I can’t remember seeing much info on this, but I seem to recall trials were over Jurby. But I can’t recall anything about guidance. Might well have been just unguided drops?

Indeed, you certainly have my full support Chris. Clearly you are aware of the problems and potential pitfalls, but I’m sure everybody hopes that the collection will survive and prosper. It’s very bad news for the Varsity, but I’m sure you’ll do your best to keep the machine in good condition for as long as possible. I’m prompted to mention the Canberra too – I’m saddened to see how an aeroplane that was originally expected to fly again has come to this. Then again, there’s the BAC-111 too – given that it hadn’t been there very long, one would have thought that it could have been flown out without too much expense? At least there will still be a collection to see at St.Mawgan. I wonder what will become of the vacated South Pan and hangars? Does anyone seriously believe the proposed development ideas, or is it more likely that the area will just be left abandoned?

I retweeted it on the Aeroplane Icons Twitter page. Good news indeed. I just hope it appears at more venues in the future – and preferably one or two that aren’t so far south (I’m being shamelessly selfish) 🙂

Nothing has been stated by CAF that the Varsity will be staying at St Mawgan.
True, but you get the impression that if it’s moving over to the new site, it’s going to stay there. I was told that it was going to Coventry, but that was weeks ago.

Rob, I agree with you, and I’m not blaming CAF as such. It just seems bizarre that so much effort and money went into getting the Varsity to St.Mawgan and restoring it – and now it all seems to have been for nothing. Like yourself, I don’t know why the Varsity was treated so badly at Duxford – I assume it was because it didn’t belong to IWM, but then they dished-out similar treatment to the MRF Varsity. In both cases they had fully functional aeroplanes in perfect condition, and in both cases they were simply left to rot. It’s difficult (impossible) to think of any reason why any museum would wilfully allow such things to happen. I can only conclude that the Varsity simply wasn’t considered “sexy” enough to compete with the WWII airframes or the more famous machines kept there. Might sound cynical but we all know that if they had been a Spitfire or a Mustang, then both aircraft would have been treated very differently.

Obviously there is a world of difference between disposing of a fragment of ancient pottery or a painting and getting rid of a rotting airliner

Indeed there is – sadly.

The result of this is that a piece of pottery is therefore placed at higher value than an airliner. But the value is subjective. It’s utterly bonkers.

semantics old boy, you know what I mean 🙂

I’m saddened to see that the Varsity appears to be staying at St.Mawgan. Much as I adore the airfield, I’m a great fan of the Varsity too and the thought of it languishing outside in the salty air doesn’t thrill me at all. It will inevitably deteriorate. I was delighted when it found a home in the hangar and I assumed it would be transported to Coventry following CAF’s departure but it seems not. Seems like an awful waste of effort restoring the machine so well. Who would have thought that Don Selway’s beloved Varsity would end up in such a predicament. I accept that it’s an expensive proposition to move a VC10 or a BAC-111 but the Varsity? It managed to get from Duxford and yet it can’t get from St.Mawgan to Coventry?

The whole CAF saga is a very depressing tale 🙁

Oh Lord, another museum exhibit lovingly preserved until er… it isn’t preserved any longer. I wonder if the Natural History Museum or the Science Museum would carry-on like this? 😉