Are you guys in the real world?
The only changes needed at TVOC are the way in which their money is raised. I have never met a more dedicated and selfless group of people than all those involved in this project and at the Vulcan to the Sky Club.
Suggestions that changes need to be made to personell are so wide of the mark it’s inbelievable. These guys have raised millions, returned the only complicated historic aircraft in the country to the air against the obvious wishes of the CAA that it should never happen and it’s still not enough for you to realise that you have a unique team in place.
Projects all over the country are failing right now because of lack of sponsorship including several in our own aviation preservation sector. Television programmes that aways featured sponsor ads at the start, middle and end no longer have them. Companies are simply not sponsoring anything. This isn’t the fault of the TVOC, it’s the unpleasent real world they have to live in like the rest of us.
You seem to think that the begging bowl has been put away – it hasn’t. Fund raising is continuing and has to, because of the lack of commercial sponsors. This is a different financial world to that of years ago when the project started.
Yes, changes are needed. Changes to their income aspirations, not the personell. Changes in their financial model were announced on 6th March and those changes will no doubt be made public in time.
I know of several small airlines who would love to be able to run a single aircraft on £150k a month – even their flight crews cost more than that.
To those people that pledged money and then do not honour their pledges I feel nothing but disgust and there is no place for them in our society. The comedian who pledged £100k with no intention of paying – on the day before the appeal closed – should be charged with fraud.
This is a worthwhile project and it can only improve the quality of airshows across the country this year but the financial difficulties will not go away. They must still continue to raise a sizeable amount of money.

Bravo – much as I would like to see Snoopy preserved – if I was the RAFM curator I would be seeking a bog standard Hercules to represent the RAF use of the type.

I’m sure the remit of the curator covers both examples. Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. If Snoopy came up for grabs at the same time as a bog standard example, I know where my choice would be.

The fact that ‘Snoopy’ has very low hours also indicates that she hasn’t really had anywhere near the use of other aircraft in the fleet .

Sorry David, I fail to see the significance of this statement. A C130 flying thousands of hours carrying out it’s essential task of moving freight and passengers – which it was designed for – against Snoopy’s rather more unique history of test flying and the unknown nuber of hours modifying her for the tests meaning she couldn’t fly – I still know where my choice would be.

As for preserving more Hercules in the U.K – the U.K reord in large aircraft preservation isn’t too sparkling ! Effectively we cannot adequately preserve what we already have.

I see. We should abandon large aircraft in the future because of lack of funding in the past and the guys at Duxford, Cosford, Brooklands, East Fortune, Bruntingthorpe and many more have got it all wrong. I think not!
I agree that while there are some poorly preserved aircraft around, the majority are in the hands of some very dedicated people and lovingly cared for. Your statement belittles their efforts and does the cause of aircraft preservation no good whatsoever. I would expect better from you. 😀

sell them or donate them to museums etc…etc

Not that silly a suggestion. Whilst these items have been in your house, I presume that you have taken a great deal of pleasure from collecting and displaying them.
What purpose is to be served by hiding them away in your garage – other than they are still in your possession? Loan them to your local museum and display them so they can be enjoyed by a much larger audience than up till now – and you STILL own them.
This is what I intend to do when I can no longer do my collection justice. I didn’t collect them to hide them away. I’ve spoken about this with my local museum and all they asked for was enough time to build another hangar to hold it all…………….

Colerne Whirlwind wreck

Merkle
The cockpit on the Whirlwind is held on by bolts, no need to cut anything. I recall changing several that had suffered excessive corrosion to the top panels in 1975/6 – changed the last one in a little over one hour.

I’ve taken over Airtron from Mike and am in the process of setting up a workshop in Stamford, Lincs. I should be in a position to start taking on work at the end of this month if your interested.

Good to see that Airtron will continue. I send my best wishes in your endeavours but with a note of caution. If you intend to carry out repairs on instruments of this era, make sure you are fully licensed under the handling of radioactive materials regulations. It’s a bit of a minefield and the fines can be horrendous. Removal of the radioactive paint is very tightly controlled as is it’s disposal. Don’t fall foul of the radioactive police mate!

Well done Royal Air Force. Less impressive were the royals – not one in the uniform of the RAF.

Of course they weren’t. Protocol of the day made it an army event. RAF uniform would not have been correct.

In my opinion, the Royals were impressive throughout, doing what they do best – being ambassadors promoting all that is good about our military

John Farley

Not the same man at all Roger.
This John Farley appears to have been an electronics engineer and latterly a publisher, not a Harrier test pilot. A look at the web site shows him to have been quite a guy and an avid follower of aviation matters.
John Farley, the test pilot, is alive and well and still doing the lecture circuit, enthralling audiences with his stories.