We won, they lost. Tough but life’s like that. !

it wasn’t the majority of ‘they’ that were fighting though was it, the fight was meant to be against Saddam. Those aircraft surely remain property of the people of iraq as we supposedly ‘liberated’ them, not colonised them.

Its true, they dont appear to be museum standard restorations which is a shame but I think the iraqi people have been a bit busy in the last few decades for time to restore, or the finances to restore aircraft. If Anyone was to take them without acquiring ownership (im not suggesting this is the case, purely theoretical) then it is looting. Simple as that.

If anyone cares enough then they could be perhaps acquired on loan (you’d have to have big heart and wallet though 🙂 ) and then returned to a more stable iraq one day.

best regards,steve

…but I guess, ultimately destined for static display at a museum perhaps as a war trophy.

Unless an aircraft has been bought legally then it should not be taken anywhere as a ‘war trophy’. I presume any ex-Iraq aircraft has been purchased through the right channels as any ex-Iraqi aircraft should belong to the Iraqi people.

best regards,steve

The Comet:- consider a new colour scheme (Dan Air is long gone) perhaps RAF (oops not politically correct but it WAS ex RAF I hear you say!)

The Anson:- Decide on a colour scheme. Again in MY view it has to be a RAF Trainer. Then provide material to the APSS to let them get it finished.

You know an aircraft doesn’t have to be in an RAF scheme for it to be a worthwhile exhibit 😉 Dan Air is long gone, you are correct. Surely then, this is a good reason for its continued preservation in these colours, isn’t that the point of a museum – to preserve history?

I really don’t think political correctness has anything to do with the idea of painting the Anson in civillian colours, you seem to forget that they have plenty of aircraft in military schemes throughout the museum (some which could be painted in civil liveries) and they have a nuclear bomber outside 🙂

As for Concorde, its not an ideal situation but lets hope once everything is sorted that the benefits of the aircraft as a tourism draw will outweigh the cost of her upkeep and her detrimental effect on other aircraft. Whether this will be the case I dont know.

Thanks for the pictures Robert, very interesting.

Best Regards, Steven

Oh no, we’re all devastated!

Really, is there any need for that? Surely after the time Dazdaman has spent on this forum in the past (and his contributions) then he doesn’t need to be ridiculed for liking something that you don’t.

I personally don’t see the Isaacs as a replica spit or anything like that…..it is however a neat little aircraft in it’s own right and good luck to you I say.

Give him a break,

best regards, steve

Thanks Duxfordhawk, sorry if I misunderstood your post but it tended to lead my conclusion of what you meant in an other direction. Glad you took the time to clear it up.

By the sounds of it, Stoke has quite a lot to remind people of Mr Mitchell. They have their own spit and not many local museums can boast of that 🙂

best regards, steve

Fabulous, this really shows that the few will not be forgotten. Stunning piece of art too.

As to offending the so called minorities maybe they should think for a moment, They would not have the freedoms they have got in the UK had Hitler won the war and our modern world would have been much worse, We live as one here now which is a great achievement in itself but we should still be allowed to be patriotic i think.

Who on earth is ‘they’? Generalisation is a dangerous thing. No one is stopping you being patriotic. Maybe ‘they’ do stop and think for a moment. Im not quite sure what you mean by that. I would hate to think that you are suggesting that minorities don’t appreciate the freedom they have.

It seems our parents/grandparents etc fought valiantly for freedom and to free europe from the evil and intolerance of Hitler just to allow the current generation to have the freedom to be intolerant too. Whenever some people on this forum get upset about something it’s the same old….”if they were unemployed lesbian one-armed muslim single mother asylum seekers.” nonsense. Nobody ever learns do they, DW Griffith was right that intolerance has and probably will always exist.

On a positive note, it’s great to see the kids interest in the subject. Snapper, if you pm me some details, ill be happy to help with your plan.

I’m going to give “The Aviator” a B, which would have been a B+ if it hadn’t been a 3 hour movie. I agree with everything that Brad said in his original post, although I don’t think there will be a sequal. The flying scenes with “Hell’s Angels”, the XF-11 (or whatever it was) and the Spruce Goose are VERY good, and well worth the price of a ticket. Cate Blanchett steals the show with her Katherine Hepburn, but this is a strong cast with great performances from Alan Alda and Alec Baldwin. Also, there’s enough eye candy to keep you occupied for the three plus hours of this Scorcese epic (Hey, Howard liked pretty girls). Go see it, you’ll be glad you did.

Steve, interesting that you would put its 3 hour length down as a bad point. i’ve often found that the longer a biopic, the better. Gives the actor more time to slowly develop the character. Anyhow, how much coverage does the Goose get?

best regards, steve