Fifteen all or even 15:30

Not a problem Jeepman…..The general public…there’s your problem, right there! 😉

You’ll go far young man! 😉

just one comment – my frustrations aren’t “ill-founded” because they are very real to me!

I still find it incongruous that say the Director at, say, IWM one day can move over to be the Director at Tate Britain the next. Call me old fashioned but I honestly think that the man in charge has to have a “feel” for the specialised subject rather than simply regarding it as a profession where the actual subject of the collection is to some extent irrelevant.

It’s all a question of balance – I can think of national museums still run by the old school (or corps)tie where you think “why the hell don’t they get a professional in”

But at the end of the day – whilst we enthusiasts are only a small part of the footfall, we are likely to be the ones who keep coming back….(or not)

Arghhhh!

I remain convinced that the whole business of explaining away the current status of the Hendon Halifax as a thought provoking monument is little more than a convenient excuse that was cooked up as an alternative to spending the money required to restore it to a state where it would be a memorial befitting the sacrifice of the crews that flew Halifaxes during WW2.

Rob

as is the even more bloody silly idea to do a half and half restoration of the Hampden – If they want an example of the “before” they already have the Halifax – this seems to be a cynical attempt to save money and results in neither fish nor fowl. If the Hali remains unrestored why only do half of the Hampden.

As for the Canadian Hali – IIRC the article says that circa 70% of the original structure remains – that’s more than many for Spits flying today 😉

If the RAFM had determined not to restore W1048 in the first place – why did they start. The other thing is that given the modular construction of the airframe it could have been restored in managable chunks – outsourced or in house as expedient

Is there any airframe that has caused as much controversy for so long – this debate must have been going nowhere for the last quarter of a century – almost as long as it lay in the lake……

Czech 262s

There’s an article on the Czech 262’s in the newest Air Enthusiast

interesting whether they’re regarded as original airframes or not

They were original airframes which were refurbed by Avia so I would classify them as original airframes rather than Avia-built.

Presumably the second UK example is a temporary resident – the ex PoF/FHC example allegedly under restoration in the east of the country. The 3 USA examples must then be NASM/USAFM/Willow Grove examples.

Thats another thread……..

Hendon – some observations

I well remember visiting the RAF Museum within a couple of weeks of it opening on the way back from the Aircrew selection centre at Biggin where I’d been trying for a Flying Scholarship. The wonder of the place will live with me for a long time but I can count the number of times I’ve returned in the intervening period on the fingers of one hand. these visits generally go hand in hand with a major development, be it the BoB Hall, the Bomber Command Hall or the recent Graham-White/Milestones of Flight development. In the same time I’ve been to Duxford 20 or 30 times – and therein lies the rub. The RAF Museum seems to be set in aspic – with few new things to see whereas Duxford seems to be more vibrant with something new to see each time.

I think that the RAFM have missed a trick by hiding the restoration facilities away from the public gaze – and that seems to be a conscious decision, given the success with which it has been achieved at Duxford.

Whilst a collection of the size of the RAFM’s requires an incredible amount of effort just to stand still, we must remember that not all the existing airframes are restored to shall I say an “Robert Mikesh/NASM” standard(have you seen inside the Beaufighter for instance…..) so I fear they will always be playing and losing a game of catch up. Sadly therefore I wonder how much of our wish list will actually be realised. Time, corrosion, vandalism and reuse of materials are also militating against the continued survival of any significant airframes still out there. The Museum has had every chance to seek to acquire significant airframes – like the Whaleworld Vengeance but doesn’t necessarily seem to want to bite the bullet – presumably because it doesn’t have the resources. No interesting new airframes means nothing to see means a reduction in visitor numbers. – chicken and egg I guess – except that the Museum is nationally funded. Whether visitor numbers dictate state funding I don’t know, but I suspect the state funding will be the minimum – meaning little will henceforth be available for new acquisitions – so perhaps what you see now is what you get in the future – who knows. Interested to know what other punters think!

RAF Museum Mission Statement

RAF Museum Mission Statement
The Museum exists to educate and inform present and
future generations about:
1. The history and traditions of the Royal Air Force
2. Air Power and Defence
3. Aviation links with the Royal Air Force

And to promote the Royal Air Force

Our Promise
We promise to do this by the integrated use of exhibitions, collections and the knowledge and expertise of the staff. We aim to maintain our position as a centre of excellence, to enlighten, excite and entertain our customers and provide them all with a quality service

So in fact the mission statement doesn’t actually refer to the preservation of aircraft at all. let alone Beverlies…

ps where does one draw the line between north and south?? I need to know whether I live in a wasteland or not 🙂