if thats the A35 model it was developed from the AW16 and only six built apparently two remained in the UK and four were exported, if it’s the 525 naval variant 75 were built and they were still in service till the late sixties, they had an astonishing accident rate and only three full examples survive the best example being in the US of all places????

Having walked this area, living close by these days, the remains of the former airfield are hard too define, the field is occasionally used by local flyers but other than that is mostly consigned to history.

Reading these comments we yet again sadly see the multi headed watsit of commercial greed at work, while it was a wreck known only to those interested enough to look as a grid reference it had no other value than historical, the thing was and currently is scrap value only but in the hands of those willing to invest considerable time and money could become something the world can enjoy for many years to come, as it stands all that will outcome this legal bun fight will be richer laywers and poorer history.

Just noted this thread on here, I used to live very close to Scampton for many years, to close for comfort somedays, but as a kid with a new bike does freinds and I used to cycle out too the main gate an admire 611 from a distance, eventually we would of course be asked to ‘Move Along there’ ect if we got a little too close, but one afternoon a corporal marched out of the gatehouse and asked if we would like a closer look, you can imagine the scramble as four very excited school age kids clambered around inside her for an hour as he described the various parts ect, the cockpit as I recall we rather a mess with many missing items and very tatty seats but even so just sitting there even for a short while was something I will never forget.
Nice to see her in such fine condition and there is always hope she may yet again be allowed to fly.

Now that is one nice set of pictures.

Seems the pressure might be bleeding off on the Xh558 debate, posts are getting thinner and the content a little thready, and before anyone starts this is not another knocking session, Question I am asking myself is what happens now, the group has obtained it’s funding that will allow it to go forwards to begin flight testing and possibly beyond, the flypast up the Mall is certainly on unless serviceability problems call a stand down on that one, but what of the future financing of 558, a fair guess can be made of costs per hour so were will this money come from a question that should be on everyone’s mind right now or do we wait until we have yet another final few days letter issued, hope not, would be a real insult to those who have worked so hard both inside and out to get the word around. We all except that flying 558 will be expensive, never been any question about that, and that sponsors are little thin on the ground but unless as a group we are prepared to make 558 headline news on a daily basis this project will find itself in dire straights again and again, we have seen from this and other forums that there is a ready and wiling workforce available that could construct a workable publicity team that would be tasked with the sole job of raising funding, starting with the collection of the pledges ASAP lest the initial impact be lost, history of such pledge scheme indicates that the longer you wait the less you bring in, possibly a daily blog on progress could be arranged, inclusive of pictures and small AVI clips, someone should progress that idea, make 558 and the people involved as popular as Eastenders and you will have no problems raising cash, lots of good ideas have been pushed into the forum lets see if we can mould a few into a workable process to keep the money coming in..

I have flown gliders that cannot fly as slowly as this aircraft can, such a shame the innovation that the UK once could display has now been lost.

The finite figure regarding the costing for this project are of course not fully available and I am sure this has led to some people asking questions regarding the steep rise in the costs involved, and certainly debate on this subject should and will take place both on this forum and in other places that may have a view too undertaking such a project in the future, mistakes have been made and lessons need to be learned from this but the price of placing 558 in the air again was always going to be an almost total unknown.
When the keys turned and the airframe takes too the skies once again some idea will be gained of the price paid by all involved, Anyone fancy putting a Valiant up alongside 558 or has this exercise killed off any prospects for future restorations.