Received with thanks!!!

Got mine too….

Hawker fury LA610 with Sabre VII

The prettiest version courtest of:

http://www.vflintham.demon.co.uk/. ../typhtem/fury.htm

??? :diablo:

Dave Cook

A good friend of mine – Dave Cook.

Designer/Pilot/Owner/Salesman of CFM Metal Fax of Leiston, Suffolk.

Aviation Award winner, multiple world record holder, proudly British.

Sadly the company is no longer in existence, because he has retired, but he was personally responsible for selling 400+ Shadow series Ultralights in the 80’s and 90’s. The aircraft has superior flying qualities compared with any of its class, and makes inovative use of affordable materials, hence making aviation more affordable to all.

Who says that the British aircraft industry was in decline.

UK Aircraft preservation in 2006

Dear all

I have been following this thread for a few days, and have now decided to put in writing some thoughts. There are clearly a lot of interested preservationists who read and contribute to this forum, which in a big way, is a good thing for the movement as a whole anyway.

I believe the following statement to be true, but am happy to stand corrected, if proven otherwise: “Compared to most other countries in the west there are a lot of aircraft preserved in the UK, probably second only to the US.”

Just compare the latest editions of UK Wrecks and Relics, to the European Wrecks and Relics books for a start! With more aircraft, more museums, groups & individuals with very diverse ideas of collecting and their preservation standards, coupled with a very variable climate and funding issues, probably gives the UK the greatest headache in terms of what to save for future posterity compared to most other countries.

I for one attended several BAPC meetings in the early 90’s, while with a small group with the difficult task of restoring a Meteor and a Vampire outdoors! There was clearly a will in the council to save airframes for future generations, and in one form or another, it remains so to this day. The proposals put forward in this thread are all good, and are core to the BAPC. The council meetings were good to spread the word in “stopping the rot” at a very grass roots level, and have managed to save many airframes over the years, however without real legal powers, it is very difficult to influence the future of a privately owned airframe facing the axe, whether it be “owned” by Joe public, a charitable trust or a National body, because in many cases the £££ out weigh the greater cause, while their actions can be limited to just lobbying.

There are many levels of involvement from aircraft preservationists. I’m doing my bit, and I know many others who are too. Echoing Bruce Gordon, and Stuart Gowans comments, indeed there are fewer of the younger generations coming through with the interest or skills. But this sadly reflects the downward spiral of industry.

The involvement of the individual is key, at what ever level. There are for example:

– Cockpit owners. (like myself these days)
– Working + Retired staff Weekend volunteers at museums.
– Mostly Retired staff Weekday volunteers at museums.
– Fulltime Paid restorers at museums.

All levels of involvement are necessary, and indeed form the backbone of preserving our heritage. It is important for any individual or museum to have a clear collecting policy and only collect what you can afford. I would rather visit a museum with one historically significant aircraft preserved, researched, and displayed indoors, than a field full of many that are sinking up to their axels in mud, with a bad state of preservation, where the resources are stretched.

Can somebody on the Forum publish an up-to-date list of the BAPC airframes on this thread so we can see if what is considered saving?

I would be interested to see how individual aircraft are assessed, or graded as to their significance. If you could save only 3 of the following, how would one do so?

1/ Hawker Typhoon. – Sole survivor, USA evaluation aircraft, no service use.
2/ Fairey Barracuda II. – Salvaged wreckage, sole survivor, FAA service use.
3/ Bristol Brigand. – Damaged fuselage only, sole survivor.
4/ de Havilland Sea Vampire 1 – Prototype, one of few early vampires left.
5/ de Havilland Mosquito – Prototype, one of few early mosquito’s left.
6/ Gloster E.28/39 – First UK jet powered aircraft.
7/ Supermarine Spitfire MK.IX, MH434 – Combat record, continually flown for past 60+ years, mostly original.
8/ Vickers Valiant – Dropped UK’s first atomic bomb.
9/ Avro York – Complete preserved, memorial to the Berlin airlift.
10/ de Havilland DH.88 Comet Racer – Race winner.

Daft comparison really, as these are all clearly examples of significant airframes worth saving for future generations, but try applying a selection process to literally the 800+ types of aircraft in the UK alone, and then multiply this by the overall number of examples of each type (each individual history, with varying states of preservation and ownership), then you can see how complex a task it can be. There will be fewer resources to preserve each aircraft, and the condition of most located outdoors will significantly deteriorate within out lifetimes, so there is a real need to help identify those most at risk and act accordingly, and soon.

Aeroventure support

I think that Aeroventure are doing a great job. It’s great to see a “live” museum. All the staff know their subject well, and are trying to do a good thing for aviation preservation for the UK as a whole, without the backing of a major national museum budget.

They are an excellent staging post for many projects that pass through, and have been responsible for giving a home to many an item for future preservation by themselves, or by others.

Keep up the good work.

My Hornet wish list!

Although very specific to my project, my Hornet wish list would be as follows:

– Hornet Windscreen casting.
– Hornet Canopy.
– Hornet Nose fairing.

There is no chance of a complete example being found any where, so there is no point wishing for one turning up! All of these bits are possible to make, just very expensive, and will take a while.