Following our special members only event on Sunday 28th October 2018 we have a very welcome, and exciting announcement that was made to those Supporters able to attend our Members’ Day, and subsequently relayed to our supporters through a special bulletin prior to this “public” announcement.
Sunday 28th October marked the second anniversary of the launch of the charity, at the Boultbee Flight Academy hangar, long before we had our own base. It was fitting, two years on, that our own base would play host to almost one hundred and fifty members of the Supporters’ Club and VIP guests, including two Typhoon veterans. There was a buzz of excitement in the air, there were various clues adorning the walls, as to what the “big announcement” was. Valued members of the Supporters’ club were the first to hear the new, the least we could do to say thank you for your support over the last two years but we now have the pleasure of making the announcement public.
“The Aircraft Restoration Company has been designated by the HTPG to provide the engineering support and oversight for the rebuild. The two establishments will work together, under the oversight and guidance of John Romain. It is also planned where possible to include, subject to further discussions, the expertise and services of as many restoration firms/establishments as possible including Airframe Assemblies, Air Leasing, B&B Aero, Hawker Restorations, Retrotec and others still to be announced, all under the collective umbrella of ARCo, making the rebuild of RB396 a real team effort”
Firm contracts and further negotiations are still to be pinned down, but the aim is clear, to have the restoration company with one of the best reputations in the world support and oversee the rebuild of RB396, which will likely be the only Typhoon to fly again. Recent projects to come out of the ARCo stable, such as the Blenheim and Lysander and Mk XI Spitfire speak for themselves with regard to the level of workmanship and attention to detail that we can expect from the Typhoon rebuild.
Now, the real work begins. We will be agreeing the finer points of contracts etc but the work can only proceed as funds are raised. The recent fundraiser, launched just over a week ago, was the start of what will be a journey that will last as long as it takes to build the aircraft. We have almost everything we need to rebuild this aircraft, there are some parts/drawings still missing, leaving slight gaps in knowledge but we know where those items are and we are working on sourcing/borrowing them, just as we have sourced everything that forms the project to date. So, the only thing to do is raise the funds. By continuing to grow the Supporters’ Club in numbers, our collective fundraising ability continues to rise. As more people join, a small minority will step forward to volunteer their time, at air shows, at Open Days, giving talks, helping in the shop, and together that allows us to do more and more, and to raise more and more.
Prior to this news a fundraising appeal was launched, just over a week ago, which has now raised an impressive £42,000. We would like to thank all those who have contributed in some way, large or small. This is the first step in raising the estimated £220,000 required over the next 12 months to fund the rebuild of RB396’s rear fuselage, the surviving section and identity of the project. The fundraising will never end, even when RB is airborne serving as a living, breathing memorial to those brave air and ground crew who served on Typhoons during the War. The “fundraiser” is still live, and will be for the life of the project, and you can contribute by following the link below. To date, the team have raised just over £300,000, from scratch, in two years, an achievement all are rightly proud of. The majority of that money has been spent on getting the project to the stage where it is now, including purchasing £60,000 worth of parts last year
These are exciting times for the Typhoon ground and air crew, if you can help in any way please click here. If you would like to join the RB396 Supporters’ Club to play a larger part in the rebuild effort, and to keep up to date with developments, events and news then please click here for more information.
Thank you everyone
Links:
The Aircraft Restoration Company (ARCo)