The MOD Air Historical Branch had a remit for preserving certain airframes and used storage at several bases eg Biggin Hill. When the RAF museum was founded the ownership of these were transferred to the museum. I have a list of airframes in an RAF museum publication from the seventies which also notes that the aircraft of the BOB memorial flight whilst still on MOD charge were also part of the RAF museum reserve collection.

Many of them were only loaned to RAFM and remained in MOD ownership until donated to the RAFM the late 90s (The individual histories on the RAF Museum website gives details – e.g. Bf109E, Bf110G ).

The survival of many is fortuitous, as although planned there were a lot of airframes stored for historical/museum purposes that were scrapped when space was needed in the late 40s/early50s.

Was that the one that involved parts of G-MKIV with other bits from it’s donor airframes?

BS119 is usually illustrated in the standard day Fighter scheme on other sheets, however the pilot is noted as claiming it was finished in greys:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/33780-spitfire-mk-ix-camouflage-dark-slate-grey-and-pru-blue/?p=362101

I always note that Ocean Grey appears very light in some photos

Neptune
Catalina

Pucara

The Neptune and Catalina at least represent ex-RAF types for which there is no genuine RAF equivalent (although from memory there used to be at least one genuine, un-modified ex-RAF P2V5 in America) and the Pucara fits in with the ‘adversary’ types.

The Jungmann, Flying Flea and RF-84 don’t really fit at all. I’d go further and bring the Swift back as well!

In terms of helicopters, it’s interesting that the Skeeter isn’t relevant but the MH-53 is!!

aeronaut -pity you couldn’t persuade the curator to move the Bird Dog on and replace it with a Auster I which really was the start of the AAC !

The Cessna as a type does at least have a relationship to the AAC:

http://www.656squadron.org/galleries/1913%201953-54%20Korea%20KM/images/070%20Red%20Meaton%20-%20the%20Generals%20personal%20pilot.html

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb209/Davef68/cessna2_zps8d695792.jpg

If this is part of a wider examination of the collection, then it may perhaps mean the end for the bitsa P-51.

On the subject of acquisitions (and relevancy) – anyone know what’s happened to the IL-2 and A-20 they were supposed to be getting?

I went to Hendon many years ago and got a copy of the booklet ‘A Very Special Lancaster’ from memory (as it went missing!) the man that painted the ‘NO ENEMY AIRCRAFT. . .’ on it when it was with 467 helped in it’s restoration before going to Hendon, wonder if he painted the second one on? .

I turned to my right and took my copy from the bookshelf, the airman was LAC E.Willoughby.

It’s an interesting little booklet (I picked mine up for pennies at a jumble sale) – has details of all of her missions (not the detail in the current RAFM History though!), and also reveals that she went for a full overhaul from 3/8/44 to 17/11/44. Also has a pic of her stripped back to the metal in the early 70s. The profile drawings of her as ‘Q’ and ‘S’ acknowledge the fuselage window difference.

Aeroplane was always inferior to FlyPast and rather amateurish too. That said, there is nothing wrong with a bit of competition, so long as it is not second rate.

Strange, my thoughts (certainly in the 90s and early 2000s) were exactly the opposite, certainly where Historic stuff was concerned