Warbird Information Exchange

They tried to give it away.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-54002195

That really is a shame.

If only I could transport here to Texas.

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Had God intended for man to fly behind inline engines, Pratt & Whitney would have made them.

CB

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/Desrt_Wings.html

I was reading the latest FlyPast and was reminded the sole surviving Comet 2 was at Duxford and scrapped due to corrosion. A real pity since the airliner collection is nice (They provided many airliners for the Netflix series The Queen with temporary or CGI markings)
the lack of a Comet is painfully obvious to anyone who knows anything about UK aviation.

Nothing seems to be safe outside over there...or they are just quick to junk stuff. The Duxford Victor was outside for years and was under restoration for years...my last 2-3 visits. Must have needed a lot of work.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Duxford has a Comet, a 4c in the AirSpace hangar.

no plane looks more 1950s that a Victor.

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Better is the enemy of Good.

Really?
Having been there dozens of times I don't recall seeing it.
It must have made a huge impression on me!

I recall other stuff in the hangar, CF-100, Whirlwind helicopter, Mosquito, Sunderland...no Comet.

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

For decades it was parked out on the old flightline pan with the other airliners and the Victor etc., in its fading Dan-Air markings from when it was last in service as an airliner in the 1970's.



It's now been restored back into its original, when new in service, BOAC markings, and now sits inside the AirSpace hanger.

It really is a great shame that this Victor looks doomed, there are only five Victors in existence so it would be a huge loss. If there are any readers on here with very deep pockets, it would make a great addition to Pima's collection of Brit types. It would look great next to the Shackleton. Just dreaming...

Here in the UK we do have real problems preserving aircraft outdoors, the weather is not kind. Lots of rain, high winds, strong UV (yes the sun does shine here sometimes) are all a perfect recipe for deterioration. Smaller aircraft have a better chance of long term preservation and/or going under cover, but the number of museums that can house or preserve larger aircraft is very small and already at capacity. At the present time, I can't think of a museum that could house this Victor indoors, and very few would even have the space outdoors even if all the expenses were covered. We have a huge aviation heritage legacy, almost as large as our maritime heritage, but we struggle to have enough capacity to preserve the things we should. Airfield sites are under pressure of re-development, large buildings are usually taken over for commercial purposes and all too often it's an uphill struggle to get through the planning process for any new museum buildings. Only Duxford and Cosford have Victors under cover (Duxford's is the last surviving Mk.1), two are kept live at Yorkshire Air Museum and Bruntingthorpe respectively (Brunty's car storage business means that many live aircraft there may never taxi again, that's another story), and there's this privately-owned outdoor static example at RAF Marham.

Long-term outdoor preservation is only possible with very regular preservation/restoration effort, organisations like Duxford Aviation Society (owners of the Dux airliner collection) deserve huge credit for preserving their airframes as well as they do. Considering the pressures on under cover space and the damage wrought by Mother Nature, we're very lucky to have any preservation scene over here and it's only hard work that delays the rot.

On the subject of Comets, there's a complete Comet 1 at RAF Museum Cosford (hangared), the last Comet 2 was the gate-guard at RAF Lyneham that was scrapped a couple of years ago (it was corroded to hell after years on guard duty and only the nose section could be saved), and there are five Comet 4's in preservation, including one in the US with the Museum of Flight. Of the 4's in the UK, only two have a roof over them (Duxford and Science Museum storage centre at Wroughton), and even then there's been talk of the Science Museum attempting to loan out some of the bigger aircraft, including the Comet, due to pressure on indoor space.

Preservation is a battle ground over here, and i'm sure in many other places.

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Can't they at least save the cockpit?

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Chris, I read elsewhere, that the flight deck was full of sand bags as ballast.
They held a lot of moisture, so the flight deck is very badly corroded.
Doesn't bode well for this old cold warrior.