But the "dimwit Joe Publics" are usually the people ensuring the preservation of the aircraft, by paying to attend the airshows, or in the case of XH558, paying directly by their contributions.
Yes, they are to some degree, but I don't quite see how that has any influence on how an aircraft is finished and presented. The two points have no relationship.
Would you prefer the Vulcan to be painted in a colour scheme using the last of the preservation funds, then parked up for ever, never to fly again?
No, but then I never said that I did.
If you read what I said, my point was that Joe Public will watch anything, so it's irrelevant what aircraft are displayed for the public. They simply don't care. The people who
do care are enthusiasts (ie those who know what they're looking at). So it seems reasonable to assume that if a classic aircraft is restored and displayed, it's being presented primarily to enthusiasts, even if it's the wider public that is paying for it. So surely, it makes good sense to complete the restoration properly and finish the aircraft in a proper paint scheme? If you don't then surely it's not a complete restoration?
I've heard the points made by
Shaggy many, many times and I'm afraid I just don't accept them. A Sea Vixen that flies in Red Bull colours is pointless. Yes, Red Bull enables the aircraft to fly, but why waste money (and fatigue hours) on flying the Vixen if it doesn't look like a Vixen? It might as well be any random cheap jet that happens to be available. I mean, what is the point of flying it if it's dressed-up like a tart?
Likewise, I also heard the claim that HLF insisted that the Vulcan should retain its paint scheme without any ugly additions. Whether that's strictly true I don't know, but if they did make this stipulation then good for them. It illustrates precisely what I was getting at. If the aircraft is to be restored and flown, then it should indeed be displayed in its proper colours and markings, otherwise don't bother flying it. Aircraft such as the Vixen and Vulcan are far too valuable to be squandered on grotesque advertising.
I think one of the problems with the Vulcan is that there are lots of Vulcan "fans" who don't really have much understanding of the aircraft or what it was all about. In essence, they just think it "looks pretty" and it makes a lot of noise. That's all well and good, but it's a bit of an insult to anyone who really does have an interest in the aircraft, when people say "paint it any colour you like." It's a free country of course, but if we adopt the attitude that any aircraft can be finished in any colours or markings, it just wipes away a lot of the aircraft's history for a lot of us. If the comments from VTTS are indicative of their position, I think they should be ashamed of themselves. If they ever accepted money to paint the aircraft in fancy colours, I know for certain that a huge proportion of the people who gave money to the project would be wanting a refund. They paid for a restoration, not a travelling billboard.
I agree with
Hurn that XE601 was/is a great loss. True, it looked nice in its earlier grey/red scheme but it was a real pleasure to see a unique Hunter continue to fly in civilian hands without any changes to its operational paint finish. Agreed, it sounded magnificent too! I can confidently say that given a choice between seeing Miss Demeanour or XE601, I know which one I'd be ignoring!
