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« on: June 07, 2005, 02:07:39 pm »
Hello all,
I've put knuckle to forehead and this is what I've come up with. See what you think...
1/ Give the Museum a starting budget of E100K. Don't make beggars of them. To achieve this, take a small slice from each unit of the Defence Forces' budgets. their OCs will hate it, but it's worth it.
2/ Establish a Historic Flight on Corps strength. Marchetti 225 and Chipmunk 168 are essentially fit for flight, with little effort and would form a sound starting line. Give the OC Historic Flight a free hand to beg, borrow or steal to keep them airworthy. Ask for volunteers from each unit to provide manpower to get them fit for flight.
3/ Establish a Permit to Fly for military aircraft. This obviates the need to try for a civvie C of A or Permit to Fly. Allow the Marchetti to carry out limited aerobatics only (no spinning or excessive G) and the Chippie to carry out NO aeros whatsoever. Limit them to 50 hrs flight per year.
4/ Establish an operating budget for fuel, oil, consumables, etc.
5/ Establish a Register of individuals, civvie and Military, who are willing to put in the time and effort. Reward them with flight in aircraft or an annual thanksgiving dinner.
6/ Establish an inventory of everything in the Museum. Establish a trading "bank" of spare parts and related items. Establish links with every aviation museum known to man. They'll want to trade, swap information, etc.
7/ Set up a sales unit, dealing with book, badges, etc, with the monies raised going to the Museum.
8/ Liaise with existing Irish Museums; Dromod, the National, the various Army museums, etc.
9/ Prevent bird access to the Museum. Bird poo is corrosive, hard to clean off and unsightly.
10/ Give the Museum a toolbox. They need it badly.
11/ Give the Museum a tug. The Anson is too big for manhandling.
12/ Establish limited opening hours to the public. This can be achieved as follows: Tour guide meets party at main gate. All sign in and collect Museum temporary ID. Tour guide escorts party on foot or in bus to Museum and brings them in. Give them 2 hours or 2 and a half if they use the small cafe you've just built in the Museum. Escort them back to the bus/main gate. Collect the IDs and a couple of Euros apiece.
13/ clean up as many cockpits as possible and have an "Open Cockpit" day, at least twice a year. Refit some of the individual cockpit sections and mount them on trailers, to bring them to Open Days, etc.
14/ Anyone selling anything "Air Corps" related should have them officially approved by the Don and a share of the proceeds given to the Museum or Army Benevolent Fund.The Museum should tout it's own line of books, badges,videos,etc.
15/ Build a storeroom for the proper storage of serviceable aircraft parts. They're worth money and could be sold to keep existing aircraft flying.
16/ Restore Provost 183 to taxying status. It used to do it a few years back and could easily be made fit to do so again. It is also potentially airworthy.
17/ Restore the Anson properly. Make it a showpiece and do it well. It is so rare, it is worth bringing it back to it's best condition.
18/ A website. Now.
All of this is probably old news to some people, but let's hear what you have to say.
regards
GttC
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) and the fate and status of current 172 operators. This book is worthy of a place on any enthusiast's bookshelf, as it is a valuable history of one of the less-lauded greats.
