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Old 9th Dec 2008, 23:00
  #1924 (permalink)  
Tim McLelland
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Sheffield
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Exactly - as I said a few threads back, there must surely be a stage where TVOC have to accept that the money has run out. I accept that even if the aircraft went to the US it might fare no better there but I think everyone would accept that in a country where there are countless more businesses and individuals with money to spare, it has to stand a slightly better chance. Likewise the FAA would not impose as many regulations on the aircraft which would make it less expensive to operate in any case. And even if flying the aircraft proved as difficult as here in the UK, at least the aircraft could be maintained in flyable condition more easily, in a dry/warm climate.

It's got to be a better option that simply leaving the aircraft here. Once it stops flying and the money is gone, the aircraft would be beyond any hope of flying again in a matter of weeks. As their past track record shows, it's unlikely that the CAA would even allow the aircraft to be flown out of the UK once it has been grounded for a while, unless yet more money was thrown at it. So the only sensible solution is to use whatever money is left to fly the aircraft until the funds are exhausted and then make one final ferry flight out of the UK. That's got to be better than simply leaving the aircraft here to rot while Pleming continues making hopeless pleas for donations which will barely cover the cost of starting the engines.

My fear is that TVOC simply haven't even considered this option. I suspect that they plan to simply carry-on making these endless "last chance" pleas until they are forced to ground the aircraft, pending the day when funds become available - which of course they never will. Once the project stops it will never start again. Far better to use whatever money is left to get the aircraft over to the US where there is at least a tiny glimmer of hope - which is preferable to no hope at all.
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