Thunderbird167The scaffolding company are Interlink Scaffolding
Thunderbird167The Avon 209 was from the Lightning
Thunderbird167Is it for a permanent display or temporary display
Thunderbird167This weeks update
First phase of recladding of the Admiralty Hangar has been completed
Plan for the repaint of Vulcan XL319 has been made public with scaffolding due o be erected at the beginning of April.
Much more planned for the coming months
Thunderbird167Just a short update
Yesterday, 5th March 2017, saw the arrival of a Tornado Instrument and Maintenance Trainer at the museum. This has been acquired to be part of the museum education programme.
It is now safely in Hangar 3, the main display hall.
The volunteers were kept busy moving the structure of an additional Romney building to allow work to commence on the re-cladding of Hangar 1, the restoration hangar.
Re-cladding of the hangar is due to commence at 8am on Monday 6th March.
The museum board are pushing forward with a series of site wide improvements which are due to take place between March 2017 and July 2017.
Museum events have now been confirmed for
9th July – Emergency Services Day
13th August – Trams & Transport
25/26 September – Jeeps and Jets
These three events will see the museum offering a reduced admission rate of £3 for adults and £1.50 for juniors
We are also carrying out a collection wide review which should result in the release of some of our surplus stores.
First item up for disposal will be a Bloodhound Mk1 as the museum has two in its collection.
Thunderbird167He plans to keep much of the base as it is according to the press reports
Thunderbird167A commendable approach by Airbus which follows similar work by Boeing.
It is as pity that our UK industry did not have a similar outlook and support the collection at Duxford which should really have had a HS 748, BAe 146, Shorts SD360 to name a few
Thunderbird167My question is why should the Vulcan project, for example, be made to jump through these hoops, even for a relatively modest, and certainly short-term period of public funding?
All lottery grants come with conditions. The lottery is supposed to have a long term benefit and this drives the grant conditions.
Without the lottery grant it would have never happened. Without the support of the OEM’s I would never have happened. Without the support of public and private donations it would have never happened.
I have been hands on involved with the preservation of historic aeroplanes in the UK for 35 years and have respect for what VTTS achieved but ting there is a world of difference once it becomes a plane in a tin shed on a commercial airfield site. The Wales Aircraft Museum learned the problems of being on an active airfield many years go.
We at NELSAM know what can happen as over over 30 years ago we had to move to make way or Nissan.
Time to stop bemoaning VTTS ad leave them to manage the future of XH558. Many people questioned the wisdom of museums acquiring Vulcans in 1983 and thought they would last 10 years in the open. Most of these airframes celebrate there35th anniversary at the start of 2018.
Rather than sitting at a keyboard and moaning come and get invloved
Thunderbird167It is easy to be suspicious of the motives behind VTTS
The choice of Doncaster was driven by the requirement to have the aircraft under cover
There are few other locations that could accommodate the Vulcan Operation. It could not operate from an RAF airfield as it was principally a weekend activity and our RAF seem to close on a Friday lunch time
Which of the UK Aviation museums could have put the aircraft inside that did not already have a Vulcan ?
If the requirement to have it inside had been relaxed on retirement it could have been flown to Bruntingthorpe or Elvington where it would have been looked after and still had the opportunity to be kept live.
Thunderbird167Was mentioned at the time but not much commented on
Maintaining aviation heritage assets at Commercial airports is very difficult when hangar space and land has a commercial market
Lottery grants are a great idea but do come this conditions, one of which for XH558 was keeping the aircraft under cover.
Unfortunately static aircraft do not generate the cash required to pay commercial rates for a hangar and full time staff
Now that XH558 is grounded it has the same significance as XM655 at Wellesbourne and XL426 at Southend.
Perhaps the Trust should have talked to the Lottery long before retirement so that a more realistic long term home could have been found for the aircraft with out the restriction of keeping it under cover
Setting all of this aside what was achieved was quite fantastic and way beyond my expectations
Thunderbird167Doug
A google search on Exercise Open Gate Gibraltar brings up dates from 1978 to 1990 with film of Buccaneers in 1978
Thunderbird167I can confirm that the Vulcan is a priority project for 2017 as it is due to celebrate 35 years of retirement in January 2018
Also 2017 is 35 years on from the Falklands War
The museum board are working on a new business plan that is due to go into effect in 2017 alongside the proposed IAMPS development.
The museum is now on the official IAMPS plan having successfully gone through a consultants appraisal on its future.
There are still a few challenges to come but hopefully we will be steaming ahead from next year
Thunderbird167I would believe that this is likely to be the source of the data
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p085.html
Although a good site there are some errors and the site owner is always willing to be corrected
Even our official custodians are only as good as what was written at the time
There is a photograph in the IWM photo collection of a Mk V of a Spitfire with “AF” codes that is wrongly attributed to 607 squadron when it is actually the AFDU
So errors can be repeated. Happy to say the site owner corrected his records when this was noted
Thunderbird167So you’re praising the UK for not forgetting to scrap every Typhoon? Three cheers for Yankee Doodle and his forgetfulness!
I think it is more a case of the US not scrapping it at the time.
What is sad is that after all the time since the creation of the RAF Museum we still seem to have no strategy for preserving aircraft.
We have been dependent on individual efforts to ensure some aircraft survive.
Look at the Brigand and Swift record breaker that were rescued from Failsworth, BP111A at Midland, the efforts of Peter Thomas at Skyframe.
The decision to build the RAF Museum at Hendon would always be an issue as everything has to come in by road.
What is important is how the things on display are interpreted and not having one of everything which unfortunately have limited appeal to most visitors.
I also deal with heritage specialists who have difficulty in understanding the appeal of airframes in a shed.
It is good to see the Spitfire going on display, albeit there are several museums in the UK who would have liked to have it.
The new CEO at the RAF museum has a museum background and is clearly taking decisions that will move the museum to a more self sustainable financial position as all Heritage budgets have been massively cut.
I for one will wait and see how things pan out, greater footfall means greater engagement which generates a long term sustainability.
Thunderbird167There are currently 32 aircraft on loan from the National Museum of the USAF in England and Two in Scotland.
So I suppose loaning one Spitfire is not unreasonable
AIRCRAFT, F‐100F, 56‐3938 LASHENDEN AIR WARFARE MUSEUM ASHFORD KENT TN27 9HX ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, MYSTERE IV, 84 LASHENDEN AIR WARFARE MUSEUM ASHFORD KENT TN27 9HX ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐100D, 54‐2174 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐101F, 56‐0312 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐104G, 64‐17756 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐4C, 63‐7414 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐4C, 63‐7699 (*) MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, H‐43B(HH), 62‐4535 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, HUNTER MK 6, XF382 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, MYSTERE IV, 70 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 51‐4419 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 51‐7473 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, U‐6A, 58‐2062 MIDLAND AIR MUSEUM BAGINTON CV8 3AZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, A‐10A, 77‐0259 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐100D, 54‐2165 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐111E, 67‐0120 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐15A, 76‐0020 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, HUNTER MK 6, XE627 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, SR‐71A, 61‐7962 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 51‐4286 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, U‐2CT, 56‐6692 IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM CAMBRIDGE CB22 4QR ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 51‐9252 TANGMERE MILITARY AVIATION MUSEUM CHICHESTER WEST SUSSEX PO20 2ES ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐100D, 54‐2223 NEWARK AIR MUSEUM LTD NOTTS NG24 2NY ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, MYSTERE IV, 83 NEWARK AIR MUSEUM LTD NOTTS NG24 2NY ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 51‐9036 NEWARK AIR MUSEUM LTD NOTTS NG24 2NY ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, H‐53M(MH), 68‐8284 ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM COSFORD SHROPSHIRE TF11 8UP ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐100D, 54‐2196 NORFOLK & SUFFOLK AVIATION MUSEUM SUFFOLK ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, MYSTERE IV, 79 NORFOLK & SUFFOLK AVIATION MUSEUM SUFFOLK ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 55‐4433 NORFOLK & SUFFOLK AVIATION MUSEUM SUFFOLK ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐100D, 54‐2157 NORTH EAST AIRCRAFT MUSEUM TYNE & WEAR SR5 3HZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, MYSTERE IV, 146 NORTH EAST AIRCRAFT MUSEUM TYNE & WEAR SR5 3HZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 55‐4439 NORTH EAST AIRCRAFT MUSEUM TYNE & WEAR SR5 3HZ ENGLAND
AIRCRAFT, F‐100D, 54‐2163 DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY AVIATION MUSEUM DUMFRIES DG1 3PH SCOTLAND
AIRCRAFT, MYSTERE IV, 318 DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY AVIATION MUSEUM DUMFRIES DG1 3PH SCOTLAND
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