Squires Gate Vulcan for the Chop

[Tempsford]

Re: Squires Gate Vulcan for the Chop

It is sad to see an aircraft such as the BLK Vulcan 'reduced'. However, what chance did it ever have being located near to the Irish Sea? Irrespective of how much time, effort and money would have been spent on it, the Vulcan at BLK was doomed as soon as it landed there unless it was placed under cover in a controlled environment. People must put emotion to one side. What should have happened is that an agreed number of Vulcans should have been preserved and the rest 'reduced'.
I would rather have two or three well preserved aircraft types in an environment where their longevity can be given in tens of years rather than in less than ten years. To carry out minimal maintenance and storage procedures on aircraft such as the Vulcan and hoping that the ravages of time will have a limited effect on structures, systems, gear, transparencies etc is rather like the little chap sticking his finger in the hole in the dyke. Please, lets stop wasting our time on lost causes and getting all emotional. Those agencies either selling or donating aircraft must ensure that the people taking the aircraft on are fully researched as to their capabilities to preserve or operate aircraft. I have seen far too many aircraft rotting being 'cared for' by well intended people in museums and this has got to stop. By the way, rotting aircraft in museums is not limited to smaller operations, just look at the external state of the Belfast at Cosford as an example.
I do blame the authorities. Rather than have a controlled preservation process, the UK has massive holes in aircraft types that should have been preserved (Whitley, Stirling (complete Halifax... not composite), operational Wellington, Hampden, Albemarle etc etc etc, there are no complete originals left.
Our US cousins had a different approach (and the money I have no doubt), they appear to have done the Noahs Ark approach and preserved in most cases at least one of each type (see Wright Patterson Museum as an example).
My point is that when a view is being taken to preserve aircraft types, we must look at retaining a limited number of all types so that future generations will benefit and we should not allow numbers of complex aircraft such as the Vulcan to be placed in the care of dedicated, enthusiatic amateurs who through no fault of their own will only delay the process of such aircraft returning to their natural state.

Gets off soap box and dons tin hat

Temps