Eeeeee… Way back when I were a mere SAC, my first Warrant, Curly Beauchamp, told me some real tall stories…
Told me about those “Super-Techs” that the RAF experimented with back in the Cold War, genetically engineered at Porton Down to be superior in every way to all other techies…
Better, stronger, faster… ( oh, sorry, that was Steve Austin…)
And because of their superior intellect, only their opinion counted.
They didn’t need to use Tele-brief on start up or crew in snags, they used telepathy instead.
And it was said that on helicopter squadrons, they could even tell by the way a gro-bag walked back across the pan as to which main rotor blade was out of balance…

And I always thought he was pulling my Houchin cable…

Actually Mr Know-It-All Burke, it wasnt….

It was due to corroded structure in the mainplanes that wasnt found during its restoration by MAPS…

So, with regard to the offer in post 79, do you want the inside cabin or the sea view…?

And for all those forum members worried about the aircraft during its possible long and perilous sea transit across the North Atlantic…
I’m sure that the RAF Museum would be happy to make space in the container for yourselves, an Elsan, and a few boxes of M.R.E. :rolleyes:

…my concern as such is solely for the well being of this nations only existing complete example of a Hawker Typhoon, should this ‘loan’ actually be going ahead.

Wyvernfan, suggest you read this, top of page three…

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/74-A-27-Typhoon-MN235-public.pdf

It’s not a “complete” example at all… it’s a partial repro…

” Arrived in UK missing one 20mm cannon, spinner, most engine cowlings, starboard aileron, undercarriage parts, radiator/oil cooler unit, side panels below cockpit and various inspection panels.
The missing cannon was replaced from RAFM stocks; the spinner was adapted from a HP Hastings spinner and other parts were made by 27 MU. The aircraft was in generally good condition with only slight corrosion.
Replacement engine cowlings were made from sheet aluminium, and the missing radiator was replaced by a cut-down Bedford lorry unit made to look like the original from the front at least.”

Had no wartime service, wasn’t even in the country for D-Day, on loan to the Yanks… and the invasion stripes were painted on in 1994 !

Is anyone here ever going to learn about helicopters? 🙂 🙂

Yep…
Helicopters don’t fly…
They’re so ugly the Earth repels them…:dev2:

[QUOTE=David Burke;2087482]The RAFM is a department of the Mod . I cannot recall any instance where the RAFM has made a request for a transfer of equipment of a historic nature and had it declined. I do not believe for one minute that this aircraft was totally beyone redemption. It spent a very long time in storage at Henlow – efforts to move her or at least carry out more meaningful spares recovery seem to have been missed.
In terms of the RAFM it seems that an enormous effort was put into recovering the Dornier wreckage whilst funding to move both a Comet and VC-10 seems to have evaporated!

“The RAFM didnt break promises over the VC10 or the Comet…
The RAF chose not to deliver 808 by air because of the length of available runway…
And re the Comet, read my post on that thread, with the info taken from the pprune site.
The Comet was past its best back in 2009… the RAFM said so then… “

and Bruce the moderator has stated that he saw various condition survey reports… ask him…

What axe have you got to grind with the RAF Museum, David ?

Here’s a few comments taken from the pprune website post regarging this aircraft, sorry if it’s a bit of a big post but the comments by AMAROK point towards the RAFM saying it was past its use by date as far back as 2009.

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/95212-lyneham-close-what-fate-comet.html

Amarok
I am sorry to report the RAF Museum inspected the Saggy autumn 2009, they reported the corrosion in the fuse was too far gone ‘one of the inspectors said he could push his finger through the lower fuse skin ! please remember this aircraft has been parked over grass for nearly 25 years and I suspect she has been slowly rotting from the inside out…
…The RAFM have removed everything they could from the Comet (Sept 2009) and due to the corrosion were going to scrap it on the spot. It sounds like someone has stepped in and said hang on so the descision has been put on hold, but the early indication from the RAFM is they don’t want Saggy as they have Comet 1X up at Cosford and will equip it with the bits they got from saggy and make it look like a C2.

SirPeterHardingsLovechild
I had an outside walk around the Comet this morning and my unqualified opinion is that it is saveable. I didn’t find anywhere in the lower fuselage that I could ‘put my finger through’. The jet pipe cowlings are indeed rotted through. There’s plenty of evidence of intergranular corrosion. The undercarriage main components seem to be okay. Various smaller struts on the undercarriage are badly corroded and would probably need replacing or bracing.

One of the guys who went on board earlier this year tells me that the insides are in a sorry state. He felt the cabin floor was unsafe, and mistook what he thought was a carpet, that turned out to be a thick layer of mildew/moss.

T-21
The nose is about the only part worth saving ,the rest is too corroded. It has been sitting around for nearly 45 years,miracles take longer.

DaveReidUK
Here’s the RFQ, from last year, seeking a contractor to dismantle XK699 and reassemble it at Cosford:
Dismantlement and relocation of Gate Guardian Comet C2 XK699 – Government Tenders, Government News and Information – Government Online

No info on whether the contract has since been awarded.
Edit: PQ from April this year:
“Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the historic Comet aircraft which is at the entrance to the former RAF Lyneham base. [149378]

Mr Robathan: The RAF are currently examining options for the future of the De Havilland Comet C2 XK699 which is the gate guardian at the former RAF Lyneham. No decision has yet been made.”

Proplinerman
Thanks very much for that.
The dismantling and move tender looks very positive, as do the sums mentioned as to its value/cost: “Contract value: £40,000 – £93,000.” That said however, I know nothing about the costs of dismantling, moving and then re-assembling any aircraft, let alone a large one like a Comet, so perhaps these figures were just too low for any contractor to be seriously interested?
From the fact that the closing date was April 2012 and that nothing has happened tho, and also given the completely non-committal reply from the Govt minister to the PQ put down on the subject in April of this year, that you quote, I surmise that there were probably no takers for the tender to move the aircraft.

Put your money where your mouth is then…
Send them a big cheque, or go to the next MBCC open week and bung a wad of tenners into the donations box.