Twin Pioneers VH-AIS and VH-EVB will soon be auctioned in Australia.
http://www.sherwell.com/planes/TwinPinHistory.html
http://www.sherwell.com/planes/TwinPinSpecs.html
On the same day that the Vulcan restorers announce that they have squeezed yet more £££ out of yet more donors (including a single gift of £500,000!) and assure us yet again that it WILL fly, this makes quite a contrast.
Just as much a part of our aviation heritage, a
fraction of the £££ spent on the Vulcan would buy these two aircraft and operate them for DECADES, including running (subsidising?) operations where ordinary people can actually get on board and FLY in them thus preserving the public's interest in aviation/heritage at least as well if not better than their occasional sight of a Vulcan.
I sincerely wish the Vulcan folks well and I'd love to think that those, both private and corporate, who dug into their pockets to fund its restoration would give again. However, I fear that in the majority of cases their spare cash - and their goodwill - has been exhausted, to the detriment of many future appeals for resources for classic aircraft preservation.
Here's hoping that the Twin Pins will find their way to a comfortable and productive home back in the UK.