The repaint of XL231 took over 6 months to complete, a mountain of sanding paper and gallons of paint but the hard work was certainly worth it.
Friday, 25 January 2013
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
It's Not Impossible - by Amy Parkin
Welcome to our first guest blog of 2013, by HUGE V-Force fan Amy Parkin.
I often visit museums and drive past airfields to be faced with unloved planes. I read articles about neglected aeroplanes and aircraft graveyards; it breaks my heart seeing some of my favourite planes in terrible condition. One example of terrible condition is the infamous A1 Lightning, XN728. I saw this old girl in person when I was little, and it was heartbreaking to see her like that. She was eventually scrapped in 2011, after spending many miserable years on a yard in Balderton, Nottinghamshire. The poor girl was in fair condition when she arrived at the yard 30 years ago, however she was gradually stripped down and became victim to vandalism. It’s a relief to see she’s been scrapped, not usual vocabulary I’m comfortable with but I feel aviation enthusiasts, like myself, may feel the same way. I won’t lie, I felt wounded by her state, that’s why it is such a relief to hear she’d been scrapped.
I took this picture on August 4th 2012, and I believe she was about half way through her restoration and she looks just absolutely wonderful.
There are a lot of planes that could do with just a little polishing off or even just a couple coats of paint. But for some reason it just doesn’t happen enough. Most of the surviving Vulcans, with the exception of XH558, XM655, XL360, XL426 and XM607 (I apologise if there are other Vulcans that are well looked after but those 4 are the only ones I’ve seen looked after…) aren’t really looked after… Or I don’t think so anyway. All they need is a little scrubbing down… Surely owners, museums, whatever, can just give them a spring cleaning?! I don’t know… Maybe they do, but I don’t see any clean pictures of certain Vulcans and when I’ve visited some museums, their Vulcans aren’t clean! There should be like a team of volunteers that just go around air museums and such places and just clean the aircraft, maybe even do the painting and all that jazz. I understand it must be a difficult task trying to fix and restore an aircraft… But it’s not impossible.
Take Lusty Lindy, Handley Page Victor, XL231 for example; Look at what Andre Tempest and his team of volunteers have achieved!
Here’s Lindy 10 years ago…
(Photos taken by my dad)
She still looks fantastic in these photos… But after a good sanding down and a full repaint and she looks stunning. Now, I’ve only seen the pictures but even they blew me away!
Here’s Lusty Lindy present day…
From this -
To this! -
Lindy all masked up during the repaint, to preserve the original and iconic nose art!
Here she is without her nose art… She doesn’t look right!
Not bare for long… :)
The last time I visited Lindy, I was 9 and I was taken back by her beauty. Futuristic yet menacing, however she still looked graceful. I’m 19 in 2 months, and I plan to visit Lindy within the coming months and I’m excited! Even though I’ve never actually seen a Victor fly, they’re still one of my favourite aircraft. There’s just something about Victors.
Rich, one of Andre’s dedicated volunteers begins sanding on Lindy’s fuselage.
Ollie is a Hawk pilot, who supported the 2012 Hawk Display team, he is also another dedicated member of Andre’s team! Here he is sanding down the intakes!
Back to my point… Andre and his team have proven that it is not impossible to clean up an aircraft, now I’m not saying that Lindy was in horrible condition, because she wasn’t, but it’s clear that the team looking after Lindy are enthusiastic, passionate and most of all willing and that’s refreshing to see that. If there was anything ‘abnormal’ upon XL231, like corrosion, so on… It was dealt with correctly. Stripped bare and fixed, the team have been hands with Lindy’s repaint for the majority of 2012 and their constant hard work has really paid off.
Graham, one of the braver volunteers in Andre’s team! Here he is working on Lindy’s tail at 28ft!
Dusty Lindy, following lots of sanding down!
Lindy getting a wash down, even in the bad weather!
I’m very thankful to the dedicated team that have fixed Lindy up, because as a part of the younger generation involved with aviation, for me and having never seen a Victor fully operational, it’s wonderful to see such a beautiful aircraft being restored, well looked after and often powered up.
Finished!
This year, Andre and his team are looking to fast taxy Lindy, to display their fantastic efforts. Personally, I am super looking forward to seeing Lindy taxy at high speed because it’s something I’ve wanted to see for such a long time and just when I don’t think it can get any better…. They’re taxying her in Yorkshire… OOOOSH. My Home County, baby! I cannot wait for this event!
However, there is a slight downside… Aviation fuel is A LOT more expensive than regular fuel… Andre and his team are looking to raise around £5,000 so that they go forward with this event. Right now, I don’t have the money, but as soon as I do, I will be donating… Please, if you can… Just spare some money and donate it to the team, they deserve this, and so much more! For more information on Lindy’s high speed taxy run and information on donating please click here!
Also, a big thank you to Andre for allowing me to use his photos!
Back to my idea of a voluntary cleaning team, I am genuinely willing to do something like this. I seriously cannot think of anything better! If someone asked me “Amy, I have this plane, it needs cleaning and a coating of paint, can you do it?” I would be so excited! I’d pretty much bite their hand off to do it.
Now I understand that some times it’s nice to just leave something as it is but it just breaks my heart to see planes being mistreat/improperly looked after. Like I already said, I know that not everybody is a fan of aviation but seriously, but I don’t understand why the owners won’t even do it? Again, it is not impossible.
Would you become a part of a voluntary team who shares the passion of aviation? Would you be willing to clean and restore aircraft voluntarily?
Amy x
P.s I’m so proud that I came up with, ‘Dusty Lindy’ I’m still laughing. I’m an idiot. Hahaha.
I often visit museums and drive past airfields to be faced with unloved planes. I read articles about neglected aeroplanes and aircraft graveyards; it breaks my heart seeing some of my favourite planes in terrible condition. One example of terrible condition is the infamous A1 Lightning, XN728. I saw this old girl in person when I was little, and it was heartbreaking to see her like that. She was eventually scrapped in 2011, after spending many miserable years on a yard in Balderton, Nottinghamshire. The poor girl was in fair condition when she arrived at the yard 30 years ago, however she was gradually stripped down and became victim to vandalism. It’s a relief to see she’s been scrapped, not usual vocabulary I’m comfortable with but I feel aviation enthusiasts, like myself, may feel the same way. I won’t lie, I felt wounded by her state, that’s why it is such a relief to hear she’d been scrapped.
I understand that not everyone loves planes, and they don’t really care what state they’re in, or how they should look… But I don’t really understand what drives a person to want to treat something so beautiful, so badly. However, lots of Lightnings have been restored, including XS417 (based at Newark Air Museum). She has been restored to noteworthy status and I must say… XS417 looks absolutely stunning.
I took this picture on August 4th 2012, and I believe she was about half way through her restoration and she looks just absolutely wonderful.
There are a lot of planes that could do with just a little polishing off or even just a couple coats of paint. But for some reason it just doesn’t happen enough. Most of the surviving Vulcans, with the exception of XH558, XM655, XL360, XL426 and XM607 (I apologise if there are other Vulcans that are well looked after but those 4 are the only ones I’ve seen looked after…) aren’t really looked after… Or I don’t think so anyway. All they need is a little scrubbing down… Surely owners, museums, whatever, can just give them a spring cleaning?! I don’t know… Maybe they do, but I don’t see any clean pictures of certain Vulcans and when I’ve visited some museums, their Vulcans aren’t clean! There should be like a team of volunteers that just go around air museums and such places and just clean the aircraft, maybe even do the painting and all that jazz. I understand it must be a difficult task trying to fix and restore an aircraft… But it’s not impossible.
Take Lusty Lindy, Handley Page Victor, XL231 for example; Look at what Andre Tempest and his team of volunteers have achieved!
Here’s Lindy 10 years ago…
(Photos taken by my dad)
She still looks fantastic in these photos… But after a good sanding down and a full repaint and she looks stunning. Now, I’ve only seen the pictures but even they blew me away!
Here’s Lusty Lindy present day…
From this -
To this! -
Lindy all masked up during the repaint, to preserve the original and iconic nose art!
Here she is without her nose art… She doesn’t look right!
Not bare for long… :)
The last time I visited Lindy, I was 9 and I was taken back by her beauty. Futuristic yet menacing, however she still looked graceful. I’m 19 in 2 months, and I plan to visit Lindy within the coming months and I’m excited! Even though I’ve never actually seen a Victor fly, they’re still one of my favourite aircraft. There’s just something about Victors.
Rich, one of Andre’s dedicated volunteers begins sanding on Lindy’s fuselage.
Ollie is a Hawk pilot, who supported the 2012 Hawk Display team, he is also another dedicated member of Andre’s team! Here he is sanding down the intakes!
Back to my point… Andre and his team have proven that it is not impossible to clean up an aircraft, now I’m not saying that Lindy was in horrible condition, because she wasn’t, but it’s clear that the team looking after Lindy are enthusiastic, passionate and most of all willing and that’s refreshing to see that. If there was anything ‘abnormal’ upon XL231, like corrosion, so on… It was dealt with correctly. Stripped bare and fixed, the team have been hands with Lindy’s repaint for the majority of 2012 and their constant hard work has really paid off.
Graham, one of the braver volunteers in Andre’s team! Here he is working on Lindy’s tail at 28ft!
Finished!
This year, Andre and his team are looking to fast taxy Lindy, to display their fantastic efforts. Personally, I am super looking forward to seeing Lindy taxy at high speed because it’s something I’ve wanted to see for such a long time and just when I don’t think it can get any better…. They’re taxying her in Yorkshire… OOOOSH. My Home County, baby! I cannot wait for this event!
However, there is a slight downside… Aviation fuel is A LOT more expensive than regular fuel… Andre and his team are looking to raise around £5,000 so that they go forward with this event. Right now, I don’t have the money, but as soon as I do, I will be donating… Please, if you can… Just spare some money and donate it to the team, they deserve this, and so much more! For more information on Lindy’s high speed taxy run and information on donating please click here!
Also, a big thank you to Andre for allowing me to use his photos!
Back to my idea of a voluntary cleaning team, I am genuinely willing to do something like this. I seriously cannot think of anything better! If someone asked me “Amy, I have this plane, it needs cleaning and a coating of paint, can you do it?” I would be so excited! I’d pretty much bite their hand off to do it.
Now I understand that some times it’s nice to just leave something as it is but it just breaks my heart to see planes being mistreat/improperly looked after. Like I already said, I know that not everybody is a fan of aviation but seriously, but I don’t understand why the owners won’t even do it? Again, it is not impossible.
Would you become a part of a voluntary team who shares the passion of aviation? Would you be willing to clean and restore aircraft voluntarily?
Amy x
P.s I’m so proud that I came up with, ‘Dusty Lindy’ I’m still laughing. I’m an idiot. Hahaha.
Monday, 7 January 2013
2013 Appeal - Funds4Fuel
2013 will be a land mark year, after owning Victor XL231 for 20 years, her owner, Andre Tempest & her devoted volunteer crew are very proud to say that she is more serviceable than ever.
To mark this significant occasion we would like to display XL231 in all her glory with a high speed taxi run! Unfortunately aviation fuel is expensive so we are seeking sponsorship and donations to help cover the associated costs of this taxi run display.
Any donations would be very gratefully received so please
We are hoping to raise £5,000 which would go a significant way towards covering the costs of a high speed run.
 |
| Lusty Lindy has the capability to carry 41,000kg of fuel! |
Keep an eye on the blog or follow us on twitter @victorxl231 for details of the run as they become available.
Thank you
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
'Never Again' Victory!
So, many weeks, copious amounts of sanding paper, litres of paint and untold amounts of elbow grease later, I am pleased to announce Lusty Lindy is better than new in her new hemp coat.
There have been a few casualties along the way - I've lost count of the number of sanders that have 'bit the dust' - they really were tested to destruction!
To celebrate the end of 'Never Again' my trusty boots have gone out with a bang, they have been with me every step of the way but the end is nigh! Christine put her pyro qualifications into action and the team gathered to see the boots off in style - the result was pretty impressive!
So what are we going to do with all our free time now??????? Well the on going maintenance continues and we will keep you posted but in the meantime I'm looking forward to not obsessing about the weather and not having to see another sander for a long time!
Look out for our next blog post which will be a re-paint in detail special but first a hot bath beckons!
|
| XL231 'better than new!' |
To celebrate the end of 'Never Again' my trusty boots have gone out with a bang, they have been with me every step of the way but the end is nigh! Christine put her pyro qualifications into action and the team gathered to see the boots off in style - the result was pretty impressive!
 |
| The end is nigh! |
 |
| The left boot! |
 |
| The right boot! |
So what are we going to do with all our free time now??????? Well the on going maintenance continues and we will keep you posted but in the meantime I'm looking forward to not obsessing about the weather and not having to see another sander for a long time!
Look out for our next blog post which will be a re-paint in detail special but first a hot bath beckons!
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
'Never Again' part 7
We are racing against time and weather but I am please to announce the end is in sight, 1 more good day should see all the hemp and detailing finished - hurrah!
Focus turned to the nose - a real visual impact I hope you will agree. After painting the refueling probe last weekend we had to leave the red blank off to allow the paint time to go off, I returned the following day to carry on with the repaint to find that a 'Vulture' had decided to make the most of the 'unarmed' probe and %$£@ down the front of Lindy's nose - not amused! So after re-defending and cleaning the old gal up work could commence once more
 |
| Work continues............ |
|
| What an improvement! |
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| XL231 without 'Lusty Lindy' nose art |
It really is strange seeing her without her famous nose art, having carried it for almost 20 years it really is an important part of her history But dont worry she had her identity back shortly......... To preserve her iconic nose art Ian had spent a long time masking 'Lusty Lindy' up. This enable us to get a really good finish on the hemp but preserve the original nose art.
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| XL231 'Lusty Lindy' masked up ready for painting |
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| XL231 'Naked'! |
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| 'Lusty Lindy' 'Unveiled' following the repaint |
I hope you will all agree that 'Lusty Lindy' really is looking her best and despite me saying 'Never Again......' after the last repaint the hard work really has been worth it.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Movember
Movember the month formally known as November, will see the Victor Team do their best impressions of Freddie Mercury, Charlie Chaplin and Tom Selleck by 'attempting' to grow beards and moustaches for charity!
We have chosen to support Macmillan Cancer Support due to the ongoing personal circumstances of a member of the team.
The Team: Andre, Ian, Graham, Rich, Ollie and Brian
Why sponsor the Team? One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer, and it's the toughest thing most of us will ever face. Macmillan are the nurses and therapists helping you through treatment. The experts on the end of the phone. The advisers telling you which benefits you're entitled to. The volunteers giving you a hand with the everyday things. The campaigners pushing for better cancer care. The community supporting you, any time. The fundraisers who make it all possible......
We have chosen to support Macmillan Cancer Support due to the ongoing personal circumstances of a member of the team.
The Team: Andre, Ian, Graham, Rich, Ollie and Brian
Why sponsor the Team? One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer, and it's the toughest thing most of us will ever face. Macmillan are the nurses and therapists helping you through treatment. The experts on the end of the phone. The advisers telling you which benefits you're entitled to. The volunteers giving you a hand with the everyday things. The campaigners pushing for better cancer care. The community supporting you, any time. The fundraisers who make it all possible......
All monies raised will be split equally between Macmillan Cancer Support and XL231 for her winter maintenance.
Please support the team and donate now.
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