I doubt it.

Very good programme. You do wonder though, what information was destroyed and why.
No doubt to protect the reputations of certain “upper class” individuals ?

That seemed to be the conclusion of the program makers. It was a simple take from a modern perspective. That doesn’t mean there was ‘No doubt’ at all. Where Churchill was concerned, things tended towards the Machiavellian. I strongly suspect that there was much more to it than that. :diablo:

Saving Junk.

‘Collecting’ is a common human trait. Perhaps it goes back to basic survival instincts. It gets transferred to our interests and becomes obsessive. A lot of us do it to a greater or lesser extent, including me. One man’s junk and all that….! Nonetheless, that obsession does drive prices on eBay… whether we like it or not.
Rocketeer makes an interesting point about stuff being junked, and that aspect is certainly true. For example, not that many years ago, pre-eBay, I picked-up a lorryload aeronautical junk, mostly engines. There was probably another lorryload left of misc ‘junk’. I’d already got stuff coming out of my ears, and, as most had been badly stored and was too corroded to be any use for airworthy projects, it was left for the scrapman. As a terminally infected enthusiast myself, that sort of decision is never taken lightly, but I just didn’t have the space, and it didn’t warrant another days hire of the lorry, loader, labourer and a load of diesel. I had to console myself with the fact that I’d rescued what I had – at considerable cost remember. Much of what I rescued that isn’t flyable will end-up passed-on, when we’re confidant that there are no bit’s that we need.
I never cease, however, to be astounded at what some people will pay for stuff that is neither useful to them or particularly historic – whatever one may define that as.

Good Old eBay.

Rocketeer;- I agree, there is room for everyones pecadillo, and like I said, if a type is no longer flying, it makes no real difference. I also agree with Fly-Buy that we have to accept eBay, and I do, as I use it, and several projects have benefitted hugely from eBay. None of that however, serves to ameliorate the difficulties of getting and keeping a/c in the air. The difficulties – and costs – are a quantum-leap from someone who has non-airworthy a/c, or very small section thereof. It’s also true that the growth in ‘collectors’ (Whatever one of those is..) has pushed-up the prices of some items to breaking point. If it’s just sat on somones study shelf, clearly it’s a waste by any sensible criterea. An argument I’ve heard, in favour of this, is that it ‘ensures the availablility of parts in the future’. This is clearly a lame argument, if, in the meantime, the actual aircraft can’t be economically restored….! On some items, it’s not the people buying to fly, but the collectors who are driving prices 100%. Being diplomatic, it’s fair to say that that’s ‘unhelpful’…
For myself, anything surplus that is conceivably airworthy only get’s offered to another airworthy project, and, even then, at a sensible price. Even when I could sell it for more on eBay. Am I a fool.? Perhaps… Otherwise, I’m happy to stick it on eBay.
What I’m driving at really, is that if items are really rare or useful, they need to be in the right hands. (Often that may be in a static contect.) If I have something of that ilk, I try and ensure that it gets to the right home, even if I have no use for it, for which purpose eBay is not much help.

Priorities.

This section of the forum is ‘Historic Aviation’. A bit of a give-away really. Without the artefacts that actually fly (Shock-horror) ‘historic aviation’ would be nothing but a graveyard of junk with no context. There is a danger that the obsession with items and collecting obscures, – well, – the ‘aviation’ part of aviation history.

‘..loved and seen by more people than just the pilot.’ Well, that clearly is not the case. :rolleyes: Most collections are viewable. Many static replicas are based upon them anyway. They are widely filmed and photographed too.

None of this is in any way to diminish the vast amount of work that is done outside of flying a/c, I’m merely pointing-out the obvious fact that the valueing and collecting of, lets say, parts for a type that is not, and never will be airworthy, is not in any way hampering airworthy machines. Conversely, some operators of airworthy machines are having to pay ridiculous prices for items for airworthy machines. In some cases, they are vacuumed-up, and the parts effectively ‘ransomed’.

The free-market operating..? Maybe.

Ebay – ‘Good’ – but painful.

I’m not a ‘collector’. I buy from eBay, and, very occasionally, sell. It’s an obvious fact that items will only sell for what people will pay for them. When buying, I only look at the facts, and, as I want to use the items, rather than ‘collect’ them, ‘history’ is irrellevant. It’s clear that there is as much drivel written in eBay auctions as there is is most other parts of the web. Frankly, one has to be a fool to take serious notice of that kind of blather.

On the whole, eBay has been a big plus, as others have said, it’s allowed items onto a larger open market, that othewise I for one would never have been able to track down. This has happened over and over again. Sometimes such items come at a premium, but not always.

For me, the worst thing about eBay is that some rare items needed for flying projects sell at really daft prices, and, what is really depressing, is that one knows those items will just be collecting dust. A complete waste of course. 🙁

Top Hole.

Excellent photos of a lovely a/c, and a tribute to Stan Smith too. Smashing. 🙂

…phhhss….

best air to air fighter at the end of ww2 excluding jets

i.e;- ‘Air Combat’ fighter. That was the original posters parameter. Not whether it had an ashtray or any other criterea. So, post-war a/c are irrellevant, as are a/c that one just likes the look of….:rolleyes: