Originally Posted by iank
I'm not sure I understand the rush to move '558 away from Bruntingthorpe and the 800 tons of spares and the test/service equipment that goes with it! Where ever it all ends up, someone will want paying for hangar rent and storage space and workshop facilities?
Surely the better bet would be for '558 to stay at Bruntinghtorpe and some sort of deal done with the Waltons for use of the hangar space (if that's really vital in taxi only condition) - once it's not a Marshalls outpost i.e. the 'Major' is finished, they should be able to reclaim some of the floorspace or park cars under the thing like they used to!
The issue come Aug 31st is very probably, the Trust failed and will have to dispose of the airframe according to the contract they signed with HLF and within UK company law, which usually means to an organisation or charity with similar aims - '558 club perhaps (it's still a separate entity to the Trust remember!). As Andy said, the other craft at Bruntingthrope are maintained in good (if not excellent) condition albeit taxiable only by enthusiasts and retired technicians - why shouldn't '558 be the same?
I don't know whether there's any "rush" is there?
Having said that, when you're shelling-out £15,000 a week for the hangar/office/storage space, I guess it makes sense to leave as soon as possible, but from what I've been told, this charge might well be due to the actions of one of the Trust members, so when the Trust (hopefully) folds next month, maybe (just maybe) the situation will improve in this respect.
Certainly, the more I learn about this saga, the more I think it might well be a good thing if the Trust does fold, and the project is taken-over either by the 558 Club or a completely new team. By all accounts the Trust no longer have anybody's support and the situation is becoming even more absurd with members of the 558 club trying to seek their own donations and sponsorship deals, in-fighting within the Trust and so on. Clearly, this is no way to run such a project and it might be better to put the whole thing on hold and effectively start again. The only thing that worries me is how HLF might perceive the situation.
As for why 558 shouldn't be mainatined and taxied like the other aircraft at Bruntingthorpe... well it hardly warrants comment! Nice though the aircraft may be, they're in a completely different state to the Vulcan which is almost "as new" now. It would be an act of supreme folly to allow a completely (and hugely expensively) restored aircraft to be left permanently outdoors in this manner.