Crownvic From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 1489 posts, RR: 7 Reply 1, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 2735 times:
Well this is a real joke....Deconstructed and reconstructed...More like destroyed. This is very sad news...Sounds more like Cosford wants these airliners out and BA does not want to deal with relocating them. From an economic standpoint, I guess I can understand, but we can do without the "fluff" in the BA spokespersons statement.
For those of you that have not been to Cosford, it was very impressive seeing all these historic BA a/c parked next to one another. As usual though, all good things come to an end. Am I correct in saying that this was the only 707 on display in the UK? With any luck, can somebody save it?
BMED From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2004, 842 posts, RR: 8 Reply 2, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 2707 times:
I have been round this museum on a number of occasions (3 times in 1 week on a cadet camp) and its a really good museum. It seems a complete shame that these aircraft are been moved and not being kept in their orginial condition.
Touch galley, touch trolley...see how many times you can do that without serving anybody whatsoever
Dogfighter2111 From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2004, 1968 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 2702 times:
Heya,
AFAIK, the B707 will be complete when it comes up here at East Fortune. And, the good thing about East Fortune is that the larger aircraft have all been restored and they allow you to walk inside the aircraft. Hopefully they will still allow this on the new arrivals.
If they do break up the aircraft, it will be a real shame. It would be nice to see them here in 1 piece.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12235 posts, RR: 84 Reply 4, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 2676 times:
Crownvic, though BA cannot justify spending on this sort of thing, speaking to the BA staffer co-ordinating all this, there was also another issue.
Cosford was not looking after these aircraft to an acceptable standard.
There were incidents of towing, repositioning that caused concern in the manner they were done.
Cosford did not really want them any more, they are to change to a museum focussed on the post war RAF.
With work of the only surviving Valiant bomber for display, after it's move from the main RAF museum at Hendon, they will have all 3 V Bombers as a central part of the new museum.
This is driving how their limited resources are used.
HS748 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 2636 times:
Given BA's reluctance to fund the removal of the Trident to MAN (It's still languishing at MAN in pieces) I think the chances of these plans actually coming to fruition are very small indeed. No doubt the scrap man is standing by as we speak.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12235 posts, RR: 84 Reply 6, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 2467 times:
HS748, no he is not.
East Fortune's success with Concorde OAA has boosted them hugely, they want the aircraft from Cosford.
G-BBDG will hopefully have the same effect at Brooklands too, the place taking elements of the Cosford civil collection.
BA have at least made an effort here, to co-ordinate and positively influence the outcome Cosford's changing priorities.
BA have ensured the scrap man won't be busy at Cosford.
Not that they ever get any credit for it.
The great difficulties in getting the Trident to MAN were not of BA's making, try instead a maze of obstruction, changes of mind, lack of co-ordination between such bodies as the Dept Of Transport, The Highways Agency and every local authority on the Trident's route.
While I have not been to MAN since Oct 2004, one of the staffers there spent years looking after the very Trident now delivered.
But he alone cannot re-assemble it, if as I suspect the same company is to re-assemble the aircraft, who also took it apart, who also took apart and re-assembled both G-BBDG and G-BOAA, then you'll just have to wait a bit.
Because these jobs are done between commercial contracts, when time and staff are available, of course this makes the whole exercise much more affordable too.
It would have been much easier for BA to just scrap the Trident, and the not properly looked after and increasingly unwanted BA Cosford collection.
But they did not.
Scalebuilder From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 2446 times:
Quoting GDB (Reply 6): It would have been much easier for BA to just scrap the Trident, and the not properly looked after and increasingly unwanted BA Cosford collection.
But they did not.
Would this happen to be the last intact and stored Trident? I have seen some in China, but some of these must have been used for spares. Not cared for at all. It is a sad day for all of us enthusiasts to see this great and attractive aircraft broken up.
Seeing the Trident in pieces is just not the same as seeing it intact. The Trident in my mind is the most beatuiful aircraft that ever flew.
HS748 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 2395 times:
Quoting GDB (Reply 6): The great difficulties in getting the Trident to MAN were not of BA's making, try instead a maze of obstruction, changes of mind, lack of co-ordination between such bodies as the Dept Of Transport, The Highways Agency and every local authority on the Trident's route.
None of the problems I referred to were about the Trident's journey to MAN, you seem to have plucked those out of the air. My concerns were about BA's refusal to meet the cost of the exercise which resulted in a significant delay to the programme. Whilst I appreciate that BA is a commercial organisation with no obligation whatsoever to preserve Britain's aviation heritage, I do think their approach to the Trident issue says more about their real intentions for the Cosford collection than your opinion does.
Col From Malaysia, joined Nov 2003, 1859 posts, RR: 24 Reply 9, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 2376 times:
What about getting the VC10, 707 and 1-11 to MAN. They seem to be getting a nice collection of frames, and there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for it. It is a shame that these aircraft are in BA colors. If Virgin had operated, then maybe it would be a different Story. There maybe good publicity for Virgin anyway, "These aircraft formerly flown by BA, cared for by Virgin - we won't let you down".
Mikehobley From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 30 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 2356 times:
I cannot believe BA are going ahead with this. Im a frequent visitor to cosford and its a real shame that this unique collection has been a victim of BAs costs cutting mission.
This really rubs salt into the wound after they did pretty much the same thing with concorde
Crownvic From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 1489 posts, RR: 7 Reply 11, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 2243 times:
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12235 posts, RR: 84 Reply 13, posted (5 years 10 months 1 week 16 hours ago) and read 2028 times:
The Brooklands one is a Standard too.
As I said, contractors are needed to reassemble, the Trident will have to, like OAA and BBDG did, wait it's turn.
The LHR Trident was to be scrapped, BA prevented this, Cosford did NOT want the civil collection, BA co-ordinated their dispersal to places they are wanted.
When Concorde G-BOAF arrived at Filton, it was assumed BBDG would be scrapped to make way, BA played a part, provided help, supported the Brooklands/www.concordesst.com, effort to prevent Filton from scrapping this machine.
Museums often take a long time to do things, funding and relying often on part time volunteers are often issues.
I saw this myself last year in Seattle, the guys restoring a Comet 4 there are doing a great job, true enthusiasts and great guys, but it's slow work.
So even a world renowned facility like the Seattle Museum Of Flight operate under the above limitations.
So you can imagine what comparative minows like MAN, like Brooklands, are like.
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