To prevent the loss of the priceless UK Aviation History now being preserved at Bruntingthorpe, aviation enthusiast Oliver Burden started a petition
C Walton Ltd, the operating company for Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome and Proving Ground, was purchased by Cox Automotive UK in March. According to the most recent statement made by the company (which can be read here), “the Aviation business and Cold War Jets Museum at the Bruntingthorpe site are now closed and will not re-open.”
On behalf of manufacturers and fleet companies, Cox Automotive will use the location to hold brand-new vehicles that haven’t been sold or returned at the end of their lease. Oliver Burden, an aviation enthusiast, started a petition to stop the destruction of the priceless UK aviation history that is now being conserved at Bruntingthorpe in response to this sad news.
“Notice has now been issued to some of the historic aircraft preservation groups (including the Cold War Jets Collection, Lightning Preservation Group, the Buccaneer Aviation Group, Classic British Jets Collection, GJD AeroTech, and others) based at the site that they must leave before the end of 2020. For many of these groups, this is effectively a death knell for their aircraft as they cannot be flown, and to move them by road would be prohibitively expensive (reportedly as much as £300,000 for one aircraft). The enthusiasts who have kept these aircraft in working condition now face this insurmountable funding hurdle to prevent their aircraft, all their hard work, and an irreplaceable part of UK Aviation and industrial heritage from being cut up for scrap. Even in the unlikely event that funds were found to move them, this would require dismantling the aircraft and would likely prevent them from functioning ever again.
“Historically important aircraft in the Cold War Jets Collection such as the Vickers VC-10, de Havilland Comet, Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer, English Electric Lightning, Handley Page Victor, and others are all potentially at risk.”
In his petition, Burden explains that he is only requesting that “Cox Automotive, C Walton Ltd, and the other various stakeholders reconsider their approach and work with the groups representing these aircraft to broker a compromise that ensures that the aircraft can stay on site, even if it means a temporary halt to Cold War Jets fast taxi days to allow the site to be used for commercial car storage until such a time where these days can resume. I believe that such a solution would generate much positive PR for all involved parties with little impact on their commercial operation and save many unique aircraft from being scrapped.
“The historic British aircraft based at this site represent some of the last working and best-preserved examples of their kind and present a unique opportunity to witness a wide variety of historic jet aircraft moving under their own power in one place.
“As an Aircraft Engineering Apprentice, I, like many of my colleagues in the sector were inspired by the museums and airshows we visited as children, many of which sadly no longer exist due to the safety restrictions placed on the UK airshow scene in the wake of the Shoreham Airshow Crash in 2015.
“The museum and fast taxi events by the Cold War Jets Collection at Bruntingthorpe represent a unique and safe way to enjoy these historic aircraft on the ground whilst still preserving them in working condition for future generations.
“We must act now to prevent further irreversible loss of our nation’s proud industrial heritage.”
#SaveBrunty
Let’s help Oliver Burden save Bruntingthorpe HERE!
Photo by Paul Lucas from Leicestershire, UK via Wikipedia