Lightning XP745
Discussion
Keep it stiff said:
When it was on gate guarding duties the undercarriage was down. For our display it will be folded away, we are planning to remove the wing wheels, to reduce weight, and take the front undercarriage out for the same reason. The wings were removed by the Vanguard Engineering team that collected it for transport/storage, a complex task by all accounts, this was done correctly which is going to be a huge benefit to putting it back together again.
I never saw the wings when I viewed it at Vanguard 20+ years ago, so assumed they were cut as well.........fantastic that they removed them properly (maybe because their intention was to put it up on the roof until realising it was too big/heavy) and yes, its a pig of a job on a Lightning, that's why most were cut.The only other F.3 uncut is IIRC, '749 now at Brunty with LPG.
Great that the intention is to put '745 back in it's fabulous chequer tail '65 scheme, as this is the only ex-56 F.3 that wore that scheme to have survived
which is something I pointed out to Vanguard's all those years ago, when it was in 'dull' 29 Sqn markings.How are you going to display it with gear up...?
I hope you aren't going to cut a hole and stick a pole into it's belly, or will it be hung from above...?
aeropilot said:
I never saw the wings when I viewed it at Vanguard 20+ years ago, so assumed they were cut as well.........fantastic that they removed them properly (maybe because their intention was to put it up on the roof until realising it was too big/heavy) and yes, its a pig of a job on a Lightning, that's why most were cut.
The only other F.3 uncut is IIRC, '749 now at Brunty with LPG.
Great that the intention is to put '745 back in it's fabulous chequer tail '65 scheme, as this is the only ex-56 F.3 that wore that scheme to have survived which is something I pointed out to Vanguard's all those years ago, when it was in 'dull' 29 Sqn markings.
How are you going to display it with gear up...?
I hope you aren't going to cut a hole and stick a pole into it's belly, or will it be hung from above...?
Hung from above, we will use fixing points to the wings and one to the fuselage in a very similar way that the Dyson Lightning is displayed. It is going to be the focal point of what we expect will be a real wow factor for the new building, it will be visible to traffic and pedestrians that pass by and for customers/visitors the chance to get up close. It should be stunning if we can pull it off.The only other F.3 uncut is IIRC, '749 now at Brunty with LPG.
Great that the intention is to put '745 back in it's fabulous chequer tail '65 scheme, as this is the only ex-56 F.3 that wore that scheme to have survived
which is something I pointed out to Vanguard's all those years ago, when it was in 'dull' 29 Sqn markings.How are you going to display it with gear up...?
I hope you aren't going to cut a hole and stick a pole into it's belly, or will it be hung from above...?
I'm glad that the proposed chequer fin scheme meets with approval, Dyson went with the other Firebird style. See link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/09/13/sir...
Keep it stiff said:
I'm glad that the proposed chequer fin scheme meets with approval, Dyson went with the other Firebird style. See link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/09/13/sir...
'173 does look good in their canteen http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/09/13/sir...
Someone should point out to Sir James though, that his comment about no one has ever moved a Vulcan before is incorrect
He's obviously never been to the RAFM Hendon.
With apologies for the pun, it has taken longer than we expected to get this project off the ground!
Things are now moving at a pace and XP745 was taken to the paintshop last week. It will be delivered to site in March, installation is programmed towards the end of the project, May/June, following which XP745 will be on permanent display.
Few pictures of work in progress and also one from the operational days of XP745. I will post more when we get to the really tricky bits of putting it back together and getting it suspended.
Things are now moving at a pace and XP745 was taken to the paintshop last week. It will be delivered to site in March, installation is programmed towards the end of the project, May/June, following which XP745 will be on permanent display.
Few pictures of work in progress and also one from the operational days of XP745. I will post more when we get to the really tricky bits of putting it back together and getting it suspended.
eccles said:
Yertis said:
Keep it stiff said:
It will be on display in the reception area of new self-storage centre in Church Road, Bristol, BS5.
I think Eric meant what colour scheme the Lightning will be painted in.Krikkit said:
That's some lobby ornament, how much would that all cost?
Well put it this way, I'm glad I'm not signing the cheques!Yes it will be the the red checker tail style per that archive picture.
The Bristol building has been designed around making the Lightning the centrepiece. We had this on the drawing board long before Mr Dyson put one in his restaurant, the Dyson plane is displayed in a climb, this one will be in a banked dive.
Vanguard purchased XP745 about 25 years ago. It was used a couple of times at trade exhibitions to demonstrate Vanguard's engineering expertise, the core activity of Vanguard at that time. Vanguard also own a Hunter which is displayed from time to time on the roof of their building on a A40 in Greenford, plans to display the Lightning in the same way were thwarted due to the weight.
Later there was a plan to display XP745 on a pole as a feature of the pub next door to Vanguard, the pub would have been renamed accordingly. Planning permission was obtained but the pub closed before the plan could progress. The pub was demolished, the plot sat vacant for a while and was redeveloped quite recently. In the meantime XP745 had sat gathering more dust in storage and hence when Vanguard's Bristol project came along it seemed a good idea to give XP745 a permanent home and accordingly the new building has been designed around it, mind you, it is going to be quite a tight fit!
Vanguard have another property development project in the pipeline and another military aircraft may feature in that, I will post news if that one looks like getting off the ground.
Coming back to Bristol, I have to say it is huge fun to be working on a project like this, it has not been without its headaches and we have challenges still to come, I shall certainly be breathing a big sigh of relief, and with some pride, when the new building opens its doors with what we are sure is going to be one hell of a wow factor.
Keep it stiff said:
Later there was a plan to display XP745 on a pole as a feature of the pub next door to Vanguard, the pub would have been renamed accordingly. Planning permission was obtained but the pub closed before the plan could progress.
The pub did get renamed from the Nuffied Arms to The Lightning though some time before it closed down, or was it after it closed, but before it was eventually demolished? The name Lightning was up there above the pub for quite a while.aeropilot said:
The pub did get renamed from the Nuffied Arms to The Lightning though some time before it closed down, or was it after it closed, but before it was eventually demolished? The name Lightning was up there above the pub for quite a while.
Indeed, the pub had been renamed as The Lightening while it was still trading. Sadly it was never much of a pub, it's greatest claim to fame was that it achieved more notoriety when it got demolished and the pile of rubble was left in it's place!https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/c...
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