MRA4 end of an era & the end of Woodford
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Well all i can say is i have it on very very good authority that 603 will not be scrapped just yet .
There is someone out there trying to save her well bits of her and no its not the tvoc .
They are just awaiting a meeting date from bae to disscuss dismantling and removal of the airframe.
Thats all i know
There is someone out there trying to save her well bits of her and no its not the tvoc .
They are just awaiting a meeting date from bae to disscuss dismantling and removal of the airframe.
Thats all i know
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Anyone confirm if the BAE lads that involved in the test team and final production side of things are signed into contracts that stop them from talking what actually happened from there point of view.
I know its history and most will just forget about it over time, but I am still certain that an inquiry must take place to explain the incredible waste of cash to the taxpayer which about 90% of them have no idea how much money has been thrown away.
I know its history and most will just forget about it over time, but I am still certain that an inquiry must take place to explain the incredible waste of cash to the taxpayer which about 90% of them have no idea how much money has been thrown away.
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Rum punch,
I can confirm that those from the Production Line or Test Team at Woodford have not had to sign anything or have not been asked to say anything about the MRA4. And why shouldn't we be allowed to talk, the problem was not all ours or indeed all Woodford's fault.
There are some questions I would like to put myself to the Site Manager and Quality Manager - they are the guys who should be asked what happened if there is ever an inquiry.
I can confirm that those from the Production Line or Test Team at Woodford have not had to sign anything or have not been asked to say anything about the MRA4. And why shouldn't we be allowed to talk, the problem was not all ours or indeed all Woodford's fault.
There are some questions I would like to put myself to the Site Manager and Quality Manager - they are the guys who should be asked what happened if there is ever an inquiry.
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It really was the end of an era at Woodford today. All the workers who have not been able to find another job finished today and the doors and gates are now padlocked shut. We all start gardening leave for 90 days, and then that's it. A small team of HR and facilities personnel will remain on site until september.
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woodford etc
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Location: Planet Earth
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I think Woodford was already scheduled for closure, the demise of the MRA4 just hastened the decision. It may have already had an extension because the work that was due to happen at Southampton fell through and the whole build process had moved north.
On the side, i remember going there for MR2 training and staying at Bredbury Hall, those were the days.
On the side, i remember going there for MR2 training and staying at Bredbury Hall, those were the days.
Bredbury Hall: In pictures after Stockport hotel goes into administration - Manchester Evening News
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I remember being at Woodford in the early 2000's and seeing an MRA4 positioned on one of the pans. Later, in conversation with a BAE engineer I asked how the project was going. I was really surprised by his reply. It went something like this. ' It'll never fly mate. It's a lemon which will cost 30,000 jobs'. I thought I was talking to the MR Grumpy of Woodford, but after he gave me some of his observations of the project, I thought that it wouldn't be too long before the project was cancelled. If an engineer who was in a junior position in the company could predict the outcome with such certainty, then to my way of thinking it must have been a view which was widely held within the company. As it happened, BAE kept polishing one of its many turds it manages to sell to the MOD, until it became painfully obvious that the thing was a dud. The man's predictions were correct though. It did cost thousands of jobs and misery for many. But Heigh Ho! Many of those responsible for the debacle managed to put the unfortunate episode behind them and move on to better things!
Kapton, having been a member of the Filton MRA4 wing design team myself, it was indeed a view widely held within the company. The project was a politically motivated mash up against a wholly unrealistic initial budget. It was not helped by the different parts of Bae having to work together, despite them all having their own different ways of working and there being no trust between them. When things started to go wrong, there was an outbreak of finger pointing instead of collective working to solve any issues. It was by far the worst project I've ever worked on and should be used in business schools as an example.
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For those interested in this site, keep an eye on avroheritage.com. It's run by a dedicated bunch mostly of former BAe engineers with about a million years of RAF/Avro/BAe experience amongst them. Until recently you could visit their centre in the old factory. That's now closed but it's moving to a new site at the far side of the runway near the simulator building which is due to open later this year.
