Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Saunders
Jagan
no Indian museum had hiherto shown an interest, apparently.
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Andy,
This is where you get it wrong. The current owner was the
first to get to it - hence he got it. There were three museums lined up to take charge had he not taken it up.
As to him 'discovering' it - yes, he found out about it from his end. At the same time, Others discovered it at their end as well. I am sure he did not leak the info to me to find out about it - I got to find out about it from another enthusiast who discovered it on his own. So I very much disagree that it would have been forgotten and got rusted away.
You probably know the story - how the Indian Air Force got interested in it as well but at a later date. Albeit to say, if not the IAF, both the HAL and IN Museums would have got it as they had the interest at that time as well - there was really quite that much interest in that aircraft.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Saunders
The same might be said of Hurricane R4118. I rather doubt that it would have been preserved, let alone restored to flight, had it remained in India.
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I dont think there was any dispute on R4118, the IAF examined it and decided it had no means or interest - possibly because it had an intact historical airframe already in its collection and really couldnt take it on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Saunders
Equally, the DH9s of Bikaner. One is now fully restored and displayed in its pristine glory at Duxford and the other is on the road to restoration to fly. That would not have happened in India, and when I pulled the hulks out of the elephant stable they would not have survived another year or so of termite and insect attack. All you would have had left would be a pile of historic sawdust, I suggest.
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Again, I dont dispute anything there and the DH9s were headed where they should have gone.