I think one of the main reasons that several civilian aircraft are not preserved for future generations (under cover) is that there is no more national museum responsible for the subject: AVIATION.
The Science Museum which has a fantastic collection has more or less stopped collecting (to a sustainable level) 10-15 years ago.They hold the nations’s aeronautical collection.
The civil collection at Duxford belongs to the Duxford Aviation Society.
Therefore it has always been an odd combination at Duxford (Imperial WAR Museum). Although it is fantastic that several aircraft are now entering the Airspace building, it is not really there responsibility.
It is bizarre that not a single production Concorde is preserved by a national museum in England, but it stresses precisely the problem.
In the US there is the fantastic National Air and Space Museum, Britain used to have the Science Museum, but not anymore (from an active collections point of view).
Is it not ironic that the NASM manages to preserve a Concorde, but no national museum in Britain manages to preserve a production Concorde
I hope that the aircraft at Brooklands and at least one BA Concorde get a roof over their heads! This should be #1 priority.
It is really time to realize that preserving large objects outside for a long period is not possible.
But the real problem is the lack of responsibilty for a national aviation collection.
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