DeHavEngI’ll be there on the 4th April, as I have to pick up a lady friend returning in the wee small hours of the 5th.
Plan to arrive about 1pm, if anyone fancies a forum meet-up.
Do they do good burgers there?
PS/ Looking for a nights cheap accommodation there. If anyone runs a B&B in the area, please PM me asap. Those I’ve seen are a bit pricy, closed or full already.
Best place for burgers is a little burger van over by the airtime paintshop or flightbites cafe. Cheap accomodation you might try The Avon Cause Way, it’s just up the road but I’m not sure how cheap it is
DeHavEngIndeedy. It’s only a slight shame that time did not permit applying all of the authentic service stencilling I was drawing up in preparation. Still, the fist and everything else look great.:D
I think we have some of the origional RN issue ones Lee, PK was applying afew today soaking the things in meths and stinking the hanger out
DeHavEngStops the timer at 4 days, 10hrs, 30mins, 16seconds and 45milliseconds ‘crikey that took longer than I thought, looks like I lost the bet’. Does she or does she not look gorgeous though people!:cool:
DeHavEngWelcome back! Just curious as to the reason(s) why you cant reveal any more info?
Because I’ve been told not to. Apparently my boss has discovered the forum and was furious about what I posted. So in the interests of not wanting to get even deeper in the preverbial I’m shutting up on anything other than what is common knowledge.
DeHavEngWelcome back DHE-I fully understand your reticence. Link as follows:
http://www.ukar.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarboard/ikonboard.cgi?;act=SF;f=1
Thanks to Paulish and Stringbag for the link. Some good ideas there, nice to see there is the support around when it’s needed. For those of you interested I Just found a Website totally dedicated to the object of affections (well not just XP924). Could been a good focal point for support and news http://www.seavixen.org
DeHavEngThere’s been a bit of a flurry about this on another forum/place recently-along the lines of “where’s the capaign?” etc. It has all gone quiet here though-where is our insider DeHavEng?
I’m here Paulish but I’ve been told quite unequivocally not to reveal anymore by my superiors. I’d like to know where this other forum is though just as a matter of intrigue.
DeHavEngJust a quick up date for all you keen Vixen spotters. Half way through the paint and the bottom surface is painted now in ***** *****:diablo: . Top surface coat of ***** **** *** ****:diablo: due to go on shortly and all the markings etc. Barring some catastrophe she should be out of the paint shop next monday and weather prevailling unvielled and flown off on the Thursday:D . Cann’t wait to see her in her new wig…as I’m sure neither can many others:p
DeHavEngStill think it’s a great pity the RNHF can’t be the sponsor… if they can’t afford to take the aircraft on and run it themselves, would they be able to part-fund it and have it as a ‘virtual’ part of the RNHF for a season or two?
Unfortunately I doubt they could raise the £250K required to keep her running for just part of the year….as nice as it would be.
DeHavEngJust placing my Devil’s Advocate hat on for a moment, is that not counter-intuitive?
Would G-CVIX not be more appealing for a potential sponsor if it was not in FAA marks? Of course it would depend on the type of investment they were putting in to support the aeroplane, but surely a “clean” aircraft without any historical marks would be more appealing because then the potential sponsor could have the freedom to paint the aeroplane in its corporate scheme (a la Red Bull)?
After all, a sponsor (certainly a corporate company) would want a return in exposure terms from its support, surely?
(Devil’s Advocate hat off).
As she had to be debranded anyway EGCD and red bull are paying for it, it makes no odds. Any corporate sponsere would have to re-paint her anyway (if they wanted their own livery) even if she was still in Red Bull colours. This way she is more appealling to private or group sponsership aswell.
DeHavEngI hate to say it folks but Phantom Phixer has hit the nail right on the head. With XP924 being painted in her proper colours we are hoping it will be more attractive to a potential sponser, having unoffical photo’s floating about before her official lauch not only detracts from her maximum exposure but also is likely to put off a potential sponser who would want to maximise their exposure at her unveilling. All the wrath that this occurs is just tough I’m affraid, it’s either be patient and wait or lose out to a potential sponser. Which brings us back to the eternal question….to fly or not to fly, would people like to see her in the air or on the ground, because grounded is what she will be if a sponser cann’t be found. I hate to carp on but there will be plenty of time to snap away at her after her official unveiling.
DeHavEngDeHavEng – bearing in mind that a) mags pay as little as 5 quid per shot for ‘news’ photos, and never more than about 50 quid and b) some mags refuse to pay for ‘PR’ photos issued by aircraft owner/operators, how many seconds do you think you could have run the aircraft’s engines with the cash thus ‘lost’ to the dastardly photographer types?
every penny lost is a penny out off the insurance fund and given the current situation it is going to be a case of every little penny helps
DeHavEngI wondered when someone would mention Mike Beachyhead!!!
I will be passing through Hurn on saturday morning, will XP924 be anywhere accessable to look at and possibly take a photo or two?
Richard
Mike won’t get his hands on our darling…she’s all ours:diablo: . Sorry no she won’t be accessable…there have apparently already been peeping toms around Airtime which has not gone down at all well. As previously stated, once painted she will be wrapped up and brought back to the De Havilland hanger where she will remain under wraps to thwart the few people who, when she was first painted in Red Bull colours, photographed her before the lacquer had dried, sold the pictures to every aviation magazine going, in the process making a mint and left De Havillands high and dry. Anyone trying to get a peep will undoubtably be greated with strong words and a heavy escort away.
DeHavEngSo unless I have got this all wrong it will fly to Yeovilton after the repaint for storage, but at some point will fly back to Bournemouth as Yeovilton are unable to keep it airworthy.
However you say it will return to Bournemouth “hopefully before her insurance runs out” I might be wrong but does the isurance not run out in March, thus meaning if you want it to go back to Bournemouth it will have to do so within a couple of weeks of it going to Yeovilton, I could have this all wrong but it just seems a strange and somewhat expensive thing to do.
I think this is mostly a PR excercise….The last Sea Vixen at her old station where her now defunct old unit used to fly sea harriers…yadayadayada…yaaaaaawn, and tagged neatly on the end no doubt ‘oh by the way, her insurance runs out soon and she won’t fly again after that’. believe it or not it is probably the cheapest thing we can do short of sitting her out in the middle of the airfield with a huge ‘Sponser Me’ sign next to her. Yeovilton is only 10 mins flying time away and she wouldn’t even burn 1/4 of her fuel load doing that, so a ball park figure, given the price of Jet A-1, about £1000.
Having said that things change almost daily….the old story of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing
DeHavEngDeHavEng-thanks for sharing this “inside” information.
I am concerned that this real gem of British aviation will now grounded for good. The interest generated by the Sea Vixen since 2001 has been phenomenal and there are many posts on many web forums which testify to this. The issue at present though remains rather low-key even in these parts.
In my view the acheivements of the De havilland team particularly during the 1990’s should not be underestimated. Firstly they secured the aircraft which stood outside in all weathers on the North Wales coast for a number of years and determined that it could be made airworthy. Then they took it through the complex and uncharted territorty of certification for use on the civilian register. This surely set a precedent which has been of benefit to the restoration to flight of other complex types? (Buccanneer, Vulcan etc)
Should not the campaign to publicise the Vixen and find a new sponsor start here?
I agree paul. The lack of a concerted effort by the aircraft owners has puzzled me greatly. Speaking as a purely aviation enthusiast rather than a De havilland employee I would sell my first born if it meant getting XP924 flying for another year or more. At the moment though all effort seems to be directed at a small gathering after her re-spray with what seems to be purely local media:confused: !
As you, I(and possibly the other guys) feel we did set the precedent for other complex types to take to the air again under civvy ownership. We were able to show that an advanced aircraft could be operated safely and well, with the proper support and experience. This has now been brought to what has to be it’s zenith in XH558 and should provide a springboard for other types to become airborne again provided the CAA and ERSA agree to it:p
The campaign to publicise the Vixen has begun here….it’s what I’m doing here, it maybe out of hours and without official backing (to the point I’m risking it all), but this aircraft is a huge piece of our nations history…..she was one of the last conventional fixed wing fighters of the Royal Navy, she was the last De havilland military aircraft built, her prototype altered considerably the operating procedures during airshows, she may well be the first area ruled aircraft (please feel free to correct me as I’m hazy on the subject), she was the first truely multi-role aircraft the navy had….and…lets not forget the most important part……she IS THE LAST AIRWORTHY SEA VIXEN ANYWHERE IN THE WHOLE WORLD
DeHavEngYou’re quite right Mark. Another thing that concerns me is that it was stated that if an immediate sponsor cannot be found, the Sea Vixen will be put into storage at Yeovilton pending its future. As the FAA Museum already have two Sea Vixens, it’s a pity that it can’t be kept in the Bournemouth Aviation Museum, to be admired by everyone and especially as the Sea Vixen production line was at nearby Christchurch. If it was hangared there during it’s Red Bull sponsorship, why can’t it’s location remain, or did Red Bull also sponsor the hangar and the space is needed for something else?
Things maybe afoot…..as always with best laid plans, they never seem to survive first encounters. Once XP924 is re-painted she will be going to yeovilton for a period of time. However, edicts have come from higher echelons that she will not remain there indefinately, as yeovilton do not have the expertees to maintain her in flying condition as De Havillands do. She will at some point in time return to Bournemouth…hopefully before her insurance runs out. Red Bull did not sponser anything other the sea vixen and that appears to have been only for a select number of airshows and for her yearly insurance (post ERSA ruling). The space most definitly is needed for other projects and as such when/if she does come back, she will be outside (against better judgement).
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