Goodwood Festival of Speed

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Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 1,988

Anybody seen the Rolls Royce tribute sculpture at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed?

It included original Supermarine S6 N248 from Southampton, the original 1935 Bluebird car, and a replica of the original pre-war Bluebird racing hrdoplane

All three, including the S6, were each mounted nose down outside atop a tall steel sculptual element.

Is this any way to treat such a significant airframe?

Hopefully RR (or should that be BMW...) have made a significant contribution to its continued survival.

Try Googling on "Rolls Royce Tribute Goodwood Festival of Speed" to get the full monty

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,029

Power dive...

I saw this and, not unnaturally, assumed they were replicas.

I was alarmed to learn last week that two of the items were for real.

I guess the S6a was from the Southampton Hall of Aviation.

Gosh - I dread to think what the insurance premium was. :eek:

A clipping from yesterday's Sunday Times.

Mark

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Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 2,764

That is the single most stupid use for a historic aircraft I have ever seen (same applies to the car).

Whether this was 'safe' is totally irrelevant. It is simply not a good precednt to set with historic artefacts.

Big thhmbs down to whoever thought it up, big thumbs down to Rolls Royce and an equal thumbs down to the Southampton Hall of Aviation who should know better.

Insurance premiums are also totally irrelevant as the risk is simply not quantifiable.

Daft, daft daft daft.

Melvyn Hiscock

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20 years

Posts: 39

Obviously some fancy designer has got very rich by designing such an eyesore. Lord March, you should be ashamed.........

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

Err...

Chaps, they've been doing the 'sculpture' outside the house for several years now. Previously with cars. Different & euecatching every year. It gets attention. It works as PR. (You're here, case rests.) 'Some fancy designer' has earned his or her keep. In my opinion, Lord March should be ashamed for the entry prices (which are obscene) but the entertainment and quality of show provided is far better than most airshows.

I'd like to know who, how, and how much money went where before I get stuck in about the S-6. I don't think we are looking at a 'holes drilled through wing' situation as per the IWM Spitfire Mk.1 (today), or the Comet Racer in 1950. I can think of one organisation at least who'd do a good safe job (and have - for the RAF Museum and the Science Museum http://www.unusual.co.uk/) for this kind of task. If Southampton Hall of Aviation get something good out of it, it's fine by me - they need the money, as they have little real support. If they've taken a sensible decision based on revenue (and some good PR for them too) and it's in safe hands, fine. If it's not safe hands, it's not fine. More data please!

Personally, I think they need to be facing up, not down...

Cheers / salut

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20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,475

Here's some close up photos taken on the first day of the show. There was a thread to this a week or so ago.

Septic

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20 years 3 months

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Mmmmmm, still not at all sure Kiters me old mate. The fact that they got them up there and down again and that someone made some money is not enough. The fact that it provides a mindset that it is OK to do this sort of thing with such artefacts. Let's face it, the Bluebird is even more significant than the S6. In order to get these there they have to de disassembled, trucked, hoisted and reassembled, all of which has a risk factor. As you know I am not a "keep them all in cotton wool" sort of person but even so I am not at all sure about this.

For most of the people that attended, the historic nature of the actual items is irrelevant. It is a visual piece of sculpture. Would we have put up with a real Spitfire being placed on a pole outside Eastleigh in this day and age? Of course not, a replica is fine as it does its job as a piece of Sculpture.

Still v. unimpressed.

Melv

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20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

In order to get these there they have to de disassembled, trucked, hoisted and reassembled, all of which has a risk factor.

Indeed. So does flying a/c. I think we are going to differ on this. ;)

As I said, I'd like to know more before I charge off on a hobby horse on this topic. Plastic would be better, but (ironically) wouldn't be original. At the least, it's an interesting case of 'out of the usual' thinking. Had a look at 'Unusual's' website? They can't tell the difference between a piston and a turbo, but having reviewed their work (at a Museums show) I was impressed.

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,475

This years official charity for the Goodwood Festival of Speed was 'Solent Sky' formerly know as the Southampton Hall of Aviation. I dont know the figures that the museum will eventually receive but given the fact that close to 150,000 people attended the three days of Goodwood I'm sure it will swell the coffers.

The Bluebird K4 Boat is a replica, the car is the 1935 Campbell-Railton-Rolls Royce Blubird which was shipped over from Daytona USA.

Septic.

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20 years 8 months

Posts: 308

I somehow doubt that Rolls Royce, who were sponsoring the event to the tune of many thousands of pounds, would come up with a 'tin pot scheme' for mounting the exhibits to the display! I have heard that the stress calculations for the construction used some almost Tornado like wind strengths to be safe. Would you want to be the engineering company that ‘got it wrong’? Rolls Royce plc, spent a great deal of money on the display which represents their centenary as a Company (yes, I know there was a bit of a glitch in the 70's or 80's) So, come on, just enjoy the display for the 'art' it is, instead of always getting on a soapbox & having a go at the way people do things in a different way than perhaps the rest of us would do it.
May be if we started to see things as they are, for what they are, & not how we think they should be then we might all get to benefit from the way the ‘professionals’ do it, rather than how the ‘experts’ think it should be done!!
Cheers………………….

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20 years 3 months

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What next?

is the bit that concerns me.

Don't get me wrong, I am not spitting feathers here but I just have a gut feeling this is the wrong direction.

Melv

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 308

is the bit that concerns me.

Don't get me wrong, I am not spitting feathers here but I just have a gut feeling this is the wrong direction.

Melv

Me crystal ball's gone out! :) care to expand a bit?? :confused:

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20 years 4 months

Posts: 278

Complete RUBBISH!

Some jumped up graduated 'artist' submerged in their own ego and self meaning could ruin three icon's in such a way!!!!!

Just my opinion!!!!!

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 945

This just leaves me absolutely speechless :eek:

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,475

The 'Sculpture' was created by Gerry Judah who has worked on many similar projects for Goodwood.

I can't wait to see some pictures illustrating the construction process.

JDK. The entry for friday was only £15 which I thought was excellent value.

Here are a couple more photos.

Does anyone know the last time either a S6 was displayed out in the open

Septic

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Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 308

Complete RUBBISH!

Some jumped up graduated 'artist' submerged in their own ego and self meaning could ruin three icon's in such a way!!!!!

Just my opinion!!!!!

Oh dear, I doub't that any 'Icon' was ruined, :rolleyes:

Could be looked on as slightly egotistical to assume that some items were ruined without the facts!:)
Cheers...................

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

Thanks Septic, I guess the prices haven't gone up much over the years then, I stand corrected. How much for the Sunday? ;)

ruin three icon's

Hi Dez, It's a temporary display. They'll go back whence they came afterwards. More people saw (and, arguably appreciated) the S-6, unadorned but 'presented' (leaving aside if you or I like the presentation or not) than would have seen the a/c in the last, well, decade, I'd guess. Either way, more people saw it who now are aware it survives than had done.

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20 years 8 months

Posts: 308

Septic, great pictures, puts a new slant on it!
Cheers..............................

Member for

20 years 4 months

Posts: 278

Ruined??!!!

What i ment was that there significance is sort of lost within the Sculpture

Difficult to explain what i mean its just that they look more like 'after thoughts' all hanging there in fact they sort of look crucified??!!????

The focus of the sculpture doesn't seem to be them??!!! Sorry if this makes no sense! v.tired and naff day...roll on legends...

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

Fair enough Dez,

But Septic's pics do show an angle (pun intended) on the S-6 we'd otherwise not have got. Variety is the spice of life etc, etc.

Nice pics Septic, BTW. Thanks for sharing...

Cheers / Salut

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 308

Hey Dez, don't ever try to do that on a penny farthing!! :D :D :D
Cheers...............