In any case, “putting out feelers” to a couple of other museums isn’t good enough. The aircraft was, rightly or wrongly, listed as “significant”. As a museum, YAM has a duty to explore every avenue to finding the best outcome. Not just ringing a couple of people up and then sending for the scrap man. Why was it not publically tendered for disposal? Or just posted on here and a couple of other forums in advance, to allow funding to be arranged if someone did want it. Heck, even a facebook page or a tweet might have alerted a buyer. Who knows where it might have been picked up. A private individual might have bought it. The first I heard that the aircraft was at risk was reading here that it had been scrapped. Not good enough, YAM.

Can’t see NEAM or the Aeropark wanting it – they have enough work already already and like Elvington neither really feature airliners in their collections. As I recall they both have a couple of civil type cockpit sections, plus NEAM has a Dove and Aeropark the Argosy. Speke is a possibility, but similiarly they already have their hands pretty full. Other than Speke, Dx and Wroughton, I can’t think of anywhere that makes a point of collecting civil types – Dx already has one, Wroughton seems to have gone into stasis.

I’m sure scrapping was a last resort for Elvington..

Dear Webpilot, perhaps you could confine your comments to subjects of which you have some knowledge? NEAM is currently restoring a Trident. Aeropark has an Argosy and a Varsity, plus Viscount and Vanguard noses. The Vanguard should have been donated complete, but for a communications ****-up at Hunting. Aeropark actually wanted a Herald – specifically G-ATIG (ex-BMA) at Norwich, which was also scrapped without notice a couple of years ago. If airports, museums etc gave adequate notice that airliners were for disposal, it would be possible to save them – as THIS FORUM did with 748 G-BEJD, now under the care of the Speke folks after we all chipped into get it moved from Blackpool. Who’s to say that the same couldn’t have been achieved with VPN? It would have fitted well at Speke, being a regular visitor when with BIA and with Channex.

As for museums with airliner collections – how about Brooklands, or East Fortune, or the Northern Ireland museum? Your not very extensive knowledge contributes little to this discussion, does it. Stick to your Spitfires.

Webpilot – Horsesh*t, mate.

As someone who has been flying on airliners a lot for 40 years, I long for a Herald, or a 1-11,or even a 737-200, rather than the endless stream of A320s I have to endure. And yes, a 146 is welcome relief (especially if it’s G-RAJJ). Accept that a lot of people like airliners every bit as much as you like your warbirds or whatever floats your boat. VPN should have been taken on by a museum that cares about them, I guess. Of which there are plenty.

They operate out of Montreal Mirabel.

WebPilot, you are being pedantic. Ross_McNeill is quoting the law, correctly.

I cannot imagine any relative of a deceased airman would really want the body leaving in the sea if there was a genuine chance of recovery.

Correct, Ross_McNeill. It’s a term that is misused as a convenient smokescreen for not doing the right thing – which is making every possible attempt to recover the dead. Personally I’d love to see W7656 recovered, and displayed at Hendon as a tableau in conserved condition. Which of course would allow a proper and long-overdue restoration of W1048…

Totally agree. The “war grave” argument is too often used as an excuse for not recovering the dead. Recover the bodies as a first priority if possible – and it clearly is possible in the case of the Halifax. Then conserve or restore the aircraft as a fitting tribute to the crew.

Pratt & Whitney uses two 747SPs as engine test beds.