I’ve been reading this “debate” for a while now, and whilst I can’t comment on the funding issues.accounts (I don’t understand them myself, so what would be the point) I can say that I was also on the stall at the Lincoln christmas market, and the level of interest was pretty amazing to be honest, I certainly don’t agree with “The business/money raising sides would be hugely different as the main support from devoted followers is MUCH more specialist and therefore smaller for the Vulcan”, as we had people from all over the country (as well as the US), I had a young lad following me around for half and hour telling me about the Vulcan (and the red arrows), and he certainly wasn’t old enough to remember her from her VDF days, let alone vulcans in service.
I also managed to get to Bruntingthorpe a few weeks ago when she landed back there, and cars were stopping to watch, I don’t think one car kept driving whilst she was in the circuit, she is an icon, and yes there probably are tens of thousands of people who don’t care, but there are also tens of thousands who do.
I also don’t agree with “The Vulcan has no such luxury.It is away from the public unless specifically organised or flying and even then fairly remote to the casual onlooker.”
Part of the HLF trems are that she has to be availible to the general public. There are hangar tours avalible (check the website for times) and the hangar is also more open and more accessible, you also get a guide now.
The problem is that Bruntingthorpe (as has been said on several threads) is full of cars, and so access is very limited to the general public, there is no access to the cold war jets and the lightnings e.t.c. If you want a tour of 558s hangar, you have to book so they know how many people are on site. They also are not allowed to let people inside her, that’s what XM602(?) is for, you get the cockpit experience from being show around that, because the CAA have said that only crew and the crewchief is allowed up there.
Part of the problem of moving her to say Waddington, is that they would have to find some way of getting public access to her, and also working the education program (which is another term). Which was why it was thought she might end up at an air port rather than an RAF base.
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