Reminding the 'Suits' at Duxford
The Government needs to remind 'The Management Suits' at the IWM that they exist as a National facility to provide a Museum service for the Country (and indeed our Visitors) and that they are lucky that the private sector actually contribute so much in providing the 'Living past' of actual flying machines that is tech challenging and expensive.
We now take it for granted to see large numbers of historic aircraft operating in their element which would not happen if the Warbird movement did not exist.
Museums frequently end up being run to suit the Museum management, and fail to loose sight of what they really are there to do which is provide the public with the opportunity to explore the past in an affordable way, (free in Wales).
The ability to see and hear combat machines in the air is a fantastic experience and indeed a great attraction to overseas visitors, so the IWM need to 'get real' and not throw the baby out with the bath water, and accept that the benefit to 'ALL' is more important than bean counting. Effectively the Government are the paymasters so some cogent words in the right ears are needed to 'prod the suits' back to reality.
Jock Mailtland had it right at Biggin decades ago.