Hi all
My response
Well this is a really interesting issue and it is one where there is clearly no right or wrong – it is about balance and individual opinions/conduct..
No it’s not about scrapping Sally B or the Belfast or the Beverly.
In my opinion the following are the issues that matter.
1) The UK aviation culture and environment are about total imersion in a very rich past – Duxford for example has a very important role to play here and in the past it has been the focus for keeping that culture alive,
It does that through a number of aspects including the “fixed assets ” (the field itself , the historic buildings etc) this provides the ambience and context to which one is imersed when you attend functions there or just wandering about. One cannot forget the fact that this was the very heart and soul of what defending the UK was all about in WW11 and the look , feel and smell of that time.
The recent craze to the IWM constructing the American Museum , The armour Building and the Superhanger (+ new mods to it) all jar and conflict with that culture and feel to the site.
I have no issue with what needs to be done here and that these buildings needed to be constructed but they went up out of context and without reference to a sympathetic melding with their surroundings – more focused on the creation of a monument to the egos of the encumbants in various roles and boards than outcomes for the future. The Idea of the american museum is fine and addresses for me a real need to comemorate the role of the US during the War – BUT it is a huge ugly and worst of all disfunctional building that is totally in aposition to the rest of the airfield – it looks good from a distance but the aircraft displays, lighting and context fail hoplessly – it has nothing to do with the second world war or America’s role in it and everything to do with some architectural tombstone to trendiness. All the aircraft look like fish out of water strung up in a very poor and visually unattractive manner.
The same could be said about the Superhanger new concept but I will reserve judgement till they finish but why couldn’t we have had buildings which added to the ambience rather than detract from it – it is quite possible just not demonstrated.
2) People restore and preserve aircraft that have meaning to them and that’s the way it is. You can’t tell people to restore a Whitney when thay like Mustangs – that’s the way it is . However this is where the Museums and collections come in – the Charter of these Museums should reflect the need to focus on UK first and others second – it is about priorities.
Why wouldn’t the RAF M for instance not want to preserve a Beverly , Whitney or a Belfast as they were RAF UK built types- It doesn’t have to be at Hendon but they need to put aside these aircraft for preservation so they don’t die out altogether and this should be the policy, not duplicating examples of foreign built aircraft already preserved elsewhere first before they get aroung to looking at indigenous types that are down to the last one or two examples or extinct and in need of resconstitution from remains. Individuals will not do this as a rule but some will because of a passion for an individual type – you cannot direct peoples efforts in this regard meerly be supportive and educate people about these issues.
So more focus and effort in my opinion needs to go into strategic planning and cooperation between Museums and Collections – I had thought that this was happening through the Council but it does not appear to be effective.
Surely if the 5-10 biggest collections in the UK got together and set priorities and cooperated on preservation and conservation planning more could be achieved especially if that was focused on the UK aviation heritage as a first “cab off the rank”
I wouldn’t stop further infusion of collections like the US facility at Duxford – it has an important role but is it central ? – it should happen as an adjunct not a priority. What about all of the UK machines at Duxford that could benefit from similar expenditure and be housed appropriately indoors.
3) To keep things in proportion Governance at a strategic level is vital to preserve the balance and maintain the culture and heritage of the UK aviation scene both civil and military.Leadership is apparently lacking and this is the missing ingredient at present not money.
My thoughts
Kindest regards
John Parker
Sign In
