XH558...

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Discussion

saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Monday 5th August 2019
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Only if people continue to gripe rather than try to do something positive about it coffee

What funding did they say they had lined up and what were they waiting for?

The plane is back at its ancestral home the old RAF Finningley
How much does a hangar cost to create a heritage centre?

aeropilot

34,304 posts

226 months

Monday 5th August 2019
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saaby93 said:
Only if people continue to gripe rather than try to do something positive about it coffee
There's nothing that can be done about it, so might as well have a gripe!
Anyway, its not anything that the majority of people in the aircraft preservation movement didn't predict even BEFORE it flew again over 10 years ago.
The plan submitted to HLF to get the cash was flawed from day one, not that anyone bar those in the aircraft preservation movement seemed to be concerned about at the time....hey ho!
Chickens coming home to roost is the phrase, and why most people within that community choose to support '426 or '655 instead.....or wish they could save '607!


eccles

13,721 posts

221 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
quotequote all
saaby93 said:
Only if people continue to gripe rather than try to do something positive about it coffee

What funding did they say they had lined up and what were they waiting for?

The plane is back at its ancestral home the old RAF Finningley
How much does a hangar cost to create a heritage centre?
Instead of asking questions here, why not actually read the Vulcan website?

Voldemort

6,092 posts

277 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Has any work been done on the Canberra in the last couple of years?

aeropilot

34,304 posts

226 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Voldemort said:
Has any work been done on the Canberra in the last couple of years?
I think they moved the pile of bits from one location to another a few times.............

Yertis

18,017 posts

265 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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aeropilot said:
I think they moved the pile of bits from one location to another a few times.............
I think it's a real shame all that effort and money was spent on the Vulcan. IMO the Canberra was/is a far more important machine.

chunder27

2,309 posts

207 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Yertis, heritage wise I would agree with you. But, the Vulcan was not that popular when it flew in service with crowds, certainly noting amazing, but now it is up there with Spitfires, the Lanc, Concorde etc.

It just took on another level of popularity in its time away and I doubt the Canberra would ever manage that feat, even if it truly deserves it.

aeropilot

34,304 posts

226 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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chunder27 said:
But, the Vulcan was not that popular when it flew in service with crowds, certainly noting amazing
Not my recollection, even from the RAF pre-VDF era of the 1970's and early 80's.
And the RAF in-service displays (and early VDF era) were way more amazing than the 'modern' VTTS era with its enforced constraints on engine and airframe life.





MarkwG

4,813 posts

188 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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aeropilot said:
Not my recollection, even from the RAF pre-VDF era of the 1970's and early 80's.
And the RAF in-service displays (and early VDF era) were way more amazing than the 'modern' VTTS era with its enforced constraints on engine and airframe life.
Nor mine, I recall people waiting for the Vulcan back then, including my mum who doesn't normally give a toss about aircraft.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
quotequote all
saaby93 said:
Only if people continue to gripe rather than try to do something positive about it coffee

What funding did they say they had lined up and what were they waiting for?

The plane is back at its ancestral home the old RAF Finningley
How much does a hangar cost to create a heritage centre?
https://www.vulcantothesky.org/news/1016/82/Trust-Update-August-2019/News

After reading it, if you want to discuss it here, you have to start your own thread though because this one is (according to you) just to discuss how great it was to see it flying. hehe

Seight_Returns

1,640 posts

200 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Does it actually matter now that XH558's flying days are over ? And are we being a bit harsh on VTTS ?

Whilst many people are justifiably critical of some of VTTS's decisions - they achieved what many people thought impossible and got the aircraft onto the Civil Register and kept it flying safely and with reasonable availability right up to the point that its continued operation became impossible because of the lack of RR and BAE support. Surely that was by far the most important objective of the project ?

Whilst it was the only remaining flying Vulcan, it was indeed a unique national treasure. But now its flying days are over, it's no more special than the 2 other ground runnable Vulcan's and the countless other Cold War jets preserved in similar condition.

Am I being unfair ?


HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Seight_Returns said:
Does it actually matter now that XH558's flying days are over ? And are we being a bit harsh on VTTS ?

Whilst many people are justifiably critical of some of VTTS's decisions - they achieved what many people thought impossible and got the aircraft onto the Civil Register and kept it flying safely and with reasonable availability right up to the point that its continued operation became impossible because of the lack of RR and BAE support. Surely that was by far the most important objective of the project ?

Whilst it was the only remaining flying Vulcan, it was indeed a unique national treasure. But now its flying days are over, it's no more special than the 2 other ground runnable Vulcan's and the countless other Cold War jets preserved in similar condition.

Am I being unfair ?
I don’t think so but remember 558 had so much money thrown at it and as a piece of machinery was and probably still is the best preserved Vulcan.

It would be a great shame not to house it properly and for a fraction of the cost to keep it airworthy keep it as close to airworthy as possible.

Sadly I suspect it’s a bit of a pawn in a game and is simply sitting where it is rotting slowly which will be exponential and pretty shortly little costs become big costs.

aeropilot

34,304 posts

226 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
quotequote all
Seight_Returns said:
Does it actually matter now that XH558's flying days are over ? And are we being a bit harsh on VTTS ?

Whilst many people are justifiably critical of some of VTTS's decisions - they achieved what many people thought impossible and got the aircraft onto the Civil Register and kept it flying safely and with reasonable availability right up to the point that its continued operation became impossible because of the lack of RR and BAE support. Surely that was by far the most important objective of the project ?

Whilst it was the only remaining flying Vulcan, it was indeed a unique national treasure. But now its flying days are over, it's no more special than the 2 other ground runnable Vulcan's and the countless other Cold War jets preserved in similar condition.

Am I being unfair ?
No, far from being unfair, and that's pretty much the crux of the issue and has always been.

One of the conditions of the HLF grant had to include a plan for after it made its final flight, I'm guessing so that the money spent could be continued to be seen to be justified, and not to see it scrapped or abandoned to a corner of an old airfield somewhere.
This is what created this Engineering Excellence Centre and hangar nonsense, although the original plan as submitted to HLF said '558 would be retired to Duxford, which at the time no one in the preservation movement could understand as Duxford already has a Vulcan and didn't want another one!


saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
quotequote all
Seight_Returns said:
Does it actually matter now that XH558's flying days are over ? And are we being a bit harsh on VTTS ?

Whilst many people are justifiably critical of some of VTTS's decisions - they achieved what many people thought impossible and got the aircraft onto the Civil Register and kept it flying safely and with reasonable availability right up to the point that its continued operation became impossible because of the lack of RR and BAE support. Surely that was by far the most important objective of the project ?

Whilst it was the only remaining flying Vulcan, it was indeed a unique national treasure. But now its flying days are over, it's no more special than the 2 other ground runnable Vulcan's and the countless other Cold War jets preserved in similar condition.

Am I being unfair ?
Yes yes
As a national treasure it is the one the people will have seen flying around.
Its parked up at a suitable venue with heritage. Some of the funders have said they'll help if other backers can be found.
It needs a VTTS type push now to the hangar VTTH?

aeropilot

34,304 posts

226 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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saaby93 said:
es yes
As a national treasure it is the one the people will have seen flying around.
National treasure my arse.

'607 decaying away to dust at Waddo is far more important in terms of need of preservation than '558.



DrDeAtH

3,586 posts

231 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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aeropilot said:
National treasure my arse.

'607 decaying away to dust at Waddo is far more important in terms of need of preservation than '558.
607 is being done next year

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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"Done" as in scrapped? 607 is past any hope of salvation.

558 is in the wrong place, sat outside at a commercial airport where the public cannot access it, hosted by the most rapacious bds in the business who will think nothing of scrapping it the moment VTTS goes bust... the whole plan lacked credibility from the start and the Vulcan's only hope of survival is to be moved (via a one-off ferry flight) elsewhere.

saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Wednesday 7th August 2019
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saaby93 said:
I have better things to do with £125, much better...

billybob1971

20 posts

55 months

Wednesday 7th August 2019
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It is a same how this has all fallen from to this.

But I guess with so much time invested and so many people invested, always likely.