andrewmcharlton

Bubbles, your colleagues deserve every praise and respect and have no doubt they work well over the odds for the cause. Tremendous effort and commitment.

Winco

Would anyone in an Official (or unofficial) capacity from TVOC care to update us on what the hell is going on, or has it all gone Tit$ Up and simply died??

Bubbles, what about you? You seem to have a good handle on where things stand, whats happening please?

No word about the money to the good Doctor I see yet?? hmmmmm

andrewmcharlton

Have a look at their latest press release Winco. Can't work out if there is a tragedy in the offing or a celebration of greatness....

Smiler558

Well it's simple, we need £400,000 by the end of the month and we have raised just over a £100,000 so far. Therefore as things stand at the minute I will be out of a job by next weekend

forget

Straight to the 'news' page -

Vulcan To The Sky - Latest Press Release

andrewmcharlton

The Press Release seems to almost gloss over the current financial plight and surely that should be front and centre? Helping get the money and paying the lads must come ahead of their "What we're going to do in 2011" type of statements?

I hope they can get the money but the sense of frustration at taking a number of years to realise that there are no mega sponsors is overwhelming.

Fingers crossed for you smiler and your colleagues not to mention well done on your hard graft.

peter272

The trajectory on donations is not good, but I'd bet there will be a last minute donation that will save the day (again)

As an early supporter of the project I've given up on this continual shroud waving by Dr Pleming. I am just so sad for the dedicated team who keep getting their redundancy notices only to have them rescinded later.

That is unforgiveable behaviour from a CEO who is getting paid a respectable income as opposed to the highly professional and competent engineers and crew.

A2QFI

I have tried to remain neutral in all aspects of this saga but and I am sure that audited accounts have been published, which I have not looked at. However, can anyone publish an overall figure for what has been paid into the "Fund" since it started; by this I mean the Lottery Heritage Grant, a huge sum put in at the last minute some time ago by a rich and generous industrialist and the tens of thousands of one-off and regular donations Also profits from DVD and souvenir sales - it all adds up.

Apart from this income what other sources are there? Do display organisers contribute something towards the fact that the aircraft took part in their air-show. If they do I wouldn't think it would come close to covering the costs. I am guessing that keeping this fine icon of our aviation heritage is going to continue to be something of a money-pit with outgoings always exceeding income. Somebody please tell me, politley, that I am wrong.

As ever, when discussing salaries, people are decribed as "earning £X thousand a year". In many cases they are not earning it - they are paid it

Feathers McGraw

Just received another email asking me to vote in a poll to decide what might happen to XH558 if the money is not forthcoming, whether the aircraft should be taken to a museum now while still allowed to fly or moved abroad to somewhere funding is available to keep on flying.

What I can't see is any evidence of a credible plan to prevent this happening again in 2011 and then again every year thereafter.

I'm still donating my monthly amount, and have been for several years now so I feel that I've done my bit especially since I've not seen XH558 fly at all in that time.

Muzzey

I received a mail shot from TVOC todayoutlining the current issue so have donated again as in the past - can't see the point of complaining, you either support the project or you don't.

Having visited Lyneham early this year & seen first hand the dedication & engineering skills of the ground crew & volunteers I have the suspicion that they would not waste their own time blindly if they suspected the project was being deliberately mismanaged against the collective interest.

As pointed out elsewhere, it's a one plane airline with no passengers - so, costs are considerable - if we want to continue enjoying the tin triangle in the sky we have to help support it, vote with your wallets people - or not, as you wish.

Smiler, Bubbles & the rest of the crew - chins up, keep doing what you do

dope05

I am out- have contributed in the past and was glad to see it fly again but it seems the whole thing is mismanaged. Anyway, given the current financial squeeze it will be difficult to obtain funds. The threat to sell it to the US or Russia is not right, given it was ordinary British people who donated in the first place and thus is owned by us. It should be given to a museum. just shows how nuts the management is. they obviously see this as a business venture promoted by expensive glossy mailshots. also the main man on £75K - defies belief. seems to have been a bit of a gravy train for some. c ya XH558............

742-xx

I seem to remember the conspiracy theory lot claiming that XH558 would do one or two display seasons then be sold to the USA.
They claimed this before it was even fully restored.
The suggestion was that it would be easier to operate in the US.
But surely the Lottery people wouldn't be happy about this ?

In all honesty something needs to be done regarding the long term, it's getting silly.

PPRuNe Pop

The DOC's (direct operating costs) and the FOC's (fixed operating costs) are far too high in this climate. There is no way that these two sums can be controlled sufficiently well to justify 558's future. It is, therefore, entirely wrong to continue to bleed willing donors for just one more year - because if this is a bad year, think what 2011 will be like.

Pleming must grasp the nettle and kill the project now before it becomes a millstone. Give it to Duxford - whoever - but do NOT take any more money from enthusiasts. They can remember with affection that they have seen her and will again on the ground if the trust stop trying keep it in the air. Its days are over. The sorry truth, but they are. It is now UNAFFORDABLE.

sled dog

Well said Pop

hurn

Sorry Pop, but as one of those enthusiasts I'll be the judge of whether I want to donate any money and not you.
As it stands, I'm still happy to donate what I can afford as and when. If others don't want to then that's their choice.

If ultimately there's not enough money then so be it, but I certainly wouldn't expect nor wish VttS just to give up while there's still flying life left in the old bird.
I just hope once retired it never ends up at Duxford.

It probably never really has been, but then most old classic jets aren't. Perhaps we should ground them all to appease you?

JEM60

Why would Duxford want it? They already have one. Joe public, when they come, will simply see a Vulcan. They would not know, and would probably couldn't care less whether it was the last one flying or not
As for operating in the States, why would that happen.? It would have to be a very rich, or, dare I say it, foolhardy individual who would finance this, a non- American aircraft.

PPRuNe Pop

hurn,

Did I mention you in particular? You do what you will with your money is your own affair - everyone will agree with that.

However, the fact remains that 558 is itself bleeding to death. It cannot be supported any longer - their own figures show that. I haven't manufactured them, I haven't pulled them out of thin air - they are fact. That said 558 cannot survive without a continuous flow of money, That, will surely dry up.

Income/costs = profit/loss.

As for its future home, it will have to go somewhere!

BEagle

On this occasion, I disagree with you, Pop.

Just sent them a little more; there's still hope.

But I want to see the whole thing run more professionally - and I'd also like to know what the good Dr Pleming does for his reported £72K income from the organisation.....

PPRuNe Pop

That's OK, BEags, I am sure you are not alone. However, Pleming did say that he must have £400k by the end of October - a mere 4 days away. How well has he faired? The last I heard was that he received a total of £100k up to 20th October! What about the other £300k? If he has insufficient funds to continue I imagine he would be duty bound to act decisively.

I have operated aeroplanes for too long to know that they are more greedy than a herd of sheep and if you ain't got the money you ain't got an operation. Since commerical aviation took to the skies it has ever been thus. If a benefactor did appear it would need a lot more than £400k anyway.

spekesoftly

Their website now states over £250k received to date, with nearly £150k still needed.

However, a somewhat confusing quote from Dr P says that they only need £300k by the end of this week!