I’d be inclined to point 2 fingers at the RAFM and offer them to Middle Wallop or Airborne Assault at Duxford instead
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I suspect that the US fracking industry is/will frighten the House of Saud (et al) fartless!
Resmoroh

Why do you think the price of oil is so cheap now – normal practice is to restrict flow so that demand keeps the cost high. However the oil is flowing freely at the moment and the price drops accordingly to a five year low – that then makes oil and gas obtained through fracking relatively uneconomic so investors look elsewhere for other opportunities. Then you can wind the price up again.

Not planes I know, but the Royal Marines are still using 4 DUKWs (“Ducks”) at Instow in Devon as part of the trials unit there.

What’s the recommended way to get paint overspray off bakelite? fine grit sandpaper then polish/wax as above ok or will it make the surface too porus?

I’d be inclined to try something gentle like this to start with

http://www.howesmodels.co.uk/product/MODELSTRIP%20-%20The%20plastic%20model%20paint%20stripper

but as ever – first test on an inconspicuous area – or on an old battered item of the same material that is past meaningful salvage

That Tempo G1200 in front has an interesting paint scheme on the bonnet. Was that a standard German practice for high -vis on airfield vehicles. As it was 4X4 (one engine at back and one at front) I wonder if it was used as a light aircraft tractor.

This is not intended to denigrate the excellent (and in its own way, groundbreaking) work done by the FAAM in-house restoration team.

However it does seem odd that the FAAM should ask the Bluebird Team to undertake a “test piece” using the particular skills developed by that team, when those skills seem not to be available within the Museum’s own restoration team for subsequent continuation of the restoration at Yeovilton. If they had been, then presumably the work could have been done in house anyway.

Difficult to understand then why they would even seek to test the “Bluebird appproach” unless of course there was expectation of some “technology/skills transfer” to FAAM staff – and I have read no evidence of that in Bill’s diary entries

Be that as it may, presumably, as a “nationally significant” restoration, any restoration to be done by the FAAM will take place in the Restoration Hangar with it’s public viewing area – so we can all check on progress over the next 5 or 6 years.

Fair to ask.

As I said it’s a lot more complicated. Subtle would be another word. I’m sure we’d rather I spent the time getting the ducks lined up correctly and publishing on this than explaining a standard mini-industry to fourth estate relationship.

There is a simple test though. When a major development at a UK museum occurs, oh, such as the opening gallery at a major air force institution, see which magazines publish the press release verbatim. See which offer any criticism (rare) or highlight areas of improvement instead. The thing almost everyone misses is to note the PR bull that is offered and quietly not published, and or the actual facts published. In those cases everyone pretends everyone’s happy, but the museum didn’t get it’s revision through, and the magazine documents reality, but there’s no fuss, so most people don’t even notice. It’s not Private Eye (thank the heavens – entertaining, but not a good policeman) but it’s also not an external PR machine in all cases.

Regards,

Thanks James – interesting and thought provoking but it does seem that the relationship is pretty passive.

I’ll let you get on with lining up your ducks now

…and a VERY wealthy benefactor to pay the legal bills! 😉

which is why it won’t happen and we’re stuck with the overview and scrutiny mechanisms that are already in place.