What is the reasoning behind the move of the Lightning and F-100 outside. Surely this just makes more targets for the vandals ?

Paraguay & Pakistan

As far as I am aware Paraguay never used the F-5. They were offered surplus aircraft from Taiwan but did not take up the offer. The cost of refurbishment and operation was considerd to be too high

I belive that there are some reports of the Pakistan operation of the F-5 during the 1971 war with India. These have been variously reported as being on loan from Jordan, Libya or Saudi Arabia. I believe it was a small number of aircraft if they ever went to Pakistan and have yet to see any confirmation of their operation.

I suspect this is the same aircraft as discussed in the attached thread

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=53202&highlight=whitley

F-100 & Mystere at Lashenden

The two aircraft do not appear to be in too bad a condition

There are very recent photos here

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=70575

Several of the former Cornwal Aeropark exhibits survive

Whirlwind 9 XN258 and Widgeon G-APTW at NEAM Sunderland

Sycamore XJ917 Bristol Aero Collection, Kemble

Sea Venom XG691 Malta Aviation Museum

Sea Hawk WF299 Graham Revill, Birlingham, Worcestershire

Skyraider WV106, Wasp XT427 Fleet Air Arm Store

Whirlwind XA870 to HPG Doncaster

Scimitar XD332 Solent Sky

Dragonfly WG754 to Australian Naval Museum

Buccaneer XN967, Sea Vixen XN647, Canberra WK122, Sea Prince WF122 Sea Hawk XE368, Whirlwind XP350 processed by Pheonix Aviation many to Cockpit sections

Just for the record the collection was started by David Cotton.

Apoligies to Benyboy it was Bomberboy

Misha is quite right that it is unfair to be too critical of the management.

With limited resources, priorities have to be set and the main priority for a number of years was to provide undercover accomodation for the majority of the collection. This entailed raising in excess of £100,000 and managing the project whilist carrying out full time jobs. After all the management are also volunteers.

XL319 sits six miles from the sea and would have required several repaints during the 24 years it has been in the museum. The funds for this simply did not exist after the arrival of the aircraft and I suspect are unlikely to exist to support any major work.

Let us be grateful that we have enjoyed the sight of these aircraft for nearly 25 years due to a few dedicated enthusiasts rather than them ending up as coke cans on retirement. Of those that were flown into museum’s we have been fortunate to loose only a very small number.

I can well remember a particularly critical article in the aviation press in 1983 that predicted that they would only last a few years and that the money spent on their acquisition was a complete waste.

I would encourage more people to become involved in museum’s such as NEAM as the more members there are the less frequently the turn will come to do the admin rather than work on the aircraft.

XL319 was looked after by James Caruthers who also had a web site

http://www.vforce.co.uk/index_content.htm which is no longer active

James was still at school during his time looking after XL319 he subsequently went to University. This unfortunately limited his time looking after XL319.