa
Mick

Halifax querys for Halibag

Just wondering.

As you are involved in this Halifax in some way, more than the rest of us here anyway, in your personal opinion would it have been physically possible to have rebuilt NA337 to fly without having to jack up the data-plate and start a new one from scratch ?
I’m not concerned about whether the money would have ever been available or not, it’s more on a practicle level about how much of it would have to be scrapped in the process and whether it would be worth sacrificing large amounts of original Halifax structure to enable one to fly again.

Another question.
This Halifax location was kept secret for many years leading most enthusiasts to probably assume that there were no more Halifax’s to be found anywhere, especially as the Yorkshire Air Museum was scrabbling for parts all over and then having to resort to a lot of new-build structure for “LV907” (HR792).
Do you think there are any other Halifax’s to be found in lakes anywhere, and if not, why not given that there must still be Halifax’s on the missing list, along with Stirlings, Lancasters etc etc, or are the locations of them being kept secret as well ?

Regards
Mick

RE: Message for sadtwat

Thanks for the clarification Philip on the sad demise of Black 6, perhaps the idiots with their libelous “Roswell” conspiracy theories will now shut up.

Next they’ll be telling us that the Yanks didn’t actually go to the moon after all, and just filmed it all in Hollywood………….

TaTa
Mick

RE: Ridiculous statement

You mean something like…………..

DON’T LET THE B@$+@?)S GRIND YOU DOWN…………..

Hmm, worthwhile I suppose ?

TaTa
Mick