I trust I might be forgiven for drifting the thread back towards the final disposal of XR 808. I have to accept that I am nowadays retired and remote from the decision making in this case, but it is frustrating to have been aware of an understanding, if not a plan, that this original C Mk 1 airframe would go to Cosford for (I'm sure) the better part of 2 years now and to see that dissolve in such an unimpressive manner in these last days. Back then, of course, the expectation was that the fleet would have been run down by now, and I'm not sure if I want to know that a good headwind on a day earlier in the year might have tipped the balance!
Having flown both the Argosy and Belfast airframes at Cosford, and probably the Meteor NF14 too, I had hoped that a VC10 would be added to the list there, but it seems that's not to be. Much as I loved both of those transport types, 808 has more years of RAF service than both put together, and almost half as long again as I had. It seems such a shame that the RAF Museum will not have an example of this glorious British aircraft on longterm display - I really could wish this had been better set up in the first place.