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XH558 hangar plans scrapped

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XH558 hangar plans scrapped

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Old 7th Feb 2022, 03:45
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Odd that, but yes, same report.
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Old 7th Feb 2022, 14:15
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As a rather cynical spotter I seem to recall that 'urgent requests for funds' came out annually with the Christmas cards. Now that Dr Plemming is no longer with us, perhaps to driving force has gone,
along with the funding. After years of crying wolf, maybe it's finally arrived.

As an aside, didn't they also have a refurbished Swift as part of the collection. What has happened to this?
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Old 7th Feb 2022, 14:45
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That was privately owned and moved on to his home, details below, (take out the gaps)

https://www.thunde r-and- lightnings.co. uk/swift/survivor.php?id=160
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Old 7th Feb 2022, 17:07
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From an (unbiased and independent), perspective, to many the project was always a desperate 'money pit'...
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Old 7th Feb 2022, 17:38
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It was a first I believe for the lottery to be funding an aircraft, prior to that they only seemed to fund steam trains etc.. I just hope that it does not affect future funding as part of it was I think the requirement to have a home for it when it’s flying career ended, something that to date hasn’t happened.
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Old 7th Feb 2022, 18:11
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Originally Posted by NutLoose
It was a first I believe for the lottery to be funding an aircraft, prior to that they only seemed to fund steam trains etc.. I just hope that it does not affect future funding as part of it was I think the requirement to have a home for it when it’s flying career ended, something that to date hasn’t happened.
I believe the regulatory regime for heritage steam is somewhat simpler to work with, longer established and better understood by the lottery.

As examples, there is no requirement for steam boilers to have a dedicated design organisation behind them all the time, only when a major repair or wholly new one is needed, as with Tornado or the Gresley P2 projects, for example. There are insurance driven requirements, sure, but these are long established and supported by panels of boiler inspectors, repair designers and repair workshops. There is a good range of choice and there is enough similar work for these skills to be needed every day in similar fields.

Many rail vehicles come with grandfather rights which have no real aviation parallel and there is again a choice of Vehicle Acceptance Bodies to help deal with new things like On Train Monitoring requirements.
A variety of potential homes for elderly steam locos exists, with a well established process of getting them between homes even if they are not allowed to run on Network Rail. Not something that can be said about large aircraft that cannot now fly, but which you want to fly again in future.

Once you are into actually flying large, complex aviation heritage there simply is not the scale to justify the infrastructure needed to satisfy the regulatory requirements. I cannot see the lottery again supporting anything as complicated as the flying Vulcan. Unfortunately.

N
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Old 7th Feb 2022, 21:03
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One of the original HLF conditions was for her to be retired to Duxford after her display life was finished. That was always a bit strange, as Duxford had a Vulcan already.
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Old 13th Jul 2022, 14:43
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Reading the latest news about the probable demise of Doncaster Sheffield airport - Doncaster Sheffield-3

Looks like ZH558 is going to be surrounded by housing estate(s). Is there any way they can get it out of there, presumably by road?
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Old 13th Jul 2022, 15:21
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They could always rename it RAF Finningley, plenty of room, a nice newish terminal to stick the Voyagers in front of, frees up room at Brize Norton, plenty of hangarage, central for troop movements and even has a Vulcan you can stuff on the main gate. They might need to put up a domestic area though.

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Old 13th Jul 2022, 16:00
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Originally Posted by NutLoose
They could always rename it RAF Finningley, plenty of room, a nice newish terminal to stick the Voyagers in front of, frees up room at Brize Norton, plenty of hangarage, central for troop movements and even has a Vulcan you can stuff on the main gate. They might need to put up a domestic area though.

There must be a 5* hotel in Doncaster

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Old 13th Jul 2022, 16:09
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This seems suitable. 3 miles from the airport, they say a dispersed domestic areas make sense and plenty of lawn to dig trenches in

https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/ros...s=1&#hotelTmpl

..

Last edited by NutLoose; 13th Jul 2022 at 16:47.
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Old 13th Jul 2022, 16:32
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Originally Posted by WB627
There must be a 5* hotel in Doncaster
Have you ever been to Doncaster?
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Old 13th Jul 2022, 18:41
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Originally Posted by Timelord
Have you ever been to Doncaster?
Where is it

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Old 13th Jul 2022, 21:35
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Originally Posted by ZH875
XL318 was dismantled at Scampton and transported by road to RAFM Hendon where it was put back together.
I was at Scampton then. The wings were detached outboard of Rib 162.5 (i.e. outboard of the undercarriage) but I think they had to cut the spar itself, and the fuselage came apart (surprisingly) straight down the middle just like an Airfix kit. The job was done by Salvage and Transportation Flight (from the old 71MU) from Abingdon but I can only guess at the cost now.

Having surveyed the route very carefully, they headed north late one night on the A15 and got it stuck for a while at the first roundabout!
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Old 13th Jul 2022, 22:21
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They were looking circa 100,000 to move a vc10 from Brunty several years back.
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Old 13th Jul 2022, 22:44
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I believe they carry out regular maintenance on it and were BAE and RR to agree, would the CAA permit a single wheels down ferry flight?

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Old 14th Jul 2022, 07:18
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Originally Posted by WB627
I believe they carry out regular maintenance on it and were BAE and RR to agree, would the CAA permit a single wheels down ferry flight?
Not a chance of that happening....IMHO.

There were serious questions being asked about DSA's long term viability even when '558 was still operating out of there, as the airfield was sold by Peel Airports back to parent Peel Group back in Dec 2012, which is why all but the blinkered VTTS fans thought it was a stupid idea to land it back there for the final time.




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Old 14th Jul 2022, 08:32
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Originally Posted by GeeRam
Not a chance of that happening....IMHO.

There were serious questions being asked about DSA's long term viability even when '558 was still operating out of there, as the airfield was sold by Peel Airports back to parent Peel Group back in Dec 2012, which is why all but the blinkered VTTS fans thought it was a stupid idea to land it back there for the final time.

Even more doubt been cast there now, with widely reported issues yesterday, following Wizz Air pulling some flights.
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Old 14th Jul 2022, 10:02
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Originally Posted by NutLoose
They were looking circa 100,000 to move a vc10 from Brunty several years back.
The initial number they were looking for was around £300,000. That was based on the experience of taking VC10 XR808 apart and moving that to RAF Cosford. This was also based on keeping it in such a state that it remained possible to do taxi runs with the aircraft. You might be able to do something different for the Vulcan as it is a completely different airframe and depending on whether you want a 'live' airframe at the end of the trip, but I'm pretty sure you will see a six-figure sum on the bill at the end.
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Old 14th Jul 2022, 10:29
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I suppose if the airfield is sold for housing and I presume gravel extraction from under the runways and aprons, the best they could hope for is being housed in one of the what will become empty hangars as the live aviation parts moves out.

Or failing that, being given a patch of land to fence off and set up a small museum for the Vulcan and Canberra, as I said in the past, once its flying days came to an end it just became another dead Vulcan mouldering away on the edge of an airfield, why move it? there are still plenty about, some live, that do runs.

It should never have gone there, I did say Brunty, but with hindsight that would have been its death knell, Elvington would have been ideal, or at least an Airfield close to a large conurbation to feed the visitor numbers.

Its a shame they couldn't repurpose the terminal if it closes, take out a glass wall and put the Vulcan and Canberra into the terminal building concourse if they'd fit, use that as the STEM centre they planned with the bonus of shopping etc to draw the punters in..

..

Last edited by NutLoose; 14th Jul 2022 at 10:41.
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