cypherusHaving known Manston for over four decades now and watched its slow decline it was of no surprise to hear that it was going to be turned over to housing, the completion of the dual carriageway alongside seemed to be the trigger for this announcement as both coincided neatly, what I was take aback by was the obscene haste the owner then set about trashing the infrastructure in what some believe was an attempt to circumnavigate any form of meaningful protest, That some very pointed questions have been asked in regards to the local authorities role in this matter and the governments utter contempt for the issue leads one to believe that Manston as a viable location for an airport of any type will soon be gone, Current thinking to open a truck storage area there, badly needed as it might be all adds up to one conclusion, blinkered thinking driven by financial gain on the part of some parties. I am afraid Manston is just a few miles of new track to far for the tories to consider it a viable alternative to Heathrow’s additional runway build, yes the Thanet way is there, but it’s not really built for heavy freight traffic and has other issues around the Faversham area and past planning mistakes in the M2 layout still haunt it daily so Rail would be the only real alternative to tap into HS1 via Ashford, Sorry but that self serving plank Grayling would have a political melt down even considering that idea, In the end Maston has so many strikes against it even though a lot including myself would like to see it operational again, it is doubtful involved parties will ever allow it, they have the upper hand and intend to keep it.
cypherusSadly like so many that have gone before this future will be dictated by greed and the short shortsightedness that afflicts those infected with this lonely disease.
cypherusNot surprised to see so much chatter in the press re: Shoreham, As for the Cartridge issue, Principle here has always been one of Ronson, First time, Every time, and that’s what governs the expiry dates, That they will or in many cases will not go off when required at much later dates is immaterial to the principle and any responsible operator will not only bin them before there sell by date, but rightly expect to be spit roasted if any accident later happens and can be attributed even in part to that factor.
In this case only the ‘Pilot’ can give witness to what actually happened in those final seconds, and all should wait until that information is made fully available before speculation and hysteria take hold of those just looking for something to dance around the fire too.
However this and similar threads beg another question no one really wants to ask. Yearly we witness the usual toll of older air frames arriving on the ground in an unintended fashion, and each time there is the same ”soul searching” discussions taking place, I say that with tongue in cheek as in the end unless this activity is utterly banned it will keep happening, Those of us that have frequented these forums for years have seen this over and again, Plane comes down and the Lynch mob mounts up rope in hand riding around aimlessly, in there view someone will swing for this and often enough it is the wrong person or more importantly for the wrong reasons.
Returning to the Cartridge matter, The real problem here in my view is in the control of this vital part overall, ‘There is no Civil equivalent of an armourer’. as previously mentioned, and there you have it in one sentence. Until the CAA/FAA or who ever is in overall control ensure that this situation is rectified by placing this aspect under some sort of civil authority rather than the current ad-hoc methods this one will keep surfacing, and as we see time and again blind the public and the industry to the real issues that need to be addressed.
We saw it in SA a few years ago, yet again at Shoreham, None of these incidents was caused by out of date cartridges, but that information was waved high by the uninformed, Yet it was indicative of a much deeper and far more insidious problem in the operation of aircraft particularly complex ex military air frames in private (Public). hands, jet powered or otherwise, That of independent oversight, Yes I accept the CAA in this case has overall oversight of the operation and the operators but not at the day to day level and even the most dedicated operator can and will miss things either by mistake or simply through daily pressures to preform, If the situation was enacted were this all relied on secondary inspection by an independent third party divorced from the operational side of the air frame in all respects a lot of what happens would simply end up with the aircraft unable to fly until compliance was met, A kind of daily PtF endorsement, it’s either right or get your coat and come back when it is sort of thing, Yes it would add to operating costs overall but better that than what we see happen far to often.
In the end as with all accidents the report will reveal the overall ‘Official’ determination of the cause, recommendations will be made and changes enacted. Insurance premiums will soar and air show operators will alter there methods but will this stop another of these horrific incidents, Doubtful it will, not until those involved change the way they look at things drastically, fully accept there responsibilities and alter the way they operate, Acceptable Risk is not something we need to hear if we wish to continue see these aircraft displayed were they belong.
cypherusNaval Navigational Archives Maybe.
cypherusHistorically Nations have seldom fallen to any other cause than that of internal Avarice, Greed and Ignorance of the politicians running them, Beware the Professional Politician for he has not your interests in mind.
This is a really bad idea
cypherusSigned.
cypherusText Book indeed, could have been far worse.
cypherusInteresting that the upper and low spar booms have such different limitations placed on them. I have associates in Cyprus, tried contact today to have them put eyes on Papos directly but not heard a reply as of time of posting, if they reply I will post it on.
cypherusGreat achievement guys, keep at it and you will eventually get her back in the air again.
cypherusIndeed, the text of the ruling seems to be somewhat at variance to that posted on Facebook and elsewhere…..
For those of us here that have not followed this sad tale from it’s origins I would point out that this Court ruling is probably only a minor stepping stone in the aircraft’s history, and yes ‘Jumping on the bandwagon’ is not a good idea until you have studied the full time line of the tale.
The statement put out on the XT752 Facebook page is an classic example of this type of thing, indicating that everyone here is a saintly hero and others mentioned in passing are all scoundrels and robbers, but they neatly avoid putting the link for the full court ruling up to scrutiny both on Facebook and in there latest news update, using only ‘Favourable’ bytes.
Read through the Justices statement of facts behind his ruling and you begin to realize that all is not as it first appears and always remember that going back over the years the activities of the Odone’s have been brought into question both here and on other venues.
While his involvement has to some extent ensured XT752 remains in good condition is without doubt, his motives however for this have to be looked at overall, and they are not without questions in themselves, there will be those here that support the man, others will realise that as the judgement stated, a lot of skulduggery has become apparent by all involved and I do not doubt a lot more is yet to be revealed.
It is good to see that XT752 is in good order and flying again, why this has come about however is the question that I feel is going to possibly end it’s flying and descend into years of court litigation and scandal as the people mentioned and others yet to come forward seek to profit from it by what ever means they can.
cypherusLot of discussion about the rights and wrongs of salvaging this aircraft from a Swedish swamp most of which seems to center around it,s pre-crash history, and while I agree that gives it a certain unique angle it must always be remembered that it also has a significant history after it,s demise centered around the efforts of the local community to save and look after what parts of the air frame they can.
The ‘Just because we can’ argument holds little water in this one, in my view it’s history, since crashing into it’s current location is far more extensive that it’s pre-crash one , maybe not to us but it is firmly rooted in the current location it occupies and the authorities are quite correct in refusing to consider moving it.
Those that flew it and accomplished extraordinary achievements will not be forgotten by leaving it were it is and possibly a better use of resources here would be to offer the local custodians what specialized assistance and financial help can be gathered up towards preserving what remains in situ. For future generations to enjoy, after all not every museum has or needs a roof.
cypherusKent Battle of Britain museum. Address: Aerodrome road, Hawkinge, Folkstone. CT18 7AG. Again Google maps will take you directly to it from the first exit off the M/A20 after leaving the Roundhill tunnel.
The Museum is based on the site of the former Airfield and I believe if memory serves Aerodrome Road follows the line of the original perimeter track and approach road.
This site has some interesting information with a number of photographs of Raf Hawkinge long after it closed.
http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?108-Hawkinge
cypherusBit of Googling works wonders,
This link gives a reference to the aircraft in question.
Raf Hawkinge were the B17 reportedly crashed is well known in the area though there is little of it left these days,again Google brought up a number of references to it with Wiki as usual giving a lot of detailed information.
cypherusGood to see the old girl getting some much needed TLC, I guess now though it’s a four horse race to the finish, Money. Air frame. Engines and the will to carry on knowing the end is soon to come.
Seems there is still no announcement as to her final resting place, ground running or otherwise, hoping it will be Elvington myself but who knows.
cypherusGood to hear that you have possibly solved the problem with the priming pump, speculation aside having read your post I took the time to look over the spec’s for the Bendix units, certainly is a beast of a device.
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