Skymaster project

[paddyboy]

Hi Peeps

Hope I have posted this link in the right section

http://www.milairpix.com/downloads/skym ... lan_v2.pdf

Makes for interesting reading

Let's hope it is possible

Cheers

Paddyboy

[PeteHemsley]

Looks like a worthy project. However I fear the prices indicated are a little lower than I inticipate!

[jem60]

Oh no!!. Not another 'We would like to see this aircraft fly again, but we want you to pay for it'. So, from memory, we have the 'Peoples Mosquito', Shackleton,,Concorde [dream on!], Canberra [when there is a perfectly flyable one at Kemble], a Dakota and now a C.54!. An American aircraft that hardly any of the British public could associate with!. This is only aircraft in this country!!. I can foresee none of these coming to fruition, sadly.
Why am I always so negative about these begging appeals? Because I am a pessimist. A pessimist is an optimist with experience!!!!!. :. Give the money to 'Sally B'. It is flying , and a very fitting memorial that we can all take pride in. Don't flame me too badly. I am simply being realistic!.

[Sparts99]

Sadly agree with Jem on this. The C-54 doesn't really have a great UK connection does it? Shame the Shackleton has stumbled, I was really looking forward to that and would've supported it had it continued, people's Mosquite has gone very quiet, although I believe the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar are still planning to aquire one, maybe someone knows the latest on that and can update us?- incidentally their Bf109E has been re-assembled and recently had successful ground runs. Concorde no chance. I'd love to see a Canberra flying again but is it a reality? At the end of the day for most of the general public these aircraft aren't distinctive, and it's from the general public or very wealthy individual donors that the cash will have to come from. The enthusiast community just isn't big or rich enough to sustain all these projects.

[Rory76]

Not knocking Jem's post, but short of a British version of Kermit Weekes coming on the scene, pretty much any return to flight project will require a public "begging" appeal. It's why the Vulcan succeeded where others have failed, it had the mass public enthusiasm to drive the necessary revenue streams, admittedly other projects will be much cheaper, but they will probably still need public support.
I assume Sally B has some sort of benefactor behind her, as she hasn't required a public appeal that I'm aware of- tho I believe there is a donations link on the web page.

[jem60]

'Sally B' has a massive membership base [the largest Aviation fanbase in the country?' ]and therefore does not have public appeals per se, although, of course, all contributions are very gratefully received by Elly Sallingboe and her team. It is a charity, and a very well organised and run affair, that has been going, despite much financial hardship at times, for many years.This aircraft means a lot to people from East Anglia particularly, it having had so many B.17 bases during the war, much more than the pther aircraft I mentioned, and, I am sure, will always turn out to be the last survivor of appeals, if they are needed.

[Amp]

Well ... never say never, however I would tend to agree with Jem. Without a kind wealthy decent person stumping up the cash in a philanthropic fashion the various projects calling for public cash would seem to face an uphill struggle. All can claim great deserved appeal to a limited market, but will that limited market stump up the cash? These aircraft will require cash onwards, not just to get them going. They should be able to generate an income of some sort. Regarding the Skymaster, it has sat outside for a very long time, begging the question why was nothing done before? Like so many old machines, it was fully airworthy - it crossed the Atlantic, flying into Weald, then sat, and sat, and sat, then deteriorated, then faced the axe, then sought an expensive restoration.