Mike Jnot forgetting the rights to the image on film and video, merchandise, continued donations, possibly sponsorship. I presume you’ve seen the business plan, analysed it and it still doesn’t work for you?
So I presume all the contracts guaranteeing such income are now in place?
Until then, as with the ever-growing shortfall (now up to £1.2m), it remains ‘pie-in-the-sky’ and wishful thinking.
I wonder how many of these parts out with OEMs are actually being worked on at the moment due to the funding situation, and how much delay any ‘stop work’ situation will add to the project (and to the ultimate cost of it). The engineering effort is now concentrated on bolting the thing together to get it out of the hangar by the end of the month when the money runs out. I wonder if it will ever see the inside of a hangar again?
Mike Jwould it not be better to pay out a bit more to see it thorugh to completion?
£1.2m to finish the rebuild, then around £1.2m plus inflation per year for 10-15 years to operate it (as they have no income stream other than a few quid from airshow appearance fees). Say a minumum of £15m.
I think not!
Mike JReading the vulcan558club forum, desperation is setting in, with members advocating ‘bugging’ MPs from multiple email addresses and providing contact details to do so, and the old ‘Branson will save it, let him put his logo on the fin and he’ll give us £1m’ chestnut. Engineering reports suggest that the ‘rebuild’ now consists of bolting as much together as possible in the next 2 weeks ready to push it out of the hangar at the end of the month, with the hope expressed that they get to take it all apart again and carry on with the work after the end of the month.
The sad death-throes of a project which will stand as a classic example of the Great British Enthusiast getting in WAAAAY over their heads.
Concorde return-to-flight anyone? Sir Terence Conran says it would be a good idea………….
Mike JAndy’s moved to Shefford ???? 😮
It’s not a village, it’s a small town of 4,500 houses! 😉
What planet was he born on?
There are people to whom five hundred quid isn’t a lot.
There are many more who’d be glad to be in receipt of an additional five Hundred.He’s having a laugh–If anything I thinks it only helps to illustrate the gulf between rich and poor in the country.
Andy
No, I think it just amply illustrates the gulf between the ‘Fantasy Vulcan League’ brigade and reality.
“For the first time in Six, yes, SIX years, XH558 Vulcan has had her landing gear fully restored and she is finally standing tall and proud. The team have worked extra hard on this part of the project and we are all so very grateful.”
Serious question. Is this the final flightworthy gear, or is it more a way of getting it out of the hangar at the end of the month?
Mike JThe club has also launched a nationwide pledge campaign to secure the entire £1.2m needed by August 31st. Corporate funds are still being actively sought, through sponsorship and other means.
Right people, time to put your money where your mouths are and PLEDGE money for this project
http://www.vulcan558club.com/pledge_form.asp
We all want to see this succeed and pledging does not mean that you give them the money now, they will only be back to collect it when they know it will be going towards the project not wind down payments.
So lets start system on this thread “I’ve pledged” and make a difference
I’ve pledged another £100 to the project.
That’ll be another 11,999 pledges to go, then.
Personally, I’d rather my time and money went to organisations where it’s got an earthly chance of achieving something.
Mike JA man who obviously feels passionate about the project.
However, it’s the same story, “Give us the money to finish the rebuild, then we hope that someone will give us the money to operate it”. This is NOT a realistic and sustainable business plan.
And the same nonsense about what to do with it on retirement, now Cosford being mentioned as well as Duxford. Both are currently installing service-representative Vulcans in multi-million pound facilities, so why would they want another?
Mike JOk, so you’ve got the Mi-26, you managed to sling the load safely underneath and you’re running up the rotors in preparation for the takeoff.
Where are you going???
What destination??
Why???
Who’s paying???
How have you dismantled the load???
Pllease answer, I’m dying to know.
A.
And how are you going to put it down again, since you just removed the undercarriage to make it lighter?
Doh!
Mike JWithout engines it could surely be airlifted under a Chinook or something……….
😮 😮 😮
Mike JThe annual operating cost number, from recent figures quoted by VOC themselves, varies between £1m and £1.2m per year.
An absolutely astronomical figure, with no apparent business plan other than “we hope someone will give us sponsorship”.
Say they manage 10 shows per year, that’s $100,000 – £120,000 per airshow appearance. A fairly small percentage of that would come from appearance fees.
Where’s the rest going to come from? And what’s the PLAN (not just “we hope someone will give it to us”) to fund the shortfall between operating costs and appearance fees?
Still, it’s all likely to be an academic question in a couple of weeks, as the whole shebang seems to be teetering on the brink of insolvency. According to the Vulcan558club website, their pledge campaign has reached a total of £7,232 against the required £250,000.
Mike JThe reality of the figures presented by Pleming is that they need another £250k before the end of the month to avoid the company becoming insolvent and being wound up, then funding at the rate of more than £150k a month after that for a further 6 months, to get it ready for first flight.
This is against an historical background of funding being secured at the rate of between £10k and £50k per month since the project started. A tall order, to say the least. The odd £558 pledge or £20 from club members will make no difference whatsoever, however well-meaning are those enthusiasts behind these pledges and donations.
The whole Pleming salary / Walton hangarage costs is a non-issue as far as I’m concerned. Both are charging at or below commercial rates, and the money going in that direction will make no difference whatsoever to the outcome of this project.
The only things that can save it now are either a further, massive injection of funds from the HLF (unlikely) or a number of major corporate sponsors prepared to commit six- or seven-figure sums to the project (also unlikely).
I notice that there’s still no mention of how the ongoing funding requirement of in excess of £1m per year will be raised, other than the continued “we’ll get it to ‘first flight’ then hope for sponsorship” – hardly a robust business plan!
Mike JWon’t it be too wide to tow down the Mall? :confused:
Mike JWe are talking about a British bomber.
Doesn’t make the B-17, B-29 or B-52 any less historic.
Ok, I could of said the Lancaster,
The mainstay of Bomber Command from 1942 to the end of the war. Therefore far more ‘historic’ than a type which only saw action for a couple of weeks.
but we are talking about a V bomber, one of three british designs, the Valiant, the Victor and the Vulcan. We don’t have either of the first two airframes flying but we could have the third in the air and to me that is important for british aviation heritage.
You still haven’t explained why this makes it ‘historic’. I could make a case for the Canberra being of far more historic significance than the Vulcan ever was.
Why should you be bothered over there anyway.
Of what relevance is my location?
You have plenty of B-17’s flying
Of what relevance is this to the Vulcan?
at least one B-29
Wrong
and an absolute shed load of B-52 over powered gliders!!
I’m not sure I understand this frankly somewhat bizarre statement
You have what you want flying!
How do you know what I want to see flying, and where? You might be quite surprised……..
Or is it because a Vulcan embarassed the Yank’s by flying over American soil, photographing the Pentagon and flew back out again without being detected. Maybe thats why.
Evidence for this?
At the end of the day, this is a british design and a very successful one at that.
Quite correct
It holds numourous records
Examples, please.
and even now, it is still believed that if it was in service, it would be classed as better than any other bomber.
Absolute drivel. Explain how it would be better than, say, a B-2? Or even a B-52, roughly contemporary with the Vulcan, yet still in service?
That’s why 😀
You’ve still yet to make a case for the Vulcan being, in your words, “probably the most historic bomber ever to be designed”
Sorry, did I mention Concorde!!
Not until now. What was its bombload?
Mike JI’ll see your Barracuda and raise you a Whirlwind :diablo:
Moggy
And I thought you didn’t like Helicopters! 😀
There’s a nice yellow one in Ireland still, I believe.
Personally, I’d settle for a Walrus.
Mike JSpeaking of richard branson, i just happen to know there is a post it note on his desk at the moment mentioning XH558
Probably in the bin by now, along with the numerous other begging letters that he receives daily.
Mike JThis aircraft is probably the most historic bomber ever to be designed…..
Robmac,
Interesting comment, please explain more. I’d be interested to hear why you think a Vulcan is more ‘historic’ than, say, a Lancaster, B-17 B-29 or B-52?
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