What a waste… those very useable hangars about to be demolished and just down the road the NAM has some superb aircraft needing some hangarage.:(

Sadly NAM’s been there and done that with a T2 framework donated from RAF Bottesford [circa 1997] – with then 55 year old steelwork [fabricated when metals were in short supply].

NAM found it was cheaper to purchase a new building rather than re-calculate the marginal stress loadings, large footing to hold it down and then refurbish old frames – the result is the new steelwork in Hangar 2 on the Southfield Site that was funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund – nice idea but NAM found it not economically viable!

Footnote: the T2 steelwork then went off to YAM!

Additional data from project file [1999 – 2001 rates]:

Cost estimate just to refurbish 55 year old T2 steelwork [not including, modifying or correcting any default sections] was circa £50k.

Cost of new custom design steelwork to modern specs was £83k.

Extra footing costs to safely secure a T2 [compression / tension stresses of opposing wall columns] to the type of ground at NAM as compared to the current footing design was estimated at circa £25k.

At last year’s Airshow the recruiting and youth aspect were covered with specific displays as part of the support programme of events and activities; with the Deployment Support Display and the Youth in the Community Display – some details here http://www.military-airshows.co.uk/waddington2008reviewb.htm

The Sunday morning ambiance with the skylarks soaring [until the rooks arrived] was just as nice. Sadly the quad bikes on the ‘temporary’ [planning permission not required, as it’s deemed a temporary structure :eek:] grass track circuit spoilt that, as did their earlier exploits.

Not sure about the explosion [petrol tank?] but we now have a Police Incident Number. Also, I spent much of yesterday in email communication with the local planning and environmental health departments [again] trying to get such activities investigated and hopefully stopped!

Not much we can do about the odours I’m afraid – we work very closely with the farmer over the noise issues, as they also have an input over any Planning Applications that the museum puts in, or activities we undertake on our site.

We are currently evaluating a new Visitor Centre scheme on the land we own [Aeroboot location] so we need to keep them happy to ensure our proposed development goes ahead with minimal opposition. 😉

Hi Wyvernfan,

It was good to speak on Saturday.

Sadly the runways at Winthorpe are no longer useable and since the gliders left they are merely car parking spaces; albeit full of potholes, some worse than those on the roadway down to the museum! 😮 [An issue that the museum landlord has promised to correct!]

Runway[s] ownership – Newark & Notts Agricultural Society.

The last aircraft to land at Winthorpe for the museum was the briefly displayed AN2-Colt in early 2002. Another factor is that the runway in now fenced at various points :rolleyes: and at least one aircraft has landed and the occupants have had to phone to be ‘let out!’

The runways were evaluated for both the Draken and Viggen deliveries [1994 and 2006 respectively] but declined due to the poor condition. These aircraft were subsequently flown to Scampton and Cranwell respectively and then moved by road.

Of those you mentioned the Vulcan [1983] and Hastings [1977] flew in, but the Shackleton was dismantled and moved by road – 😮 hence my poor A-Level results [too much time at Finningley].

The Vulcan is the largest aircraft ever to land at Winthorpe and at the time of the early 1980s disposals XM594 was the only Vulcan to be delivered to a non licensed airfield – Winthorpe having no facilities other than a marginal length of concrete.

Any future airframes would almost certainly come in by road!