To add to the list, Wymeswold near Loughborough is used regularly for track days (although is the constant target of complaints from local nimbys), and Manby near Louth is also used for similar activities.

What a fascinating piece of film, thanks for posting it 🙂

Thankfully the Flightshed itself still stands and is now used by the current Chinese incumbents on part of the site.

SAIC MG have been using it mainly for engine testing (as it was during the days of Rover), but they are in the process of setting up a brand new engine test facility in part of the L-shaped building near to the flight shed, and have said they will no longer require use of the flight shed – they are due to hand it over to St Modwen in April next year, so its future may have a very large question mark over it (particularly bearing in mind that every other building handed back has now been flattened!).

The factory site will then be almost entirely contained within the the old peri track of Cofton Hackett airfield.

If anyone is interested, there is a fair bit of info on aircraft associated with Austin/Longbridge on http://www.austinmemories.com/

The plates were the rear spare mod plates. She hasn’t (as far as I know) had the costly front spar mod plates done)

The rear spar mod (mod 2222) was originally done whilst in RAF service, and I think was repeated during the restoration to flight.

Last winter, they carried out refurbishment of the main undercarriage leg (which had been deferred from the restoration), plus the strengthening of the landing light apertures and what the engineers consistantly referred to as the front spar mod (mods 2429 and 2430). These mods gave a further 15 FI which is apparently enough for around 4 display seasons.

…but why (funding aside) are they suddenly talking about only four years?

I think it probably is a funding issue – from what I have gathered from reading posts on the VTSC forum, there is a further very expensive mod that will need to be done to extend the FI to the original planned display life.

From what I have understood from what I have read (and I may be wrong!), but this apparently involves replacement of the leading edge skin, and obviously, without a very big money sponsor, they have little hope of raising the funds to be able to afford it (they are currently struggling even to raise the funds to cover annual operating costs for next year).

Hence, they are currently (and realistically) talking about another 3 seasons or so.

There is also the matter of the engine removed during the first display season (due to abnormal levels of debris in the oil) which still has a big question mark over it, and I seem to recall someone on the VTSC forum inferring there was an issue with one of the other spare engines.

Rumours going around that Team Viper will be using two Hunters in their display at Waddington.

I assume that would be them just passed over here a short while ago then (about 16:45): 2 x Strikemaster and 2 x Hunter 🙂

Anyway the commentary said Atlantis is being prepared for its flight across the Atlantic, there to be installed in the National Cold War Exhibition.

Really???

In public at least, there hasn’t been any official word of exactly where any of the orbiters will end up (although the Smithsonian have apparently been given first refusal on Discovery – but the Smithsonian say they cannot fund the $28.8), but there are said to be more than 20 interested parties that have made serious approaches to NASA.

Most of the ‘talk’ hasn’t really floated the possibility of one going outside the US; there are a number of potential homes over there that have said they either have or can get the necessary funds. As Black Knight says; where would Cosford be finding the money from??

In any case, Atlantis is to be prepared for another mission – to be used as the stand-by emergency recovery vehicle for the crew of Endeavour should something serious go wrong on the final currently scheduled shuttle mission. There is also talk coming from within NASA of possibly using Atlantis for another full mission in any case.

There are also moves in Congress and elsewhere to extend the shuttle program further, which would mean none of them will go to museums for a while anyway.

Thanks for your comments 🙂

Not sure what has happened to the links; they worked fine last night.

if anyonme thinks they can get a reasonable tatty lightning airframe for less than a 5 figure sum, they are sadly missguided.

You may think so, but the value of something is not whatever the current owner wants for it, it is whatever the next owner is prepared to pay.

One has just been offered for a “5 figure sum”

Nobody bought it.

i.e. Nobody else thought it was worth a 5 figure sum.

British Airways B747 maybe?

This one perhaps:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/British-Airways/Boeing-747-436/0740315/L/

Or this Shorts 360:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/1182329