“I know which I prefer notwithstanding the valid comments about conservation – such as cutting holes in panels or adding additional strengthening around suspension points because the load is not spread across the entirety of the wing as in flight. I seem to remember that Culley’s Camel needed work to address distortion to the frame caused by hanging”

If it is being hung by the pintles (sounds painful) then the load to the airframe is exactly the same as if it were supported by the pintles, there should be no need for additional strengthening. (assuming it is hung level)

My father was infantry, he joined up in 1940 aged 17; he was told to go to the back of the queue and when his turn came again he was 18!)
It must have been late 1940 as he used to regail me with tales of the Spitfires climbing out of Hornchurch to intercept the bombers.

He (and his company) were attached to the Canadians during D-Day, eventually ending up in Berlin, where he was stationed for a while; his father worked in Silvermans timber yard (docklands) and probably saw as much action as he did! he was too old to fight, but was a first lieutenant in the RN during the interwar years.

I have an old wedding photo featuring (amongst others) a distant relative in RAF uniform;subsequently he was killed on active duty, and sadly so was his son who had also joined the RAF, but I think his death was in the ’50’s.

Three blokes in a pub, the barman says; evening gents why so miserable?
one replys; we’re the banned forum members, barman says; you better get changed, your on in five minutes……

A full respray would cost zillions as compared to the budget they are on.. a full bare metal paintstrip and a season in bare metal would look fab but not sure how she would cope with our “lovely weather??. At least in an overall silver paint scheme the sqn colour changes would be easy. Can you imagine her all over silver against a deep blue sky. The sight would be fantastic 😉

It’s the “deep blue sky” I’m having trouble with! I can see Aluminum overcast (just about)

I must admit I have let my membership lapse over the last few years; perhaps all that is needed is a membership drive.

Judging by the “flight test report” a registration of G-OFOK might have been more appropriate……

Sadly you seem to not appreciate the co-ordination effort that goes in behind the scenes, to keep in touch with people

I think if anyone doesn’t appreciate the “effort” that goes into such an event, it is yourself.

For quite sometime the only contact we received was a phone call from Bill, asking if we were coming; he wasn’t then connected to the internet, and it was only in the later years that we would receive emails from the museum directly.

Those of us that were members of the ill fated cockpit club, made a huge effort for this event, A, by turning up with an exhibit, and B, by ringing round fellow cockpiteers, and encouraging them to attend.

I find it offensive that you suggest that I do not appreciate the co-ordinational effort for this event, when I myself (together with a few others) ARE the behind the scenes movers and shakers.

I stand by my remarks that in 2003 there were 6 visiting cockpits, one of which was mine, my diary entry for saturday the 14 june 2003 says, overcast, slightly dissapointing, there wasn’t as many as last year”.

Every page for the previous month has an entry regarding the progress of the cockpit; perhaps you are unaware of the huge effort some of us have to put in, in order to attend.

I might also add that in all the years I attended, I never met you (or indeed any other museum representative), my only contact was Bill and a few of the volunteers.

Finally we did a bit of research post event 2003, and let bill and Ken Ellis know what the conclusion was, for posterity; many people didn’t like the idea of it being a competition, and felt that their own cockpit would be viewed as sub standard.

Also they felt the prize money would be better distributed as travelling expenses, and quite a few couldn’t make the event always on fathers day; Ken Ellis said that they couldn’t change the way that the “prize money was apportioned, and so the recomendations of the cockpit club were ignored.

I presume that the figures for cockpits at the event include those that remain there permanently; I think you’ll find that the upsurge in 2004, was in the main due to much behind the scenes work, helping and encouraging those who in 2003 hadn’t quite made the event. (for what ever reason)

I first attended in 2002 and did every year until 2009; my memory is obviously hazy but often figures don’t tell the full story, eg radically cut down cockpits, (like Davids Bucc, at least one Lightning and a Hunter) are little more than rigs and should recorded as such.

Either way you look at it 2003 was a huge dip, in what should have been a rapidly expanding event.