The new-build Lancaster/Stirling/Fortress fuselage projects so admired on the forum might show the way ahead, as they can be started in a smallish space, , but with scope to grow if resources permit. £50K would get you off to a very good start.

I think a reproduction walk-through Sunderland fuselage exhibit( like Hendon) with be far more meaningful than a very broken corroding lump from the sea-bed, which to many visitors will probably only ever look like a load of scrap. You could spend an awful lot of money, and end up with very little.

If they can sign up a Mosquito, now THAT would be a headline act !

Flying and aviators have slipped from the public consciousness . Post war it was our BIGGEST industry, but declined, and shrank away to what we see today, ie Airbus wings, some Typhoons, and a few Hawks. Manned space flight is negligible, supersonic services are finished, and flight is normalised, though a hassle and rather tiresome. What was once glamourous is now routine.

Even in the 70’s, there still remained a whiff of wartime ‘derring do’, the heroic exploits of the RAF, and the pride of the nation in its Air Force, but certainly times have changed. The Air Cadets have for years opened the door on the world of light aviation, but their resources too have been slashed, and the present aim is one flight per year per cadet ( gliding has only just re-started)

For many young people, with no particular introduction to the world of flying, I struggle to see how/why they would find their way to self-funded recreational flying, and certainly for those raising a family, massive housing costs ( far greater than in the past ) will dent disposable income. Flying is perceived as expensive, indulgent , difficult, dangerous and perhaps a bit pointless. Those of us who do it know this is not the reality, but it is still a hard sell.

I think airfields will continue to come under pressure, will continue to be lost for housing developments, and the declining number of pilots will increasingly operate from more ad hoc un-licenced strips, in small ( though capable) aircraft. On the positive side, the self-certifying medical is one expense/ hassle reduced.

It is not just flying though. I think the same rueful observations are made in many activities, from sailing, railway preservation, and even golf, where courses are closing and they struggle to sell club membership . As a society we have become more passive, risk averse, litigious and enchanted/ enslaved by our computers. Not everyone, of course, but for so many, the online world seems more appealing than the real one :apologetic:

I think this was the one put together by that well-known character of the warbird scene, Bob Diemert of Carmen, Manitoba.

As the Defender film is over 25 years old now, some people will not have seen it, but from about 26 mins forward there is good footage of the Zero rebuild.

What was the Defender ? A DIY fighter aircraft, like no other, and some people maintain that the whole project was a humourous indulgence, and Bob was sending himself up.

Pour yourself a beer, find a comfy chair, and decide for yourself………………

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvbQMqd0kEY

You have (in error I think) put G-BIXL at the top and bottom of that summary.

As I recall, Sunny V111 was N1051S, operated by Spencer Flack, and sadly lost in 1995. Sorry to be contrary !

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?survivors/serial/45-11371

Really sad to hear that Air Cadets gliding at Halton is getting the chop, and Abingdon as well, where I did my cadet flying !

So much disappointing news to digest these days……… :apologetic:

”In April 2014 all Air Cadet Organisation gliding was paused due to airworthiness concerns with the Grob Viking conventional glider and Grob Vigilant motorglider fleets utilised by the Air Cadet Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGS).

Substantial operational, technical and commercial negotiations with a range of aerospace leaders in this field have failed to find a value for money approach to successfully repair and recover all 146 gliders. Consequently a comprehensive Air Cadet Organisation review has proposed restructuring this activity. It has been decided that the best value for money solution is to recover at least 73 Vikings, a reduced Vigilant fleet of up to 15 aircraft, combined with an uplift to Grob Tutor fixed wing Air Experience Flights (AEFs).
The reduced glider fleet will be operated by significantly fewer, but larger, VGS, which will have a regional focus and be better integrated with synthetic training and increased AEF locations. The number of Grob Tutor aircraft beyond 2017 for AEF/ University Air Squadron (UAS) use will go from 45 to 70 airframes, enabling the enlargement of existing AEFs and the formation of two new AEFs. Regional VGS hubs, which have the facility to provide overnight accommodation, will be also created across the UK.

The Volunteer Gliding Squadrons that are due to be disbanded are: 611 Squadron currently based at RAF Honington, 612 Squadron currently based Dalton Barracks (Abingdon), 613 Squadron currently based at RAF Halton, 616 Squadron currently based at RAF Henlow, 618 Squadron currently based at RAF Odiham, 624 Squadron currently based at RMB Chivenor, 633 Squadron currently based at RAF Cosford, 634 Squadron currently based at MOD St Athan, 635 Squadron currently based at RAF Topcliffe, 636 Squadron currently based at Swansea Airport, 642 Squadron currently based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, 662 Squadron currently based at RMB Arbroath, 663 Squadron currently based at Kinloss Barracks and 664 Squadron currently based at Newtownards.

The Volunteer Gliding Squadrons that are due to be retained are the Central Gliding School and 644 Squadron currently based at RAF Syerston, 614 Squadron currently based at MDP Wethersfield, 615 Squadron currently based at RAF Kenley, 622 Squadron currently based at Trenchard Lines Upavon, 626 Squadron currently based at RNAS Predannack, 631 Squadron currently based at RAF Woodvale, 632 Squadron currently based at RAF Ternhill, 637 Squadron currently based at RAF Little Rissington, 661 Squadron currently based at RAF Kirknewton and 645 Squadron currently based at Topcliffe (from October 2019). 621 Squadron currently based at Hullavington will be retained at RNAS Merryfield.

As part of this process, a number of regional gliding hubs are to be created. We also expect that 2 new Air Experience Flights will be created, 13 AEF and 14 AEF. It is anticipated that 14 AEF will be located in Northern Ireland.”

Ministerial statement today.

”Up, up the long delirious burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace”

Duxford Sept 15