In a word, YES

Yes, I agree too…. It is one thing to sell parts of crashed aircraft (which I do not per se have a big problem with) but to sell personal items such as those is a taboo in my eyes.

Ok this is completley rediculous now surely ebay will step in as it is a complete farce.!

Yep….can you imagine the size of Ebay commission!!!

Fantastic shots JohnH, I cannot wait to see it live myself!

surely there must be a rule against selling this???

Why? The MoD sold it originally to civillians so it is his to sell. I hope the new owner does a good job and looks after it.

However, it will probably be scrapped with the nose being saved (this is the usual route for such airframes following their retirement and entry into ‘preservation’). At least its fate is now known having been in limbo for some years

It may be of interest to note that Lord Balfour of Inchrye was the Under-Secretary of State for Air and signed the official first order for 310 Spitfires.

An able pilot, he appraised one of the first two aircraft delivered.

Mark

Thanks for that….I did not know that….I have been quoting the poem for some 25 years!!

Nice aircraft the Harrier, functional and useful in military service. They will never be allowed to fly privately in the UK, besides no-one could afford the huge maintenance and training budget. A few reasons are:-

Aircraft classed as Complex
Lack of spares
Training of pilots would be a nightmare and require a twin sticker
No one would act as Design Authority
Operational costs
Suitable airfields for operation
Insurance costs
If you lose the engine in hover, eject and all that means

It would be interesting to see how one will be operated in the US. It may be a case (if they can actually get one airworthy) of risk mitigation to get it going (i.e. fixed aft nozzles) thereby precluding hover flight.

Nope leave this one to the military operators!! Regarding GR5 & AV8B you have no interchangeability of parts with the GR3, besides the use of composites brings its own problems.

If you didn’t rush to your keyboard as quickly as your handbag, then you may be privvy to more pukka gen….!

It is a private company, after all…….!

Can I tell the forum about your new car/cat/boyfriend……?? Hmm…..

Tin hats, everybody!

Leave our Becka alone!

Regarding Duxford, it disappoints me that we do not get more access to the new hangars at Duxford. If they wish to be secretive or not fully integrate as the other flyers do, then there are other airfields around.

Having said that, I love the work they do, just wish that they could find a way of letting us look at it in the restoration stages. That is what Duxford is/was all about

Orville & Wilbur Wright (can I count that as 1?)
Leonard Cheshire
Chuck Yeager
Helmut Wick
That preposterous Czech or Hungarian stunt pilot we see around the place these days

It is too difficult limiting it to such a small number!!! I should have remembered the Wrights too as well as Gerhard Schoepfel (respect your old enemy).

One reluctant pilot was Cayley’s butler IIRC…..big respect!

Cody, Hucks, Rhodes Moorehouse (father VC & son Willie), Nicolson VC, Warburton DFC etc, some Reno racers, the list can go on and on…..Neil Williams, all Boys Own heroes.