FUTURE OF THE PAST
After some difficult years, there are new efforts to secure a more positive future for ex-military jet operations in the UK — but it remains a challenging business
To some, January’s final flight of Meteor NF11 WM167/G-LOSM was symptomatic of the malaise afflicting vintage jets in Britain. The last airworthy example of a hugely significant type in private hands on UK shores, its grounding is only the latest in a series of losses to our classic jet scene, caused in large part by the Shoreham tragedy in 2015. Since then, this strand of opinion has it, heavy-handed regulation by the Civil Aviation Authority has decimated this element of our aviation heritage.
This view is understandable, but does not tell anything like the full story. As explained in our June 2017 issue, ex-military jet operations in Britain had been in decline even before Hunter T7 WV372 crashed at Shoreham with such terrible consequences. Several jets had been sold, or were up for sale.
The underlying reasons are many and complex. Such aeroplanes are expensive to operate and do not, alas, possess the wider public appeal of their Second World War counterparts.
The grounding of Vulcan XH558 — the only vintage jet to appr…
