Which aircraft that NEAM have displayed was the hardest to restore to display standard?

In my opinion it would be the Sea Venom which was started before the museum moved to its current location. This was challenging because of the condition of the wooden pod when recovered from Belfast.

It took approximately 5 years from start to finish with the work being mainly done by three volunteers.

If they could have worked a more normal working week it would have been the equivilant of 9 months work.

Fortunately following completion the aircraft has always been under cover and so is still pretty much in the as completed condition after about 20 years.

The Vampire T.11 and Meteor F.8 were also a good restorations but unforunately had to be put back outside once finished and therefore suffered until the main hangar was built.

Long term I think the F100 will be a big challenge due to the degree of underwing corrosion from the time spent parked on grass.

Also as Scott has said the Vulcan will always be a big challenge unless it could be put under cover. Having said that I am amazed that since arrival in 1983 that it has not suffered more.

One option is to reproduce it electronically either by scanning or by digital photopgraphy.

I have done this several times with a number of 607 squadron logbooks.

This has the advantage of being able to produce several copies for family members either in hard copy or on disk.

The original can the be rightly safely stored and so thereore be afforded a greater degree of protection.

The hard copies could also be bound to produce a replica logbook. Many of the Universities have departments that carry out book binding to bind Phd Theses.

Are there health and safety restrictions placed on such digs to govern the max depth, width or other dimensions.

These days in the construction industry we are not allowed to dig below 1.2m without trench support, unless you are in open ground and the trench can be made wide enough to have ramped sides. And even then there will be Method Staements, Risk Assessments, Temporary Works Design, Permit to Dig before you can start !

Built
to contract 6/ACFT/621 built at Filton and delivered between Oct 1948 and March 1949 (from Air Britain Royal Air Force serials SA100-VZ999)

Serials

VS817-VS832 inclusive according to http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VS. Bristol Aircraft since 1910 states the serials were VS812-827 (c/n 12710-12725), although I think this may be wrong.

Service Use (from Air Britain Royal Air Force serials SA100-VZ999)

1301 Flight in Ceylon was one of the units that used them (VS817/820/821/822/824) and formed from 45 sqn (VS821/822/824)

VS825 was with station Flight at Acklington
VS811 was with A&AEE
VS819 was with Bristol Aircraft Company
VS826-832 have no service details

Disposal (from Air Britain Royal Air Force serials SA100-VZ999)

VS821/822/823/824 sold for scrap 27.08.53
VS817/818/819/826/827/828/830/831/832 to Ministry of Supply 25/10/54
VS820 struck off charge 10.12.51
VS829 sold for scrap 25.2.55

Photographs

here is the first one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RAF-BRISTOL-BRIGAND-VS817-LARGE-PHOTOGRAPH-/350396721249?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item519545a861

Bristol Aircraft since 1910 has a photo of VS819 taken at Filton in 1948.

Equipment

Details of 1301 flight here http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%200696.html & http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%200697.html

Bristol Aircraft since 1910 states that the Met 3 aircraft of 1301 Flight usually had long range tanks, wing, tail and airscrew deicing equipment and special instruments, including a hand camera for recording cloud formations; they made daily sorties over the Indian Ocean up to 25,000 ft and collected information on turbulence under monsoon conditions.

pilots notes http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-25743750278216_2126_13844668 available from http://www.flight-manuals.com/ap2575cbd-pn.html

or here http://www.flight-manuals-on-cd.com/Buckmaster.html

Isn’t there also an Su-22 (?) fitter on a weapons range somewhere aswel?

That one is at Spadeadam Electronic Warfare Range in Cumbria.

There is also one at Scampton with HHA http://www.hunterteam.com/sukoi-22-M4_tech_specs.htm

There is also a Mig 21 and Mil Mi 24 at Duxford, Mig 17 at North Weald

So I guess I would vote for a Mig 19

Sgt Woolley

details on the link below

http://www.the-battle-of-britain.co.uk/pilots/Wo-pilots.htm#WoolleyAw

WOUNDED OH INJURED IN ACTION—

Sgt. A. W. Woolley, 740788.

From http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1940/1940%20-%202184.html?tracked=1t

but according to http://www.thesoutheastecho.co.uk/Fighter_Pilots_W.htm

service no 67602

10th July 1940 from http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.forosegundaguerra.com/viewtopic.php%3Ff%3D16%26t%3D8560%26start%3D60&ei=87CPTLCqHJXh4Aae_bHaDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CB8Q7gEwAjgK&prev=/search%3Fq%3Da%2Bw%2Bwoolley%2B601%2Bsqn%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

1 Hurricane Mk I – P3681 – 601 Sq – Sgt AW Wooley – Hit in the fuel tanks by the gunners of a He-111 on the Isle of Wight at 18:50, the Hurricane is on fire. Wooley jumps, though wounded and burned. According to eyewitnesses, machine-gunned a German fighter while trying to drift. Back to active duty, being shot down two other times during the Battle of Britain

Lost on 26th August 1940 according to http://militaria.forum-xl.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=514&start=40

Monday the 26th of August 1940
Day: Widespread activity, with raids between 15,000 and 20,000 ft, as well as low-level assaults and much reconnaissance. Main raids fall in Essex, where KG 2 and KG 3 aim for Debden, North Weald, Hornchurch and parts of East London; and in Kent, with Luftflotte 2 attacking Biggin Hill and Kenley. Other aircraft, from KG 55, attack Portsmouth and neighbouring airfields. Interception by fighter Wings breaks up most of the eastern raiders, and only Debden suffers major damage.
No 43 Squadron was dispatched with other squadrons to intercept fifty He 111 bombers moving westwards towards Portsmouth at 16:00hrs, escorted by one hundred fighters. It was the first major action of No 1 R.C.A.F. on this day.
Night: Night attacks were directed against Plymouth, Bournemouth, Coventry and other areas.

Losses: Luftwaffe 41: Fighter Command 31

Weather: Mainly cloudy with brighter weather in south and cloudy in Channel.

No 601 Squadron — Hurricane I (V7238) — A.W.Woolley

Try contacting Iain Arnold (Hurri600) as he extensive records of the “L” series Hurricanes

As an aside I wonder if the F-84 series was the mostly widely exported Jet fighter, maybe even any combat type out of wartime?

Would be close as there were a total of 7889 straight and swept wing F84 aircraft produced compared to 8673 Sabres (NA &Foreign built)

According to http://www.uswarplanes.net/f84.html & http://www.uswarplanes.net/f86f100.html