The Vimy isn’t in the UK anymore, is it? The largest I can think of would be a Rapide – how many other mulity-engined biplanes are there still flying?
RIGHT! Who said ghost?

Flood

Perhaps Dragonfly G-AEDU up from Rendcomb? Definately has shorter lower wings. Any idea of colour? ‘DU is red with silver wings.

Finally got to see this last night. Thought it was pretty accurate as a documentary, although I also spotted all the errors. However, it didn’t have the ‘wow’ factor for me and I thought there were too many computer-graphics in the aircraft scenes. Thought they exaggerated the height that the ‘Spruce Goose’ flew at also…thought it only skimmed the water, really.
Can’t see how it has been nominated for 11 Oscars, although I did enjoy Leonardo as Hughes.

Neilly,
I defer to your knowledge of the Mosquito, but (if I may say, in a nice tone) I think you are talking rot here. 😉 . The IWM (like most acredited national museums) try and retain / return artifacts to their own colours form, rather than representative of the type. (Yes, thanks, hold that list of exceptions – I’m talking current, core policy of museums, and the conservations they are doing NOW.) There’s no ‘politically correct’ here except the (extremely irritating) same old use of the term by those who don’t agree with the decision.

As the UK has a museum dedicated to DH, and several Mosquitos in front line colours, it’s hardly the end of the world. Would you, with your magnificent website want the Mosquito only remembered for a couple of hysterical war films?

As ever we can choose to see and hear what we want to see and hear. Indulge me a moment – I can see some DX visitors talking about the famous wooden wonder on sighting the aircraft. (Quite a few people have heard of it you know.) Noticing the colours, they look at the caption board and read about the brave and unsung TT crews and (pay close attention here…) learn something. – Which is what Museums are for – NOT to reinforce our predjudices (thats ‘pre-judgements btw) but so we have the opportunity to learn.

Having tried to research TT aircraft recently, I was shocked at how little info there is – because of shortsighted, narrow attitudes such as this. Quick let’s paint all the Spitfires into Douglas Bader’s colours. :rolleyes:

As they say, discuss!

Here, here! Exactly what I said earlier on this thread, but not in so many words!

I hope we don’t end up with any RED ARROWS Hawks on display in any museums. That bright garish paintwork is clearly not representative of a service aircraft. :dev2:

Now THAT remark has hit a raw nerve! I DO hope we get a Red Arrows Hawk preserved, because this is the most famous Hawk scheme in RAF service.
Aerobatic Teams are a very important part of RAF History and if they all got scrapped, you would then complain that one wasn’t preserved. The last “Black Arrows” Hunter is now in South Africa, so the RAF Museum doesn’t have one and we very nearly didn’t have a genuine Red Arrows Gnat preserved, when the original surviving machines in the ‘XR99*’ series were all sold to the States! It was only through some fast action that we got one from the last Gnat team at Cosford. Just because some of us take the Red Arrows for granted today doesn’t mean that future generations don’t want to see one in a museum in the future!

Guess they could be at Catterick, as that was the RAF’s Fire School? Definately a Valetta and a Shackleton T.4

Thanks for letting us know Jonathan. Question, can you persuade “de management” there to hold an enthusiast’s photo day? By this I mean pulling the exhibits forward one by one to get a good clean photo of them with barriers?

I don’t know about others but I wouldn’t mind paying for a day like this, if it was a tenner then perhaps half of it could be donated to the Tsunami Appeal – what about it?

How about a weekday in the Spring (sunshine?). Before they got too many exhibits Cosford used to pull their aircraft out on nominated days and if I remember rightly so did the Science Museum’s out station at Wroughton. I certainly remember shooting the Connie outside one weekend many years ago, sadly though this now seems a practice long forgotten, so come on Duxford!!!

PS – Where is the Hastybird now? Is she also hidden away from Camera’s?

Brilliant idea! However why do you want good clean photos WITH barriers? :confused:

Regretfully, the Science Museum’s Wroughton Collection keeper used to be an aviation enthusiast and it was me that persuaded him to pull the aircraft out on occasions. Regretfully, he has moved on and the present one has no interest in making money by doing this!! I think the last time the Connie was pulled outside was 1989, or perhaps 1990, but nothing has been outside since!

See my earlier comment – it was operated by “Bavaria Flug” – a German airline.

Martin

That’s right! It still had the Bavaria blue cheatline and was registered D-IANA. It became G-ATUM in early 1966, then N15750 in March 1969.