When did this one last fly?I saw a Huey chug(?) past when I was sunning myself on a south coast beach in the summer.Same one perhaps?How many are active in the UK at the moment?

Just a note about the delta-winged Mirage fighters-they were derived from the Fairey FD.1 and FD.2,so thier roots ARE British I’m afraid!

I’m in agreement with you Bucc,an all-red Vulcan with a giant white V on it would do me fine,although I know it wouldn’t be to everyone’s tastes!I don’t care what colour she flies in,so long as she flies.There was a time when I thought that making her fly again was a waste of resources and hangar space,but now it’s come so far it just HAS to keep going,I can’t bear to think of her getting the chop.It’s fly or bust!

“I hope it wasn’t BW881, as that aircraft is now under restoration as G-KAMM”
Lol! Thanks for pointing that out Yak-11,that’ll teach me to rely on my grey matter at this time of night!I’ll dig out my copy of Aer*plane with the He111 database section in it and get the proper serial in a bit.

I think Snapper’s Heinkel is the one which was repaired and flown again by the RAF for evaluation.I think the serial was BW881,but nothing is coming up on a Google search,so can’t be sure.She was destroyed in a fatal mid-air collision with a captured Ju88A during a demonstration flight over Duxford in 1943. 🙁

As Mike J says,I was referring to the Duck as a decent P51,as opposed to the lash-up now at Cosford.
Although my instincts are to agree with those who say it’s a shame that the Duck has been grounded,the more I use my head,the more sense it’s grounding makes.
To add to the reasons I gave in the previous post,we have to remember that the UK-based flyers cannot keep flying forever-some may be lost in accidents or sold abroad etc.If you had to place a bet on which Mustang would still be extant in the UK in say 30 years’ time,which would be your safest bet?IMHO it would be the Duck by far.According to the article about Tullius in last month’s Flypast,his aim is to try and make sure that a P51 is preserved in the UK as a lasting tribute to all those who flew them from here in WW2,and I think the placing of the Duck in the RAFM is the best way of going about it.
Ok,so it’s a shame she won’t fly,but there are numerous others still flying,many of which are not nearly as original as Tullius’ machine.

Welcome aboard,Corsair! 🙂
The last I heard,the Duck is to be placed on a slowly rotating turntable in Milestones of Flight.
Whilst it’s a shame that something perfectly airworthy should be grounded,the decision does make sense in various ways.The aircraft is a very original one,with only cosmetic restoration having been done on it since it was built-the airframe only had 200 hours on it from new when Tullius bought it back in the early 80’s.As time goes by,more and more bits and pieces would need repairing and replacing,and eventually you’d get the Trigger’s Broom scenario.So,in retiring the aircraft now,an awful lot of original Inglewood workmanship is being preserved.It really is a 1945-built Mustang!
It also makes very good sense for the RAFM,as even our most powerful national museums can’t afford the prices being asked for even the most hopeless looking P51 wrecks.I can’t see how the RAFM would’ve got thier hands on a decent P51 without a gesture like Tullius’.