Meteor T7 left Coventry.

[Rick Brown]

Very sad.

 

Link

 

Guess were I was this morning?

Yep, missed it......

Rick.

[Alpha Delta 210]

A great shame indeed.

[Edge]

Such a pity. I live just down the road in Leamington & very occasionally would see her flying, but didn't hear a peep all day today so guess she headed in the opposite direction. A great  shame she's gone.

 

Edge

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Which museum in Detroit ? If I might ask ? 

[Gorby]

Quite a magic trick – an American waves a cheque book and our heritage disappears.

 

2 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Which museum in Detroit ? If I might ask ? 

You pinching our lovely Meteor Dennis?

You can't trust em, first they pinch our colony and now it's our aircraft! 

[JeffreyK]

The most beautiful of Meteor variants (in my opinion). Tried to see her flying at airshows, but it was never meant to be. Another classic (and iconic) jet gone from the UK...

Jeffrey

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

46 minutes ago, Gorby said:

You pinching our lovely Meteor

Do I want to see the Meteor leave the U.K. No. However Detroit is only a 3-4 hour drive to the east from me. I would like to see it and pay the plane the honor it deserves. 

[Gorby]

10 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Do I want to see the Meteor leave the U.K. No. However Detroit is only a 3-4 hour drive to the east from me. I would like to see it and pay the plane the honor it deserves. 

Only joking Dennis, I think we've got a couple of spares.

In fact I should be thanking you, it's deals like that that keep our little museum going.

I hope you get to see it.

[Simon Cornes]

If this was a 'work of art' there would have been an appeal and it would have stayed in the Uk. I appreciate the international trade in airframes but when it's the 'one and only' then the rules should change - I mean an export ban. I hope it comes back one day.

[Meatbox8]

There seems to be no love for the Meteor in this country for some reason.  We lost the F8 to Australia some years ago, where they obviously appreciate the aircraft, now this.  It was, after all, Britain's first operational jet and the only allied jet in WW2, so a really historically important aircraft but it seems the airshow going public just want Spitfires. 

[Britman]

I think jets in general suffered a downturn in bookings after Shoreham. It is a great shame given that we the public were denied airworthy Buccaneers and Lightnings and the Meteors filled a gap. Let's hope the Hunters don't dissappear. 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

4 minutes ago, Britman said:

I think jets in general suffered a downturn in bookings after Shoreham. It is a great shame given that we the public were denied airworthy Buccaneers and Lightnings and the Meteors filled a gap. Let's hope the Hunters don't dissappear. 

 

It's exactly this. Let's face it, flying straight and level is about as to flying as puttering along at 50mph is to high performance sports car driving.

 

It'll be boring to fly straight and level and even worse to watch as a spectator. The majority of airshow paying attendees are not interested in seeing highly capable aircraft fly back and forth straight and level for a 10 minute air show slot. Hence nobody would go to such an airshow. Hence no airshow organisers book classic jets any more. Hence there is no income for the aircraft owners or any meaningful opportunity to enjoy owning and operating such a machine.

 

The costs are steep, and when you can't enjoy having it or displaying it, it's both a financial liability and utterly wasted.

 

Outside the UK this aircraft can be used properly and enjoyed.

[malpaso]

I never really saw the attraction in the Meteor...until this particular T7 whistled over our heads outside on a beautiful blue Cornish morning whilst on holiday.  Now I kind of like it particularly the ones like this with the multi-paned canopy.

Though I can't quite imagine how the canopy designer who decided to use prison windows as his inspiration got the job!

Cheers

Will

[Max Headroom]

First off, I was sad when she left gate guard duties at RAF Woodvale!

 

In all seriousness though, yes it’s sad that she’s going across the pond, but in the Warbird movement there is always a certain amount of ‘churn’ with airframes going backwards and forwards. Give it time and it may come back.

 

As a mirror to the Meatbox, consider the F-86A G-SABR operated for a number of years by Golden Apple out of Duxford. An historical airframe (the only -A flying?), it had no direct relevance to the U.K.- I’m not sure if any actually flew with USAFE from here btw. However it is now back in the USA where it does have a direct connection.

 

If there’s one aircraft I’d like back please, it would be the prototype Tempest II, LA607. Currently in the Paul Allen collection, I’m sure it’s being well looked after, but it belongs here.

 

As a side note, the other artifact I want back is Liverpool’s last tram. It was sold to an American museum in 1957 and has been rotting away in a shed in Maine out of public view ever since, with all offers of repatriation rebuffed.

 

Trevor

[Simon Cornes]

1 hour ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

 

It's exactly this. Let's face it, flying straight and level is about as to flying as puttering along at 50mph is to high performance sports car driving.

 

It'll be boring to fly straight and level and even worse to watch as a spectator. The majority of airshow paying attendees are not interested in seeing highly capable aircraft fly back and forth straight and level for a 10 minute air show slot. Hence nobody would go to such an airshow. Hence no airshow organisers book classic jets any more. Hence there is no income for the aircraft owners or any meaningful opportunity to enjoy owning and operating such a machine.

 

The costs are steep, and when you can't enjoy having it or displaying it, it's both a financial liability and utterly wasted.

 

Outside the UK this aircraft can be used properly and enjoyed.

I have to say that, sadly, this makes a lot of sense. I don't know what its about us Brits, we try so hard to do the right things and end up creating a somewhat sterile place where we have trouble having fun. Everywhere else it seems as though anything goes but then of course, Shoreham was Shoreham and those who write the rules have to do so with the public perception in mind and be 'responsible' and so we get flypasts and thats your lot! Once upon a time it wasn't like that was it but there's going to be not turning back of the clock. I must be getting old!!

[Britman]

I would like to suggest that the Meteor  has less relevance at an American airshow than did "a" Sabre, but I get the point. This subject on historical jets will probably rumble on for some time, but we have I believe seen the best of the classic jets. I would like to be very wrong.