Shackleton MR2 WR963

[hunterxf382]

Hangar Appeal!

We have an important letter from our chairman Dave Woods to share please:

Hello all,

Avro Shackleton WR963 needs YOUR help as a matter of urgency, let me explain why....

We have been told by the Airport Management here at Coventry, who by the end of this month will have ownership of Hangar 7, that we CAN have time in the hangar to do the much needed NDT testing on the Wing Spars. The down side is that we will of course have to pay for it. As many of you will know, the successful “Kickstarter appeal” last year has covered the funding for the testing, but not the time in the hangar as we had an arrangement with Airbase which, given that they are now closed, is no longer in force.

Why is it urgent?


There are plans for the future of the airport, no it’s not going to close or be built on, but we may not have access to Hangar 7 after this year; and of course hangarage is on a first-come, first-served basis.

We need you to put your hands in your pockets and donate to this Hangar Appeal. Hangarage for half of Hangar 7 for the year is around £70k. Whilst this would be nice, it’s not what we need. Some of XH558’s engineers (yes that’s right – the Vulcan) have helped us in their free time, with the schedules for the NDT work, and it is estimated that the work could be done in around 14 weeks. This would bring the cost down to around £20k. WE NEED TO GET HER IN THE HANGAR as this work cannot be carried out in the open air. As you know, this is a significant step towards putting a Shackleton back in the air in the UK.

We need you to donate, so what will you all get out of it?


To all those donating £30 or more – you will receive a frameable certificate stating that you helped get 963 undercover for the NDT work. You will also get your name in a Supporters Log to be kept onboard 963 in perpetuity.

I hope you feel that you can help in this and put 963 back in her element.

You can donate here, and please state “Hangar Appeal” so that we can put your name in the log.

Hangar Appeal Logo by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr