‘We turn the lights off to make photography better’

Really, you can’t invent stuff this good

Are you the same chap that writes books on guitar building?

The photography claim doesn’t make sense. Perhaps, in some bizarre way, it encourages visitors through the doors if they have been previously subjected to dark, incomplete photographs and they want to fill the blanks.

Posted on here. I see that bastion of fine journalism, Unilad, is misreporting that this cache of sunken gems is somehow a new discovery.

The “Academy” is a romantic project that may well prove to be something far less exciting than it sounds. It’s easy to create these proposals but it’s far less easy to establish their viability. But even if this “Academy” does get built, the concept of having XH558 as its centrepiece is laughable. What has a 1960-vintage strategic bomber got to do with 2015 aerospace engineering? Absolutely nothing of course. You have to get past all the hype that is spewed-out by VTTS and seriously ask why an engineering a technology facility would have any interest in a relic from the 1950s/1960s. Any serious establishment is far more likely to suggest that space should be allocated to things that are of use, not museum pieces. I suspect that this whole project has very little to do with the future of the Vulcan and much more to do with the personal interests of some people within VTTS who are looking at their own futures.

On top of that, VH558 isn’t a truly historic airframe either as it has modern equipment on board. The way I see it, working on it would teach you neither a full set of conservation skills or a full set of modern aerospace engineering skills. In the CGI mockups of the Academy, XH558 lurks in the corner like an odd mascot, alongside an Airbus creation of some sort. I’m not sure what qualifications you would gain from working on it, or if VTTS members are qualified to work with kids. Does XH558 become a playground for high school kids to learn about lead dress or to merrily over-torque screws? All of this is of course conjecture on my part.

I have a feeling of deja vu. Didn’t we have this thread before? The performance at RIAT looked amazing compared to the usual ‘noisy glider’ routine, and it gave me an impression of what the Vulcan was capable of back in the day. Hopefully they do something equally spirited at Prestwick.

Boom boom! I first heard about this pair on the forum 28 Days Later, where some Urbexer managed to sneak onto, and take shots of, one of the DC4s.

Are there not two DC4s there?

I remember these things landing and taking off on Tiree. Surprised to see they are now ‘historic’. Time marches on!

To quote the Greatest Newspaper on Earth;

“The pilot was unharmed after the incident and – apart from a broken propeller – the plane appeared largely undamaged”.

Presumably the CAA won’t take such an optimistic view, and the engine will need to be stripped right down? We’ve also not seen the underside of the aircraft. :apologetic: