Aircraft restoration in Liverpool - anyone fancy it?
Discussion
Evening all,
A bit of an appeal here on my own volition, in support of a group I've been involved with.
Speke Aerodrome Heritage Group is based at the old art-deco Speke Airport terminal, now a Crowne Plaza hotel, on the outskirts of Liverpool.
We have a variety of aircraft under static restoration:
Avro 748 G-BEJD - the last surviving Mk1 748 in Europe, possibly the world
Gloster Meteor WH291- a regular visitor to Liverpool back in its service days
Percival Prince G-AMLZ - almost certainly flown by Douglas Bader when he worked for Shell in the 50s
Shorts 360 cockpit G-SSWM
Jetstream 41 G-JAMC - fitted out as a revenue-generating flight simulator
...and also a USAF Clarktor Tug and a Gloster Saro all-terrain fire tender
We're a small group with very limited funding but have managed to do some very big jobs - for example, the 748 came to us in 5 sections and has slowly been stuck back together with a great many bolts and rivets! The problem we currently have is membership. We have, maybe, 20 members in total. Only half of those are frequent visitors. Apart from me, and some offspring of existing members, no-one there is under 60. The majority are over 70.
I used to go every Saturday when at University in Liverpool, but haven't been going very frequently for a while due to other commitments. I was shocked on a recent visit to see how few people now turn up, and how frail they all were - and the amount of scope of work accomplished is only going to carry on diminishing as a result. Myself and another lapsed member are genuinely worried that without a serious influx of enthusiastic new blood, the group is going to be in serious trouble in a few year's time.
And so, my plea to the aviation enthusiasts of PH is, does anyone local fancy getting involved? You don't have to be RJ Mitchell to work there - you don't even need to know one end of a hammer from the other. No-one is forced to do anything they don't feel competent for, and there is always someone willing to show you how to do something. Even if you only do a bit of painting, it frees up someone else to do a different job. With the enthusiasm for preservation and a willing attitude, anyone is welcome to come along and muck in! So go on, Merseyside PHers - you know you want to!
A bit of an appeal here on my own volition, in support of a group I've been involved with.
Speke Aerodrome Heritage Group is based at the old art-deco Speke Airport terminal, now a Crowne Plaza hotel, on the outskirts of Liverpool.
We have a variety of aircraft under static restoration:
Avro 748 G-BEJD - the last surviving Mk1 748 in Europe, possibly the world
Gloster Meteor WH291- a regular visitor to Liverpool back in its service days
Percival Prince G-AMLZ - almost certainly flown by Douglas Bader when he worked for Shell in the 50s
Shorts 360 cockpit G-SSWM
Jetstream 41 G-JAMC - fitted out as a revenue-generating flight simulator
...and also a USAF Clarktor Tug and a Gloster Saro all-terrain fire tender
We're a small group with very limited funding but have managed to do some very big jobs - for example, the 748 came to us in 5 sections and has slowly been stuck back together with a great many bolts and rivets! The problem we currently have is membership. We have, maybe, 20 members in total. Only half of those are frequent visitors. Apart from me, and some offspring of existing members, no-one there is under 60. The majority are over 70.
I used to go every Saturday when at University in Liverpool, but haven't been going very frequently for a while due to other commitments. I was shocked on a recent visit to see how few people now turn up, and how frail they all were - and the amount of scope of work accomplished is only going to carry on diminishing as a result. Myself and another lapsed member are genuinely worried that without a serious influx of enthusiastic new blood, the group is going to be in serious trouble in a few year's time.
And so, my plea to the aviation enthusiasts of PH is, does anyone local fancy getting involved? You don't have to be RJ Mitchell to work there - you don't even need to know one end of a hammer from the other. No-one is forced to do anything they don't feel competent for, and there is always someone willing to show you how to do something. Even if you only do a bit of painting, it frees up someone else to do a different job. With the enthusiasm for preservation and a willing attitude, anyone is welcome to come along and muck in! So go on, Merseyside PHers - you know you want to!
Edited by ChemicalChaos on Sunday 3rd September 23:13
My apologies, I forgot to add contact details!
You can either get in touch via their Facebook page, or simply turn up one day when they are open - every Saturday or Wednesday between 10am and 3pm.
If visiting, make sure to register your car with the hotel front desk as a "visitor to the aircraft group" to avoid a parking charge
You can either get in touch via their Facebook page, or simply turn up one day when they are open - every Saturday or Wednesday between 10am and 3pm.
If visiting, make sure to register your car with the hotel front desk as a "visitor to the aircraft group" to avoid a parking charge
ChemicalChaos said:
hacksaw said:
Worked on HS748's and Shorts 360's at Emerald airways years ago, also ATP's. If it wasn't the other side of the country, I might have been interested but Liverpool is just too far for me I'm afraid.
Ah, you might know our ex-Emerald mechanic Dave Myles then? Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff