That’s a really beautiful aircraft. Many congratulations – it looks even better in the air, I love that low-level photo.

Don’t change a thing!

Just to be a bit more positive about the whole thing – my fiance and I are FoD members and really only use it as a way to get free entry whenever we want, although the members’ enclosure on airshows is also handy about three times a year. We never eat significant amounts in the cafe, nor buy anything in the shop.

Joint FoD has costed us £90 a year, which we think is good value compared with paying for entry on a per-visit basis, and with the introductory discount under this new scheme, we can enjoy the same level of service (or at least the bits we use) for £5 less.

The sad truth is that IWM is going to receive a lot less central funding in the future so our support is more valuable to them than ever before. My other half and I are going to renew as Premium members for another 12 months and then see where we are when the full-price renewal looms the year after.

I would suggest that those wavering maybe take advantage of the reduced renewal fees for the next year and then, as members, make their views known to the powers that be and see if there’s a way of making the changes you’d like to see. You never know – you might be lucky.

Of course, I’d never advise against giving cash to Sally B – although we’re not official supporters, we do make sure we give her some cash as well!

Thanks for posting, Brian – this is the first Duxford Airshow I’ve missed for ages and I was very disappointed to miss the Hurricane Fest. Lovely Pics.

That really is great news – worth clicking that link to enjoy the soundtrack of the video embedded on the FB page.

I believe I heard on Saturday that the pilot of Miss Velma’s surname was either Nevy or Levy, sorry, can’t remember which. Either way, good to see him without a scratch on him and that the safety precautions worked as they’re designed to. It’s amazing what a difference it makes when you see the aircraft back on its wheels again – thought the same with the Sea Vixen. Good luck to the owner – hope the damage isn’t too serious.

Nipped into Duxford today and first stop was the Lancaster viewing gallery. The smell of paint greeted us as we opened the door and things have moved on apace since our last visit a few months ago:

IMG_6134 by sboreeves, on Flickr

IMG_6135 by sboreeves, on Flickr

Sounds like a good way of saving some of our aviation heritage! There was a similar thing on telly a little while ago – a couple in Stirling converted one for use as B&B accommodation. I think you can probably see the episode here:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/george-clarkes-amazing-spaces/episode-guide/series-6

Cheers…

It was our first trip of 2017 to Duxford today – it was pretty busy considering it was a winter Sunday afternoon.

First stop was the conservation area of Airspace to see how the Britania was getting on – we were skulking by on outside door when one of the DAS chaps who were repainting the aircraft very kindly beckoned us in to take a closer look. It’s incredible what the volunteers have achieved in such a short time, and a real pleasure to have a chat with someone so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what he’s doing. I took a few snaps of the aircraft while we were chatting. The Monarch lettering on the fuselage is a decal, applied after painting, whereas the logo on the tail fin is due to be hand painted once the yellow top coat is finished. Apparently even though it’s been outside since 1971, the outer skin of the aircraft is very well preserved, due to good corrosion proofing during the manufacturing process. The painting team this time round have concentrated on applying extra paint to the parts where water gathers to help preserve the skin for the future.

IMG_6057 by sboreeves, on Flickr

IMG_6063 by sboreeves, on Flickr

IMG_6068 by sboreeves, on Flickr

Elsewhere, work on the Victor was progressing apace, the conservation area was as busy as I’ve ever seen it:

IMG_6102 by sboreeves, on Flickr

In the past I’ve joked about how the IWM have neglected XH648 but I’m very happy to eat my words and admire the efforts that are being made. It’ll be very interesting to see this restoration progress over the next couple of years.