Call me naive – I’m sure I will be – but I just don’t see what the CAA has to gain from shutting down operation of a section of aircraft types. I believe the reason the sole airworthy Hunter in NZ was grounded was because of running costs and possibly fatigue, rather than our CAA engaging in some vendetta against private jets. Strikemasters, L-29s and L-39s, Vampires and a Venom all fly the New Zealand airshow circuit quite happily and one museum is planning to restore and fly their Aermacchi MB.339CB – a type which entered RNZAF service in 1991.
The UK CAA doesn’t seem to have stopped all vintage jets from flying, only one type which suffered from a very public accident and large accident investigation/enquiry.
As far as future preservation and display goes, due to cost and complexity I can’t imagine seeing an F/A-18, Tornado or Eurofighter Typhoon being privately operated (that said, I look at Paul Allen’s MiG-29UB and wonder if I’m already wrong). But more practical types like King Airs could fulfil the role that ex-RNZAF Devons did in the formative years of the NZ Warbirds Association by ferrying crew and support to airshows, as well as indulging in a little display of their own. It’s possible helicopters could find a niche but I must admit the vintage chopper scene here and from what I’ve seen of the UK is very, very sparse – there’s that issue of money again – and I’m not sure how well Sea Kings would find work (Hueys and logging springs to mind).
Hawks could end up in private hands. Look at the Aero-Vodochody types around the world. Granted they were cheaper to acquire so it may be on a smaller scale, but imagine the opportunities if you bought a Hawk, painted it red and set up an adventure flight operation. The general airshow public likes speed and noise.
I doubt the late Cold War/Desert Storm/Kosovo etc types will ever appear on the scene in numbers like the Hurricanes, Mustangs and Spitfires, but I think some will.
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