The question was for next season 2016 and I think even with the best will in the world Rich would agree that next season is unlikely.

2016 is never going to happen. 2017 is an extremly slim chance, 2018 looks better. 🙂

Scott, you have a PM.

Mike,

That list was posted on Flypast, the Shack drawings don’t belong or reside with them, they are with us at Coventry. That particular sheet was compiled 20 years ago by a volunteer and we know it to be way out of date and incorrect in places. Its also one page of about 300 that cover the copies of drawings we hold which are in numbered bundles, currently taking up most of a 12ft x 12ft room.

We’ve asked Michelle (our new archivist) to redo the lists and so far in the short time she has been with us we’ve managed to successfully find and provide all the necessary drawings to Airfix for their new kit… so something is working.

The harder task will be going through the 16 tons of originals held in fireproof boxes. Some of it was used fairly recently for the Lancaster re-spar. Some hasn’t really been touched since the 1950’s.

With respect to what you may believe, we bought the Shackleton archive complete from BAE. There are omissions from blueprint copies but the originals are complete sets. It was part of the deal to acquire design rights and as such we have no desire to integrate it with any other archive; as it will make it from difficult to manage, to impossible. It would also render null and void parts of the contract of sale of the rights.

Kind regards,
Rich Woods
Shackleton Preservation Trust

Hi Pete,

There was one ticket in the four discarded bits of packaging, nothing in the other three; thats why we’ve got to go the long way around with the control sheets to establish which serials are missing in action.

We can trace which ones went to Dubai, which ones are on the aircraft, even which ones went on WL790, so its just a process of elimination. Until the team have finished checking which ones are still about I can’t post the missing serials no’s.

Regards,

Rich

Just to add as Blue_2 beat me to it –

These are four loose new blades, they are unboxed but new. Whoever took them was kind enough to leave behind the protective wrappings that they came in, and one more loose blade that was obviously not wanted. We’re currently going through our control sheets to eliminate those which have been fitted to WR963, and those which we still have in stock.

Its a bit of a blow to the Trust, as now we only have enough to equip three engines rather than four when the time comes to use such things for their intended purpose.

Regards,

Rich

Bruce – to be fair to the Daily Mail it was a pretty good article at the time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051947/The-jigsaw-bomber-Aircraft-enthusiasts-rebuilding-extinct-WWII-plane-decades-worth-scrap-metal.html

Lee – If you want continue to distort things to try and make your position look better go ahead. I’ve already touched on the real versus replica issue, and how I know an airworthy aircraft is continually changing. Static aircraft rarely do unless they get restored a second time around though, so its worth doing right the first time, don’t you think?

I also posted this;

Had parts, now doesn’t (Irrespective of how, or why.) Need replacement parts.
Original? Find more. (Look at the other wrecks)
Reproduction? Make. (Last resort option!)

I know that there has to be compromise. You’re not going to get original 1940’s air in the tyres, for instance. But I still think the effort is lacking when we go straight to remanufacturing rather than looking for suitable original parts first (and I don’t really give a damn how it ‘shouldn’t’ have gone missing, so FAAM ‘shouldn’t’ have to do this. The reality is parts are missing. Deal with it. Just repeating that they’re gone doesn’t change anything.) .

In conclusion – if we get 70% of the original structure in the rebuild and the rest has to be replaced, I’ll happily accept that over an aircraft where we know that it could be made better by the use of suitable parts that can still be found in reasonable condition lying on a hillside.

Other opinions, yours included, seem to differ.

Regards,

Rich

Hear hear!

And unless a) the original FAAM property turns up, or b) someone finds replacement items, or c) someone donates replacement parts, then re-manufactured items will be used. If originals become available, I’m sure they will be duly replaced.

If anyone thinks the Barracuda could ever be rebuilt using 100% original condition items then they clearly don’t have an intimate understanding of the project. There are items that cannot be used as they simply do not have the original structural integrity due to corrosion which would leave the structure liable to collapse. Let’s not forget that the parts that were put back together were not exactly heavy sections (such as the main spar area); they were relatively light.

Most ‘reasonably intelligent’ people with a proper aviation engineering background would understand that.

a) Unlikely, if you can’t find it and the Police also can’t. I remain hopeful though, as I’ve also had things go missing in the past.
b) Someone? Get the FAAM to do their own work. They have easier access to the wrecks than a private individual.
c) Start asking… someone might have one. There was a hint further up this thread that there might be another out there.

Don’t tell me things can’t be re-used. Bluebird Project have shown what can be done, and its harder to put lightweight corroded structure back together through various techniques than thicker heavier gauge items. You only have to look at the wreckage of PM870 at Brora to see how something like the main spar can survive quite well.

If you want to start trading insults I’m happy to go that way, but it shows how flimsy your arguments are when you start bleating that we all don’t understand and only proper engineers do.

Your signature line makes you quite the hypocrite doesn’t it?

Regards,

Rich

OOps. Historic Flight.

I’d love to visit, but after doing a few weekends at Coventry, family commitments mean I’m driving the other direction this coming weekend and have to behave myself. Seeing as the FAAM like posting press releases on here, why not get a progress shot up?

As for the missing bits – try the other wrecks.

Regards,

Rich