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Vulcan Begging Bowl Out Again...

Not sure if this is the right place for this but here goes.

https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns...8ssurvivalplan

So why get involved with the Canberra ? Surely they saw this coming ?

To the sky was one thing as it was unique. Now it is just one amongst !many. More now about jobs?

Should be renamed "just give in.com"

From the accounts

Quote:

At the end of 2015, Directions Finningley CIC’s lease on Hangar 3 came to an end. Negotiations for VTST to take over the lease for the whole of Hangar 3 had been carrying on for some time, but as the year-end approached, the Trust came under some pressure to take on the lease for the 2016 calendar year – this it finally agreed to do.
The Trust, through its trading subsidiary VPMC, endeavoured to maximise the income from the hangar by licensing the available space to current and new tenants, with some but not total success. However events using the hangar space and available conference rooms have also been promoted successfully.
In August 2016, the Trust was informed that DSA was in need of additional cargo handling space for increased activity, and that as the result, the Trust would need to move its operations from Hangar 3 to Hangar 1. Dependent on current negotiations, this will happen at the end of 2016.

Not exactly as if they did not know it was going to happen, strange how they held the lease and took it on for year 2016 (will that not be the financial year?) and then they appear to be getting made homeless. But it already states that they have a hangar to go to, one would have thought having no visits which were paying part of the rent must be a death knell for it.

It smacks of moral blackmail and conveniently seems to avoid mentioning the storage appears to be another hangar

From the full PR http://www.vulcantothesky.org/upload...%20Release.pdf :

Quote:

At a briefing for staff, followed immediately by an e-newsletter and social media briefing for the aircraft’s hundreds of thousands of supporters, Dr. Pleming announced that the Vulcan to the Sky Trust team would be slimmed down from 22 to just eight full time staff, supported by volunteers and a few part-time staff. Both Dr Pleming and business development director Michael Trotter will be moving to part- time roles where they will continue to provide strategic direction for the Trust.

They had 22 full time staff? No wonder costs were so high...

Quote:

The plan explained to supporters is that the Trust’s aircraft and other assets currently in Hangar 3 will move temporarily into a storage facility that the airport is providing free-of-charge until the end of April. During that time, the Trust and Doncaster Sheffield Airport hope to conclude an agreement to build a new hangar at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, allowing resumption of tours, events, educational visits and engineering activities by the end of 2017. These businesses will then fund the lease of the hangar from the developers until the larger, more ambitious ETNA facility is ready.

A bit ambiguous - it's not clear whether that means that the 'storage facility' hangar is only available until the end of April, or that's when Finningley Maid Marian International will start charging VTTS for storage...

Quote:

A hangar is essential for protecting XH558 from the weather and providing an environment for maintenance to RAF standards.

Yet 655MaPS have been looking after XM655 in open storage at Wellesbourne Mountford and the aircraft continues to conduct high-speed taxying demonstrations - all on a fraction of the XH558 budget and entirely thanks to the dedicated efforts of 655MaPS' volunteers.

I lost any confidence in VTTS after the still-unexplained and totally avoidable destruction of 2 engines thanks to silica gel desiccant bags left in the intakes. My previous donations now go to 'Navy Wings' and 655MaPS!

Well Pleming in the current copy of Aeroplane explains his £70K wage packet away as in line with any other charity boss.

The number of employees whose annual remuneration was £60,000 or more were: One
Earning

£70,000 to £80,000

Top that off with expenses in the 2015 accounts of

Related parties
Expenses relating to travel, subsistence and other have been claimed by Andrew Edmondson, director of
Vulcan to the Sky Enterprises Limited, amounting to £6,341 (2014: £5,312) to which £nil (2014: £454) was
due to be paid at the year end.
Expenses relating to travel, subsistence and other have been claimed by Robert Pleming, Chief Executive
of Vulcan to the Sky Trust, amounting to £26,421 (2014: £16,276) to which £nil (2014: £13,293) was due to
be paid at the year end.

Why be an MP

£26K in expenses? To do what? That's a lot of miles/hotels?

I used to support the aircraft but after the PtF fiasco at Waddington I stopped. I have a chum who used to work at Marshalls when they were involved and he had a very interesting take on how the organisation was run. It wasn't entirely complimentary.

http://www.vulcantothesky.org/upload...0PR%20copy.pdf

Appears he is moving to part time.

The just giving page has ermmm Gone!

Total debacle.
End of my support, both enthusiasm and monetary.

Instead of spending money on an aircraft that will NEVER fly again there is a Lancaster (NX 611) that could fly again and wouldn't it be something to see two Lancasters flying together on a regular basis. It again would give a LOT of people a LOT OF PLEASURE. :ok::ok:

Quote:

A hangar is essential for protecting XH558 from the weather and providing an environment for maintenance to RAF standards.

While reading this, looking out the window to see aircraft being maintained outside on the line.

I'm astounded that after all the effort of getting her flying and the subsequent talk of keeping her as an educational exhibit she was allowed to go to a location that didn't assure her future?!

XM655 arriving at Wellsbourne...

Why do I hear a mystery chorus quietly singing "I told you so".......

Hat, coat....

Hope the Canberra gets looked after though, if not by them, then someone who can do it properly

I would rather see the Canberra flying again than another Lancaster.

We need to keep more '50s and '60s jets airworthy rather than another WW2 aeroplane of which one example is still flying.

Well who has more chance of succeeding, the Pantons or that other chap?

Two BEagle, one in the U.K. but two in the world.

At least with a Lanc there are organation that can overhauled your engines and it is simple technology, the Canberra isn't either of those. So has a finite life.

Really not interested in supporting VTTS any more. No point!

Far rather see another Lanc airborne or a couple of Mosquitos than a Canberra. Sorry BEags, don't agree with 50s/60s jet thing as the WWII types are a tribute to the very many that lost their life in those types - Lest We Forget.

Also, VTTS only ever got a £5 donation from me in the early days as I saw through what I viewed as a scam quite early on. I see that a well-known knighted MP is one of the trustees. I'm surprised that he still is now that the story of how large amounts of money was spent (dare I say squandered?) under probably his and the rest of trustee's guidance.

LJ