The only one with which I am familiar is the superb Railway Museum in York, and I don’t think anyone one would seriously object to paying for entry, as opposed to the ‘voluntary’ donations they currently collect.

After all, you pay £9 to get into the Minster in the same city- at first I objected to paying to get into a church, but when you see the scale and cost of the ongoing renovation, you quickly change your mind….

Sadly this evening it was announced in the news that either the NRM (National Railway Museum)at York or Shildon will have to close down in July due to government cuts.How many more of our national collections are going to be affected in a knock on effect ?? not just Railway museums but all our heritage is being hit ??.

Mike E

Indeed it’s been a few years by now, but a P-51 is a completely different beast (from many standpoints, including the CAA’s) than a Harrier. The P-51 is by now a very well ‘known’ entity on the civil register so having another one is small potatoes. A Harrier is still seen as a ‘complex’ type by the CAA and within that category the Vulcan is still the only ex-mil jet that has managed to get airborne again, and that was by working very much hand in hand with the CAA during the whole process. Art Nall’s Harrier is a lovely beast but I very much doubt that he’s talked to the CAA a lot during the restoration process.

It’s not the ‘experimental’ category that’s the problem. It’s the complexity and safety record of the type, combined with the ‘paper trail’ etc.

we have Sea Vampire XG743 she is in excellent condition once we took the naff fabric off the timber is undamaged and we have all the paperwork ,logs etc from the day she was delivered from de Havillands to being delivered to DX. She is with only 1200 hrs TT out of 3,000 life expectancy easily the best Vampire candidate in existence to go back in to the sky .I provisionally asked the questions the guy nearly choked on his morning coffee and biscuits and has not spoken to me since so I think that says a lot even with three flying in the uk currently they dont seem keen on a simple jet (as the vampire is)joining its brothers back in the air so I can guess what the response will be to please sir can we put a Harrier on the civil register.

But power to his elbow if he can do it but I wont hold my breath.

Mike E

If I had £53,000 I would be able to buy two ground running Merlins and have enough left for fuel to run them
for a good few hours.

Picked one up for a customer last year 9 hours genuine original on its stand ready to connect up and run with Log cards the lot for under £30,000 this isnt expensive its daft money.

A lot more than he paid for it by a good bit.Sometimes I wonder if folks are just getting free insurance valuations instead of seriously wanting to sell things.

Mike E

If you sre not flying or wish to have a servicable oxygen system we can fix you
up with the correct wire bound bottles we have two or three with the end fittings
on as well straight out of a vampire. You cant use them as the necks have fractures and they wont
pass a pressure test.

Mike E

http://www.aircraftrestorationgroup.org

I thought you had most of the spare Vampires Bruce ??:D:D

Have you tried RAF Rivets they seem to have a lot of stuff available.

Mike E

http://www.aircraftrestorationgroup.org

Or if you would like to donate that piece of Whirlwind you have to either go on show besides or be rebuilt into the worlds ONLY
Westland Whirlwind Fighter then either contact Matt or myself or visit our web site to see what we are doing.

Mike E

http://www.whirlwindfighterproject.org

Just to confuse things further we have got the Mk IX static Spitfire (GRP) used on a skid down a track for the close up shots.

Currently undergoing a refurbishment for a trailer exhibit believed to have been an ex TDL gate guard but wich and what we

have no info unless someone on here has ??

Mike E

http://www.aircraftrestorationgroup.org