OH COME ON! 🙂

Was that REALLY the “Golden years of the British Aircraft industry” as Albert Ross declares and has it REALLY been “down hill ever since” ?

Or, as Steve Young says…………….

“Ah, them was the days. Back when we actually had an aircraft industry…”

Let’s be realistic here, look at the 47 types illustrated, how many made any sort of a profit or were anywhere near a success? Most of them were not wanted by anyone and simply vanished into obscurity. How many of these companies existed purely because we had just fought a six year war of national survival when we needed every aircraft we could lay our hands on, that situation was a one off and the number of companies soon diminished because they couldn’t produce products that anyone actually wanted.

To compare 1948 to now and claim it as some sort of Golden era is a nonsense, it may have been fabulous to see all these different types and an enthusiasts dream, but don’t kid your self that this was a SUCCESFUL British aircraft industry because it wasn’t.
Todays British Aerospace industry is a global player and very profitable, it may not be as much fun to watch, but it is better and does what a company is supposed to do, the ONLY thing a company is supposed to do and the only reason it exists———–it makes a profit.

Ewan Hoozarmy,

“And yet if it was a religious temple of some dodgy sect, then I’m sure it would stay!!!!”

What a ridiculous zenophobic racist thing to say. It’s also total rubbish!

Just how significant or useful is North Weald? There is virtually nothing left of it’s wartime days, it is not exactly over used as an airfield, it’s proximity to Duxford makes it unviable as an airshow location, it’s proximity to Stanstead makes it unviable as an airfield with any sort of intensive flying at it. It has been abandoned by the RAF since the mid 1960’s, was virtually derelict and disused for years, and now provides a home for a small number of warbirds for the use of wealthy private individuals and something called “The Squadron” that exists in totally unrepresentative buildings, ironically enough it is sited right next to some fighter pen remains that no-one has made any attempt to restore or preserve and on event days are used to park caravans and the like in.

After all, every operational airfield that existed in 1940 in the South part of England is a “Battle of Britain” airfield, you can’t preserve them all for what was a very brief moment of history, preserve their memory by all means, but to keep them as they were is just not possible.

Don’t forget that just up the M11 you have a wonderful example of a fully preserved Battle of Britain airfield with a far more distinguished history and a thriving museum and warbird presence, is it at all feasible to have two so close together?

LesB,

My last on the B (I) 8’s as well, though I’m dammed if I’m going to mention P-51’s, damm, just did!

The Valiant Tactical Bombing Force (TBF) was the 3 squadron wing of Valiant’s at Marham from 1960 to 1965. It was the only element of the V-Force to be actually declared to SACEUR until the V’s lost their strategic deterrent role in 1969. Along with the B (I) 8 and 6’s in Germany they were SACEUR’s only manned tactical all weather nuclear strike element. When the Valiant fleet was grounded there was no replacement for the TBF which left the RAFG Canberra’s as a unique SACEUR asset.

By the time I got to RAFG all this had changed with the NATO switch to flexible response from the nuclear tripwire policy of massive retaliation.
Interesting what you say about weapon stockpiles. As the Phantom, Buccaneers and Harriers were phased in from 1971 on there was a huge move of conventional weapon stocks into RAFG, even after this we were constantly being rebuked by SACEUR as we only held stocks for 6 days intensive operations against the NATO target of 8 days. That by the way was the national state, not just RAFG, 6 days worth of munitions and other expendables!

Steve Bond,

Couldn’t agree more! Of all the cancellations of the late 50’s and 60’s that was the one that hurt. It would have been a natural follow onto the Hunter, could have sold into NATO to resist Lockheed and the F-104 and would have been a platform with real development potential.
The P1154 was NEVER going to work, we don’t possess the technology even today to do supersonic plenum chamber reheat. The AW or HS681 was also a ridiculous concept for it’s time, especially in the VSTOL mode, and you know what I feel about the TSR2!
The P1121 however had REAL potential.
But that was cancelled by the Conservative Gov’t and that doesen’t fit well with the myth of Labour nnd Healey bashing that accompanies the TSR2, P1154 and HS681 saga.

LesB,

The Canberra strike Squadrons in RAFG only had a conventional capability for out of area overseas reinforcement tasks, their role in situ was nuclear strike purely, there was no way they ever would have been committed in anything but a nuclear role in Germany
As to the Hunter, what on earth do you mean by “apart from the obvious Hunter squadrons?”
There were TWO Hunter FR squadrons in Germany with a complement of 8 FR10 aircraft a piece! Hardly a “significant ground attack capability” now is it.
The large numbers of Venom FB4 and Hunter DFGA Squadrons were all cut by Sandy’s in 1957 when RAFG went over to a purely nuclear retaliation and deterrent role. They also had a GA capability of cannon only!

As to what you say about the Typhoon, the UK industry DOES have decades of experience and production behind it in projects such as Jaguar, Tornado, Harrier/Sea Harrier, EAP. There was also a very considerable amount of UK industry involvement in the UK F-4 programme.

I went out to RAFG on one of the first RAF F-4 Squadrons, believe me, the improvement in that Commands capabilities when the small single role Hunter/Canberra force was replaced by a larger multi role Harrier/Buccaneer/Phantom force was incredible!

Arthur and Indian1973

Nonsense!

Thatchers first round of defence cuts were in 1980, she was only elected in 1979!
A round of financial cutbacks canned the planned 3rd Lightning squadron, scrapped development of the active Skyflash AAM, scrapped HMS Bulwark, reduced flying hours across all three services and cut back on spares, fuel and munitions.

All this in 1981, maybe the height of the Cold War?

Don’t try and re-write history guys.