Thanks spotty.

I guess they decided as it was going back at the end of the season anyway it wasn’t worth going through all the hoops just to keep it here for a few months.

I was told by someone that worked at Newton when it was operational that ; “they will never close Newton as its the RAF’s last grass airfield and they need it for training BBMF pilots”.

Obviousley he was wrong on both counts!

The Vulcan was a B1A XA 905, which was the first B1 delivered to the RAF apparently. Broken up in the mid 70’s.

Another good airfield gone to waste!

Hangars refurbished in 1996, and in typical MOD fashion airfield closed shortly afterwards.

The married quarters are set to become one of the Governments asylum villages – great.

I think it was the RAF’s last grass airfield, mind you this small technicality did not stop them from landing a Vulcan on it!.

Willow

Don’t be to hard on the CAA they have to draw the line somewhere.

With regard to Jet Provest’s they are for the most part original so they will have beeen produced and certified by the original manufacturer. Since then they will have been maintained to an approved maintenace schedule and any repairs should have been carried out using official data (either manufacturers drawings or repair manual).

The problem sometimes with restorations rebuilds etc is very few original parts will end up in the finished aircraft. Therefore the CAA have to be satified that any parts produced have used approved data and conform to the correct part number for that type of aircraft. As David Burke has already mentioned you wil need a paperwork trail going back from the new component confirming that all items used in it are to the correct specification.

The CAA also need to be satisfied that the work has been certified by an appropriatly Licensed Engineer. Quite often Engineers who are only authorised to certify repairs have been certifying for rebuilds which include the overhaul of components which they are not necesary authorised to do.

Finally the CAA have to been involved from the beginging, so they can carry out stage inspections if they wish. Its no good presenting a finished aircraft to the C AA and expecting them to grant a Permit / C o fA, because they won’t!

I am not familiar with the P-40 case, the above is just a generalisation of the requirements.

Did they run any engines on the Shackleton?

Whats it look like these days? I seem to remember it was looking a bit ‘tired’ at the last show.

I must admit that I was very surprised and very skeptical when I was told about this. But I really pushed the chap who told me and he was adamant that it was true. This chap is not the sort of person to make things up and is ‘loosely connected with Stirlings’ and professionally involved in the preservation world.

Having said that it was a while ago and I have not heard anything since so might be a load of old rubbish.

Lets hope not and don’t forget Russia is an awfully big country……

Looking at these photos I do wonder about Cosford sometimes.

A few years ago I donated a new set of external covers beloning to an aircraft on display outside. Returned a few months later and they hadn’t been fitted. 😡

Got to sit in the TSR 2 though:)