ZA148 Update

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Thumper
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ZA148 Update

Post by Thumper »

ZA148's future is possibly at risk as CAF Newquay confirmed it's closure today.

Taken from the CAF Newquay page this morning;

Really sad day today here at Newquay. We have been informed that Classic Air Force Newquay is to close. Here is the official press release below. Sorry for this slightly late post. This morning we have been in a volunteer meeting where all the amazing volunteers were informed. More posts to follow about the future - we have a plan!!

As Airbase gets airborne for 2015 we have to announce another side to the coin with the closure of our Newquay site. This has been an incredibly hard decision, but the costs of maintaining two attractions are too much to justify, given our status as a charity.

Our focus now is on our traditional home here in Coventry, where we'll be doing more flying, more events and adding more to see and do than ever before. Our task now is to maintain the fantastic visitor reputation our Cornwall guys achieved as the number one attraction on TripAdvisor. Thank you guys, you've done a truly outstanding job.

We'll still be offering pleasure flights and aerobatic experiences from airports in the south west, so everyone with a Classic Air Force voucher - or who just wants to fly in one of our old birds - will have a choice of where and when to take a flight. We'll be posting up flights and locations in the next ten days.

So from here on in this page will be all about our activities at our Coventry Airbase. 2015 is going to be a big year for us - the year when we really spread our wings.

Update:

Re the news today about Newquay closing.

We will be around for a couple of months. We have loads to do. We intend to make the closure a professional operation, and make sure the aircraft are well dealt with. It's the only way we know how to do things.
So - to the locals out there - or visitors to Cornwall. If you are passing and want to pop in, we will try to explain what the future is. Ask for me - Geoff. With the initial assistance of the CAF we hope to bring something equally as impressive to St Mawgan - this summer. The volunteers have a plan - and it's doable with a bit of help from here and there. I will post on this page as things develop.
Please keep faith - there is a great chance for this to happen...
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EGDGZTCW
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by EGDGZTCW »

I hope we can secure a future for ZA148. Early stages, but we hope a group of us can take over the care of her, the BAC 1-11 and several others....
Please see the link below .... if it works ? This is the Classic Air Force Live page which will continue to cover news here at Newquay until we set up our own page.

The main Classic Air Force page is now solely for Coventry where the CAF will now be based.
Please keep your fingers crossed as this is all at a very early stage.

Chris


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Classic- ... 3810573435
Murray Keene
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by Murray Keene »

That is very sad news but I would have thought the CAF would have moved FROM Coventry to the far bigger, better site at St. Mawgan? The Midlands already has many museum sites (Midland Air Museum, Cosford etc), wheres the SW has very few attractions for aviation fans :(

Coventry is already at saturation point with little room for anymore large aircraft, so worrying for 148!
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EGDGZTCW
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by EGDGZTCW »

By way of an update, ZA148 will remain at Nqy but will be moved to a new location within the old airfield site. She will be in company with the BAC1-11 and all the other non flying airframes that find themselves here. We hope to open as soon as we can under the new name of Cornwall Aviation Park . We are not part of the Classic Air Force that have recently vacated the site but our own seperate entity.

However, discussions are still on going so nothing official just yet so fingers crossed please. We are working very hard and have lots of support .......ZA148 remains in good hands.

Chris
TheATeam
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by TheATeam »

Us over on 241 at Brunty wish you all the best and hope that 148 lives on for many years!
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EGDGZTCW
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by EGDGZTCW »

TheATeam wrote:Us over on 241 at Brunty wish you all the best and hope that 148 lives on for many years!
Thank you, that is certainly our intention........one way or another.

May need the odd spare here and there along the way. Don't know where there are any do you ? :lol:

Chris W
Murray Keene
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by Murray Keene »

Nice to hear that another complete airframe will survive, such a shame that so many of our 'original' old girls (806 - 810) have been reduced to bean cans :cry: Bob is the only surviving C Mk1.

All the best.
Last edited by Murray Keene on Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
TheATeam
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by TheATeam »

VC10 spares you say.... I might know where some are! :wink:
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EGDGZTCW
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by EGDGZTCW »

I thought I would update this thread now as the threat over ZA148 has all but gone. She and eleven other airframes will now form a new attraction here at Newquay. Now based in one of the Hardened Aircraft Shelters on another part of the airfiield , we have set up a completely new venture totally independant of Classic Air Force control. The CAF left Newquay some time ago and now operate entirely at Coventry from whence they came.

We will now be known as 'Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre'. It has been a long and stressful process and there were times when we thought it wouldn't happen. But thanks to a few key individuals, whose faith in the project never faultered, we will be opening in the next few weeks.

ZA148 remains our largest and most popular exhibit and I can assure you that she is now in good hands.

Chris - ZA148 Team

Here is our new website which we will continue to develope

http://www.cornwallaviationhc.co.uk
Murray Keene
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by Murray Keene »

SUPERB news Chris!! =D> she will be a big attraction in picturesque Cornwall! :D :D
TheATeam
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by TheATeam »

Excellent news! All of us at 241 are chuffed :D
ICM
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by ICM »

Although my heart is really with the original 10 Squadron aircraft, I join everyone else in offering Congrats and Best Wishes to the Heritage Centre team regarding the future of ZA148. And the fact that they have managed to find good use for one of the HAS at St Mawgan - sorry, Newquay - makes things better still!
Ian Macmillan
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by AJW »

Well said Ian, couldn't have put it better myself!
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EGDGZTCW
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by EGDGZTCW »

Tomorrow evening (Friday) we will be moving ZA148 to her new home on the other side of the airport. Although our new museum will be housed in and around one of the Hardened Aircraft Shelters, we are unable to get a VC10 along side due to the security fence configuration. This area simply wasn't built for this size of aircraft anyway and so we will be positioning her on the old runway adjacent to the HAS site. We hope to have her with the nose looking down this old runway and across the active airfield so when visitors are sitting on the flightdeck they may get a feel of what it was like. Take a look on Google Earth, look for the HAS site and then the star shaped pattern on the old runway. She will be parked just to the right of that, if I can get the position right ! Personally, I cannot wait. Those of you who knew St Mawgan will readily remember the view of the Nimrod Line as you approach the camp from the main road, with the Nimrods clearly visible, all in a line, from quite some way away. ZA148 will be side on given she will be on the old runway but visible on the skyline from quite some distance. No longer will she be hiding behind a hangar.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us .... and the Newquay Airport team helping us, without whom this move would not be possible. We hope to move the BAC 1-11 as well same evening but this depends on time.

Photo's to follow......

Chris
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Tonkenna
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Re: Uncertain future for ZA148

Post by Tonkenna »

All the best with that Chris...

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