If you think the fate of some of these relatively modern A/C is uncertain ,then think about the plight of the Blackburn b2 “cbh”, which I have recently become the custodian of ,since its stint up in the tree ,the reports of its restoration have been greatly exagerated; suffice to say that it is now in a worse state than when it entered “preservation” .It is only 16ft long and can be lifted by a man and a boy ,and yet the previous owner tried to give it to several museums (Duxford included) and they all refused ,one of the conservation heads suggested that it would cost over £100,000 to restore. The point being that the big museums are failing us as well as some individual owners, but if the diminuitive b2 can’t be saved what hope is there for a vulcan

XL391 , thanks for the link; it would appear that the vulcan is built on a modular principle, or at the very least the wings do come off! The “center section” looks to be about 18ft wide (I’m assuming that the cockpit is about 6ft dia at the rear) but it may also be possible to stand it on edge;either way it doesn’t involve cutting right through the wing root, as I previously thought; although still a mamoth task ,it is at least possible.

Not trying to insult anyone’s efforts here guys, but personally I don’t really see the point in keeping cockpits.

I think all the individual efforts and dollars/pounds put into saving a few cockpits would be much better spent saving one or two complete airframes, in my opinion. At least if whole airframes are saved there’s a chance in the future they could be returned to the air, where they belong.

Fine if it’s a starting from scratch replica like the B17 that started this thread or the Stirling replica in Holland. But “killing a plane to save it’s brain” is not good preservation in my book. I know you all differ on this so I’ll shut up now, and await your scorn…

I would have thought that someone who has put over 3500 individual posts on this web site, would have a greater understanding of aircraft preservation; in England , the M.O.D offers the aircraft out to tender to all the registered scrapmen who ,having all the preservational instincts of a bunch of lemmings, smash the A/C to pieces, it is they who dictate what is saved, and they place a higher value on the cockpit than a wing tip. Then theres the logistical aspect; would you get an ex military jet in your garage? or even in your garden,a cockpit can be transported by car trailer ,a 60ft long buccaneer cannot, the cost of road haulage is hugely expensive and is possibly the single most important factor for small museums to consider. and of course we have the planning system….if your thinking of storing an A/C on farm land or even in your garden.