Cosford were only too happy to accept the consequences of BA's lack of funding, they just didn't want those airliners.
As you say, a business like BA can't be sentimental these days.
By contrast, Cosford get funding to actually be sentimental & keep all this old 'junk' for us to enjoy.
In the end Cosford had to have final say on their fate & I doubt it was really a financial decision either.
I bet none of the museums that are taking the ex-BA aircraft have anything like the funding that's been available to Cosford.
That's very true David and my honest feeling is that losing these aircraft will be detrimental to the museum itself. You always had a feeling, much like Duxford, that Cosford was a 'complete' museum offering a selection of the good and the great from both military and civilian aviation but this will no longer be the case :sad:
Manchester may take one! The Aviation Park there appears to be going from strength to strength.
As for BA, pension black hole or not, they never wanted the VC10 in the first place (BOAC - I know) so they can hardly I suppose be expected to be sentimental when they can get a couple of grand for scrap metal!
Sad to hear about Cosford VC10. I'm just glad I had a good mooch around it when I did. To be so near to something that I was in awe of in the 60's before it's gone forever! All I will have left soon are memories, photographs, Airfix models and Mr Maltby's flight sim models! By the way, can he not create the smell of kerosene?
Now to make myself unpopular .... the reason for the removal of the BA "fleet" at Cosford is down to BA, not the museum. Basically, the museum pointed out that BA need to either maintain the aircraft (which includes funding) or remove them. In their current financial position, anything other than disposal would have been irresponsible for any company with a £2bn hole in their pension fund....so BA took the right decision .....
.... tin hat on.....
I believe that there is a further reason for the removal of the BA, fleet, from Cosford.
It is my understanding, that the agreement between BA and Cosford over hosting the BA 'fleet', gave Cosford the right to an example of any type retired by BA. For some reason, with Concorde this was not forthcoming.
Cosford appears to have chosen to now concentrate on military types (the Comet will be repainted into RAF colours), so we should expect them to actively acquire future RAF retirements.
Dave, I agree with you, it makes Cosford a less interesting place.
A lot of people were interested in seeing the airliners. They were certainly the main draw for me.
Some idiot has forced this RAF identity too far. It all worked fine as it was & the airliners didn't seem out of place.
Yes Kevin, sulking about a Concorde would seem just about Cosfords level. :huf:
The Comet is considered indespensible though. Says it all really.
It will look better in military colours though, after years as a fake.
Are they also repainting the Britannia as RAF, or is that due for the chop as well?
Maybe they are planning on inheriting a 'new' VC10 in a few years.
If that was true, I could at least understand them scrapping ARVM, rather than painting it grey & sticking some pods and a nose probe on it.
It's the smashing of the Trident that really bothers me, it was unforgivable.
Whatever the reasons behind it, the destruction of these exhibits was Cosford's choice.
The Britannia was not part of the BA collection so its "safe" for hte time being. Wouldnt surprise me if both aircraft didnt receive RAF colours at some point. I think they are planning on getting an RAF VC10. Just a shame there arent any pax-configured (non military or personal transport) standard VC10s left now though :sad: And yes, scrapping the last complete T1C, with which there was very little wrong is unforgivable. Yes BA is a business and in the present climate cannot be saddled with the costs of such a collection, totally understand and agree with that, but Cosford is a museum, which regardless of its remit, is supposed to preserve aircaft. Having an airliner collection there would make the place appeal more to me and I cannot believe it would really cost them that much to keep it to the sort of standard that Brooklands etc maintain their outdoor airlienr exhibits :think:
What we really need I suppose is a national Civil aircraft museum. Will there be anyhting left to put in it though?
