Will they fly a Hunter through Tower Bridge again, as Alan Pollock did for the 50th year ?

Or maybe a Tornado. Best keep the wings swept back, though.

I wonder if that is the first Walrus ever to appear at DX. I could imagine how that could be the case.

Wasp Helicopter over Amersham 15 .17 heading west.

Often routes North Weald- Yeovilton so may appear Oxon, Wilts Somerset etc in next half hour or so (just a guess ! )

I remember that one. It also lingered at White Waltham, and I recall a bright Feb day in the nineties when it taxied around, carving huge ruts in the wet grass.

It was owned by the Fraser family, who also owned Anson WD413 ( now G-VROE) . The Pembroke G-BFKK ended up in Georgia (USA) and may still be there. At least it was not wrecked by the drug-runners, who trashed most of the ex Belgium Air Force Pembrokes which went to the States.

”It’s obvious that the board is more worried about the airline’s bottom line than preserving its legacy. ”

If they were more worried with preserving the legacy than the airline’s bottom line, they would be negligent in their duties. The rationale behind the decision is not in the public domain at this stage.

On the upside, it sounds like this is a very advanced project which could maybe be released for completion by a new operator, with all the ‘heavy lifting’ already done. I really hope so.

Here is a bit of a guess, but how about Tipsy Belfair G-APOD. The configuration sounds about right, and restoration work was mooted a while ago. Seemingly in storage in Inverness.

The owner alanp posted on here as follows in 2011.

”My attention has been brought to this thread somewhat belatedly but I’ll provide a little more detail if I may. Back in July 1987 my brother Lindsay, having recently got his PPL was keen to buy an aircraft had asked me to see what was on sale at the PFA Rally at Cranfield (he was unable to attend). Amongst the usual suspects Skysport had newly restored G-APIE for sale at £6500, which I reported back. Having always been fond of the Belfair, enquiries were made but a sale had already been agreed. A few weeks later another Belfair (G-APOD) was advertised in Flight at £5500. This time we moved quickly, flying down from Glasgow to a wet and grey Netherthorpe the next weekend to view and conclude the sale. Lindsay said that the aircraft was very light and responsive but that the owner was a very nervous flyer (perhaps this should have been a clue).

In Early September POD was delivered to Scone (Perth), its new home. Early flights were completed under the guidance of an experienced taildragger pilot but power loss due to plug oiling frequently cut these short. (caveat emptor!) A variety of fixes were tried but none cured the problem and eventually POD was grounded whilst an engineer with Mikron experience was sought. (clearly she wasn’t nicknamed the Gremlin for nothing). In the days before the internet, these things weren’t as simple as they are now and weeks soon became months. Lindsay’s medical career began to occupy more time and then Scone was sold and many resident aircraft were asked to move out. POD was dismantled and stored initially in nearby Balbeggie, then laterally at Dundee Airport.

Having moved to Bristol, Lindsay was unable to do much with POD although the engine finally got it’s rebuild. Years passed and another move for both brought them together in Inverness where they have managed to stick for some time. POD is complete but dismantled, essentially in very good condition apart from the oil soaked lower deck and somewhat battered root fillets. The cockpit area had been greatly modified throughout its career and Lindsay would like to restore it to something more authentic (and presentable). The joints have been checked and are sound so essentially all that’s needed is a good wood n’ fabric man to put it all back together. If any of you can recommend such a person, I’ll pass it on as I’ve been nagging him ever week since 1987 to get POD back where she belongs. We have been told that the original owner ran a construction company and was involved in the construction of the M1, using POD to commute to sites and landing on the finished portions. If anyone ever comes across pictures of this, I’d love to see them.”

Viscounts were the sound-track to my childhood. Living under the Bovingdon VOR beacon, it seemed I could always hear a those whistling Darts, as they went round and round the stack, waiting to head into Heathrow. As is the way of these things, you never imagine they won’t always be there.

Who remembers the Viscount full of passengers that ran out of fuel and belly-landed in a field at Ottery St Mary in Devon ?

https://www.facebook.com/VickersViscountNetwork/posts/1024929484189572

WIKI cutnpaste

” Douglas Devastator

There are no surviving aircraft in museums or private collections, nor are there any currently under restoration. However, below are four crashed aircraft that are known to exist and are the closest to a complete airframe in the world.[32] It is not known if anyone will recover and restore these aircraft, as there has been no news on the recovery off San Diego since 2011.[33]

TBD-1, Bureau Number 0298
Ex-VT-5 / USS Yorktown (CV-5) “5-T-7”, Jaluit Lagoon, Marshall Islands.[34]

TBD-1 BuNo 0353
Ex-NAS Miami, Atlantic Ocean, Miami, Florida.[35]

TBD-1 BuNo 1515
Ex-VT-5 / USS Yorktown (CV-5) “5-T-6”, Jaluit Lagoon, Marshall Islands.[32]

TBD-1 BuNo 0377
Ex-VT-2 / USS Lexington (CV-2) “6-T-7”, Pacific Ocean, Mission Beach, California.[33][36]

Wreck of the USS Lexington (CV-2)
There are reported to be seven Devastators located on the wreck of the USS Lexington.”