Hard times again!

[TankBuster]

Looks like TVOC are having to wind things down a bit in order to secure 558's future
http://www.vulcantothesky.org/news/853/ ... -Plan.html

TankBuster

[Fat Bob John]

Not good news. Always wondered why they committed to having her at an operational airport with all the implications and restrictions that go with that. Also much as restoring the Canberra to the flight status is a great idea surely 558 is the priority.Sorry for all those losing their jobs, hopefully 558's future can be secured.

[gibson617]

She should have retired to Bruntingthorpe with the other cold war jets . Doncaster was never a good idea and in time I fear 558 will disappear for good . Her retirement was not thought out very well in my humble opinion .

[TankBuster]

There certainly does appear to be a lack of 'planning ahead' when it comes to 558's future. TVOC seem to take each day for granted & plod along quite happily without anyone looking out to see what might be coming over the horizon, until it jumps up & bites them on the @rse!

In this case, getting booted out of hangar 3 and as a result having to stop all activities which provide a much needed income! Surely they must have seen this coming & I'm very surprised that no contingency plan had been put in place to safeguard the hangar tours etc that bring in the money. Instead they hit the panic button & pretty much mothball the entire operation!

This just screams of bad management & is nothing short of a complete & utter shambles .

TankBuster

[Nnthusiast]

Hard to disagree with that tankbuster.
I get the feeling that Doncaster has been run as a pension top up for those on the good salaries rather than for the good of the aircraft, its future lifespan and 'the people' who actually funded this whole thing.

The lack of full accountability is disconcerting, as is the lack of openness about all the issues they now face and how they are going to surmount them.

It's like they have literally put their head, emu style, in the sand, pretending to themselves that everything is ok, when quite simply it never was.

Thy need a shake up and a proper sensible business plan based around access, running days, and a good new home because sure as bears deficate in the woods, Doncaster isn't it.

[jaydean]

Donny Airport was the last place she should have ended up, and like many agree that a return to Brunty was a far better option. I still can't see how they will perform fast taxis for the public at an operational airport. That last taxi she performed was a secret as they didn't want the public to descend, so when/if they announce one whats going to happen? As i see it theres going to be too much of a conflict of interest with the airport authorities and the Police on one side, and the VTTS group on the other. I know where i'd put my money.

[plmc135]

Someone at Doncaster Sheffield Airport must be making plenty of money as amongst all the junk mail that has just come through my letter box is a glossy 16 page pamphlet trying to get me to book a holiday from there.

[dervish]

There certainly does appear to be a lack of 'planning ahead' when it comes to 558's future. TVOC seem to take each day for granted & plod along quite happily without anyone looking out to see what might be coming over the horizon, until it jumps up & bites them on the @rse!

Should be SNAFU then as the same two people responsible for the strategic planning are being kept on to continue doing that according to the press release?

[paddyboy]

This all sounds like 'The Vulcan Association' carve/fcuk up all over again, except this time on a monumental scale

Easy to say now, but I for one could not fathom why she was not flown straight into 'Brunty' along with all those other cold war icons

[TankBuster]

This all sounds like 'The Vulcan Association' carve/fcuk up all over again, except this time on a monumental scale

Easy to say now, but I for one could not fathom why she was not flown straight into 'Brunty' along with all those other cold war icons

I completely agree with that!
Doncaster was suitable for flight operations, but certainly not this phase of 558's life. This Etna project, or whatever it is they are planning should be taking place at Bruntingthorpe. Surely it would make sense to build this fandangled visitor centre there & provide a roof for all of the Cold War jets. None of what they're doing makes any sense at all .

TankBuster

[John flightpath]

Brunty was always the only sensible option for me. Why on earth they ever decided on Doncaster, I don't know, but it has proved to be a bit of a shambolic decision,
Now, if we could all see this coming ................. ?????

Cheers
John 'flightpath'.

[Fastwalker]

A one off ferry flight back to Bruntingthorpe before its to late!

[Dan D'Air]

Let's start a movement.
VBTB.
I'm No.1.

[gibson617]

Totally agree with that . The need to get her to Bruntingthorpe is urgent and if not done very soon , XH558 will gradually be left to rot and then scrapped . Doncaster was a damn stupid place to retire and we , the supporters should have had a say in her fate . Its time to act now , i'm in , VBTB .

[paddyboy]

Yup: VBTB and ASAP, if poss

[Steven]

In my opinion the whole Trust managing XH558 has been a shambles from day one. No decision made about XH558 has been made with the interests of the aircraft and its future at heart and instead about lining the pockets of a certain few.

I wonder if there is some way of getting something like a 'freedom of information request' into where ALL of the money went, since day one, that was donated to the project over the years - I strongly suspect that if this information was obtained it would reveal some shocking results.

Lastly, VBTB is a lovely idea but - in my opinion - will never happen.

[baz1]

well said that man! that would make for interesting reading.

[PR9]

More poor planning by VTS (Vulcan To Storage).

Feel so sorry for all the volunteers, engineers etc that have dedicated their time and effort only for short-sighted management to screw it up. (Again).

[Sazzle 65]

A Relocation to Bruntingthorpe is a must before the Duchess suffers any deterioration, 558 deserves to be with her own ilk, aircraft of the same era, in the same place. I shudder to think of it ending up slowly rotting as a static at a retail park entrance gate. God forbid!

[plmc135]

Or alternatively to Just Jane, the sight of two Lancasters flying together again would be far more impressive than a begging bucket Vulcan. Never understood why so many people donated so much money towards it.