I’ll go with Avion Anciens suggestion then….:)

Requium For A Gull.

If I was providing sponsorship, I’d far rather direct it, for example, towards getting Miss Battens Gull Six back, as this was a genuinely historic and original aircraft. G-AERD also went to the antipodes relatively recently. I’d not for one instant, of course, deny the Kiwis and Aussies their well-founded claims to interest in these a/c. However, we are left with a dearth of pre-war Percival aircraft in the UK, which for their country of origin, seems a great pity.
I’d rather see Battens Gull at OW than a hangarfull of replica Vimys thanks. There are other pre-war a/c out there still flying. If OW have money to burn, and it seems they have, they’d be better off making their owners offers than burning-up resources on vast, costly Vimy replicas and huge hangars (If this rumour were all true.). Likewise, I’d far rather see the Tutor & Tomtit as they are British, than the LVG.
Look at the Wildcat too. I’m glad that some have survived and are flying. I’ve seen them at Duxford in the past. Is it just me though, that see’s it as rather an incongruity at OW, especially if it’s at the cost of keeping or acquiring more appropriate machines? I honestly don’t think that any collections remit should be cast in concrete – and yet, many other folks have voiced a similar opinion.
Ironically, machines such as the Gull Six are relatively cheap to operate, as well as being practical, easy and safe too, so the risks are quite low.

You could argue the point as to why Shuttleworth would risk the likes of the Avro Tutor -Hawker Tomtit or indeed the DH88 Comet as they are irreplaceable!

You could indeed, but that’s the whole point of Old Warden, the exhibits are kept alive. It’s easy to forget that many are really replicas anyway, or largely so. As long as they are practical and safe to operate, most folks would much rather that they were kept flying, albeit under restricted operations.

I hope your very young!

No – but as long as I still have one eye working I’ll manage…. 😉

A DC-2 might be more appropriate to commemorate the MacRobertson Race, but it wont sound as good (in my opinion) I vote for the Mew Gulls, and whatever else you can find to completely fill the air with the gorgeous sound of six cylinder Gipsy engines!

Absolutely….! The warbirds get all the limelight, but 1930’s British classics are wonderful, and the finest of that vintage are powered by the lovely silky-smooth DH six’s. I vividly remember ‘SS when it was flying – such a splendidly evocative sound. I just hope that I live long enough to hear all three of the Comets up together…!

@SNAFU;- ‘Also, what happens if the design owners, whoever they are, do not allow their design to be built? Do you just ignore them and carry on? Do you make slight adjustments so that it is not exactly the same and give it a different name? I am interested to hear…’ You’d still need to get the thing certified.

On a more general note;- The real issue with old engines generally is not about the need to reproduce the whole engine, it’s about being able to properly and (Reasonably.) economically rebuild them. By and large that comes down to the demand, the motivation – and of course the money. If required parts are properly produced, there are usually ways of covering the paperwork, but that’s something one arranges from the outset. For many types of components, modern technology has certainly transformed the economic viability or production, but there will always be some items that are problematic where there is a lot of money tied-up in production.
With hindsight, RR could have had a nice little sideline over the years with Merlins, but then – who could have predicted the resurgent need for Merlins. It’s not something borne of logic, as P&P alluded.

As the old saying goes, ‘Possession is nine-tenths of the Law.’. How true. I’ve used eBay since it went global, and I’ve had very few problems, but just getting into a proper dialogue with eBay is almost impossible, so I don’t have any real faith in them sorting problems out. Buyers biggest protection is that highly-scored sellers will not want to get bum Feedback. It’s that simple.

Theirs is the Glory . . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3e6S8rg9_c

Phew, thank goodness, I was starting to worry that the war was fought by an army of Worzle Gummages… Ooo-arrrgh…