Some of us may have missed the point here. £1.9 million for next year. OK , let's say that a benefactor comes up with £2.0 million. That, according to the estimate will cover next year. What about the years to come? Will we be having this conversation again next year? We most certainly will.
For such a complex and costly operation, a five year plan say at least is required. You cannot live on a day to day basis with this aircraft. Work out a five year plan. What do you want to do with the aircraft for the next five years? How much will it cost? What level of despatch reliability are you looking for? Is it acheiveable and how much will that cost? Is the operation sustainable logistics wise? Is there enough technical expertise available (ground and aircrew)? Are the OEM willing to continue supporing the aircaft? Is so, for how long?
Until those and many, many more questions are being discussed and positive responses obtained, keep the a/c functional and under cover. Aircraft have two areas that they should be. In a hangar or flying. They should not be kept outside for extended periods and not flying. At present, the only saving grace for XH558 is that it is under cover in a controlled environment whilst it future is being determined. How long will this continue to be the case? Whoever is making the decisions on the future of XH558, I would ask, do not let your heart rule your head and look further ahead than perhaps you are doing at the moment.
The Vulcan is a wonderful aircraft to see flying, but a generation has grown up not ever seeing the a/c before and the appeal is mainly with us that are getting older. Many of us remember the less sanitised Vulcan displays. I saw the Vulcan flying at Farnborough this year and whilst I still had a lump in my throat (ooops, emotion shown there, mustn't do that!) there was something missing. Driving home I was thinking that perhaps I should have remembered the 'last' display at Cranfield when the bomb bay doors opened to say 'Farewell' and kept that very special mememory in my mind rather than continue in hope that I may see the vigorous Vulcan display once more rather than the watered down version. It was rather like seeing a F1 car doing laps of Silverstone, at 45 mph. Some things are best left alone perhaps. Well done to all involved in getting one more season out of the a/c and I do wish all concerned the very best for the future, but please run the operation as a business, and not a charity.
Temps