Peter,
Many thanks for those sad photos.
I suggested somewhere that the one piece of the airframe worth keeping was the tail section. The reason being the method of hanging four engines, fin and tailplane together was unbelievable, especially when one takes into account this design goes back 50 years or so.
Long live the memories of many happy hours with the 10.

Tenthije,
The NRC Handelsblad also covered this item.
As I understand the article, the aircraft crashed/ was shot down en route to target and came down in very soft ground, hence no explosion. It is believed it was carrying a ‘Tallboy’ bomb.
The stated purpose of the excavation is to recover the bodies of the remaining aircrew, not the weapon. (I would have thought it a responsibility to the community to remove known unexploded ordinance. It certainly pleased me when the unexploded bombs left by the RAF were removed/destroyed at Schiphol a few years ago).

To Landraver and all others who have an interest in aviation,
Open your wallets/credit cards and get this book now – before a new edition comes out and bumps up the price.
Seriously folks it is probably the best engine book on the market. I admit I haven’t got this copy but have been buying it from the first edition. It was used as a standard training book in the R.A.F., and then they incorporated parts in their engine training manuals. It is well written, the explanations are readily understood and it is very readable.

(Do you think Mr. RR will send me a free copy this promo).

DON’T STEAL — The government hates competition

Rob68 posted an interesting photo of an F111 at Cosford. Is this exhibit going to the ‘Cold War’ Dept or will it be displayed as ‘Another faux pas and waste of the British Taxpayers Money’ ? Are the American cousins paying for its upkeep?
I see the museum administrators have cash for foreign aircraft which didn’t make it into R.A.F. service, but not for the VC10 and other fine British designs which they were only too glad to take on show when it suited.
My connection with Cosford? I took a team and assembled the last Balliol there, they were producd nearby in Wolverhampton, (for the odd bod who didn’t know that). This was over 20 years ago and I thought they had a good collection, especially the range of experimental aircraft. Unfortunately, I have never been back as I left England, and am sorry to read these tales of destruction. On another site, I have offered to house the VC10 engines, if they can be brought over to Belgium. (Would like to take whole machine but the garden shed isn’ quite big enough).
Would the English allow such treasures out of the island? It would let foreigners see what British design was capable of 50 years ago – Airbus wings alone are not enough.
Even at this late stage, I hope something can be done to save some of the aircraft not just to show our children, but we old critters still like to look at them and remember days when airlines (and now museums it appears) were run by aviation people and not banks.
Crawls back under oilcans – moan over.