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Last flight for the Meteor NF.11


Truro Model Builder

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Sad news. The Meteor NF.11 WM167/G-LOSM is to make its last flight this Saturday (5th) to Bruntingthorpe. There it will be grounded, its engines removed to support the T.7 that is airworthy in the States and replaced by others to allow it to ground run only. The owners of the T.7 bought the NF.11 for the engines and have donated it to one of the Bruntingthorpe collections.

 

And another one bites the dust.

 

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That is a shame; I wonder if it would be possible to retrofit a smaller, more modern engine like they did on the new-build Me-262's? Probably not, due to the wing carry-through structure of a Meatbox, I'm guessing.

Mike

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1 minute ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Im American and agree. Its very sad that we have to kill your warbirds to keep ours operating. 

 

Dennis

There's nothing wrong with a mutually beneficial trade in spares, it's good for everyone. My frustration is not with any owner/operators - it's with

that contant British knee-jerk reaction.

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I hadn't seen it on the display circuit for some time. Does anybody know the reason? If it wasn't wanted by the display organisers it might just as well be grounded. Shame, though

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1 minute ago, John R said:

I hadn't seen it on the display circuit for some time. Does anybody know the reason? If it wasn't wanted by the display organisers it might just as well be grounded. Shame, though

Post-Shoreham restrictions on the display of vintage jet aircraft have a lot to do with it. And also with why both Meteors were put up for sale.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 1/26/2019 at 5:48 AM, Meatbox8 said:

That is a real shame.  Why is there so little love for the Meteor in the preservation world?

Probably the spares of engine components.

Prop driven aircraft have been developed over the decades & Merlin engines are well supported nowadays, so until someone starts manufacturing components...

A little like DB601's fall into the same problem area.

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2 hours ago, hairystick said:

Probably the spares of engine components.

Prop driven aircraft have been developed over the decades & Merlin engines are well supported nowadays, so until someone starts manufacturing components...

A little like DB601's fall into the same problem area.

Good point but do you remember a few years back we also lost the F.8 which went to Australia?   Glad the Aussies have one as, of course, they used the type in action.  Just a shame there seems to be such a lack of interest in the type in the UK.  Our first operational jet and the only allied jet to see service in WW2.  With Frank Whittle being the father of the jet engine one would have thought our first type would generate more enthusiasm. 

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On 04/01/2019 at 18:19, Truro Model Builder said:

Post-Shoreham restrictions on the display of vintage jet aircraft have a lot to do with it. And also with why both Meteors were put up for sale.

Unfortunately Shoreham was one of the last nails in the coffin for old jet display flying in the UK. Hard to believe it was over 3 years ago, and the pilot is only now having his day in court. To quote from the Aeroplane Monthly Hangar Talk feature this month

 

"It's a sad fact that, other than a few Jet Provosts and Strikemasters, plus the occasional Gnat appearance and, until its mishap in May 2017, the Sea Vixen, there has been barely a single UK registered British ex-military jet on the display circuit since the start of the 2016 season. The combination of the ban flights by British registered Hunters, finally lifted in July 2017, and restrictions banning aerobatic displays by swept-wing jets have had a serious effect on aircraft owners, who've seen values wiped out, and on those who (used to) maintain and fly them. A significnat proportion of the UK heritage jet fleet has now been sold overseas."

 

The good news is that the rules are changing again, so it might bring some return of the old jets but I don't believe we will see a return to the "good old days".

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3 hours ago, Oberleutnant said:

Selling our heritage at cheap cost.

 

How quintessentially British. 

 

Time and time again profit rules pride.

 

Sooooooo..... who should pay to keep it flying her?  I can’t; can anyone on this site? Has anyone started a crowd funding appeal? There’s nothing quintessential about this; unless it can be afforded and/or someone gives free money, it gets sold.

 

Nothing to do with profit, just cold hard facts.

 

That is all.

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

A real shame to see these historic types grounded or sold abroad. I guess we should be greatful that we were able to view them in their element for as long as we did. As others here have said, it's not cheap to operate Hunters, Meteors and other former front line jets.

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On 1/4/2019 at 4:11 PM, 72modeler said:

That is a shame; I wonder if it would be possible to retrofit a smaller, more modern engine like they did on the new-build Me-262's? Probably not, due to the wing carry-through structure of a Meatbox, I'm guessing.

Mike

Even if it was technically possible the updated airframe would probably also have to be tested and recertified as a brand new type/mark.

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On 04/01/2019 at 18:19, Truro Model Builder said:

Post-Shoreham restrictions on the display of vintage jet aircraft have a lot to do with it. And also with why both Meteors were put up for sale.

So utter rubbish kills British airshows....

Shoreham was pure pilot error. If anything the pilots should be regulated rather than the planes!

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