XH558 50th Birthday Appeal (The Positive Thread)

[RLN]

SS:

There's no doubt at all that we are each one of us
on here profoundly impressed and grateful for the
hard work, skill and professionalism of the air and
ground crews. Your work this season and in everything
that lead up to it has been a constant source of pride
and admiration for each member of this forum.

The rest of it I will leave for others to say.

Dan4th

No need. Can't better that sentiment.

[Dee]

Sam if we didnt appreciate just what you lovely people do to keep her in the air we would be long gone!!
I think its just that we are all so frustrated that its come to this position again that some of the posts might come across as being condescending (if thats the right word ). Ive been awake most of the night just trying to run through my mind if there is something else i can do , someone else i might try to get sponsorship. Ive got one more thing im going to try this week. He who dares wins as Delboy would say

[Nickolas]

Sadsam3 quoted

I'll give you an example, the Dunsfold display used 2.62 FI (that's about a months worth of FI) Kev did the whole trip bouncing along at cloud base to make sure we made that show, the Chinook could not get out of Odiham.


Would it not be prudent to make public this sort of information?

This is a VERY tangible way of demonstrating the commitment to display. It demonstrates VERY clearly that 'we WILL get there unless physically / legally impossible'.

You just WON'T get a greater commitment than that.

This is what the public need to understand...........The COMMITMENT of all associated wit the project.

Just MHO.

[RLN]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Why don't they have a 30 second clip from Planes TV and advertise on cable channels like Yesterday, Blighty, Dave ETC. As a charity they should get good rates, and it seems to work for the RSPCA, Sponsor a Wombat etc.

[Mayfly]

Sadsam3 quoted

I'll give you an example, the Dunsfold display used 2.62 FI (that's about a months worth of FI) Kev did the whole trip bouncing along at cloud base to make sure we made that show, the Chinook could not get out of Odiham.


Would it not be prudent to make public this sort of information?

This is a VERY tangible way of demonstrating the commitment to display. It demonstrates VERY clearly that 'we WILL get there unless physically / legally impossible'.

You just WON'T get a greater commitment than that.

This is what the public need to understand...........The COMMITMENT of all associated wit the project.

Just MHO.

I'm sure if they did Nick they would be critised form burning off the FI at such a vast rate knowing they were running short on it anyway ... a no win situation.

With regards to IMC/IFR [I don't think its straight forward we want this request & I get confused between the two] rating it is being looked at - cutting through red tape is a very slow process at the best of times. At the end of the day 558 is a permit aircraft, the rules were not written to govern her as a complex type.

[Dan4th]

Clearly, 558 needs her Own set of rules.....

Unique means there's only ONE!

Danf.

[Dougs]

OH POO not again
this time i think 558 is in BIG doo doo, no one has any money , redundancy's are flying aroung all over the place, RollsRoyce are shedding and i have been put on the risk list myself, this mirrors what eveyone is going through so how can she get the funding see needs at the 11th hour. without a lottry win a have to say i dont like the look of the future for her

[Hungry Haggis]

Well I just spoke to my local reporter again regarding the Vulcan and coverage .Seems it's a case of Not based here not built here doesn't fly here but once a year She has put stuff in for printing before now only to have it squashed by the Editor as a non interest type story .The trust media machine need to get into gear in that case Which I did at one point suggest to them as only one person IE me has not got a {clue}chance of getting much in print without backup.Yea i know i did 18 months ago but when your in and out of hospital like a bloody yoyo it's impossible.Last time in print up here that I can find is this .

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2009 ... 8669t0.asp

And no i aint blowing my own trumpet It will take a lot more than 1 person to get any inroads into the Scottish press .

[Wedgy]

3 of 4

50th Birthday Appeal – Feedback Request - Update 3 of 4


So far, we have received less than £30,000 in donations from 800 donors, from a mailing that went out to 35,000 people.

At this stage in our financial year, our reliance on public donation support is far greater than in the spring, summer and autumn when we are flying, so it is vital to XH558’s future that we are successful with the 50th Birthday Appeal.

We need your feedback now to understand how the Appeal is going.

Please could you send an email to appealquestions@vulcantothesky.org

We need to know:

· Have you received the 50th Birthday Appeal leaflet and poster etc?

· Have you, or will you, make a donation or standing order commitment?

· If you have decided not to make a donation, please could you indicate why?

· Do you have any ideas on what we should be doing better?

This email is going to about 5,000 people; please would you respond, since we need to know how we can improve.

With best wishes
Robert Pleming
Chief Executive

I've spent all day agonising over whether to send back an email giving feedback. They need the feedback!
But I CANNOT for the life of me write an answer to question 4 in a polite constructive manner God knows I've tried.

[Mayfly]

Theres absolutely no point in writing a stroppy answer because I'm sure it would be filtered out & no points taken on board, I can understand your difficulty.

[Air]

Dark times.

[Dan4th]

An answer doesn't have to be angry or filled
with blame and recrimination, just blunt and
clear and to the point.

I agree though, Pam, that even then the old
Three Monkeys Syndrome will in all likelihood
prevail yet again.

I'm more and more of the opinion that this
state of affairs just might prove to be a
blessing in disguise.

The problem doesn't lie with the aircrew or the
groundcrew or the volunteers or the club. It
resides in another area.

Dan4th

Addendum: Just to make myself Perfectly Clear,
another place where the problem does NOT lie
is the Economy.......

D.

[Old Rigger]

Well I also pondered a response and decided to offer a polite view from my perspective, allthough I am in no position to offer a solution, well not without overstepping the bounds off propriety.

[Wedgy]

An answer doesn't have to be angry or filled
with blame and recrimination, just blunt and
clear and to the point.

Already done that via another means I could always just duplicate it?

[Air]

I'm more and more of the opinion that this
state of affairs just might prove to be a
blessing in disguise.

Really? How so?

If it all goes t*ts up, then I don't see that we'll ever get a Vulcan flying in the UK again.

[Wedgy]

I'm more and more of the opinion that this
state of affairs just might prove to be a
blessing in disguise.

Really? How so?

Its the only way to get rid of the management dead wood .... obviously no one has the balls to do it currently.

Fold, then someone who knows what they are doing take it over and keep all the ground crew and the few 'managers' that are worth anything .... the rest can be left to get a job as a checkout manager at their local Cost Cutter - although they are probably under qualified for that too!

Im loving this thread title now

[Hungry Haggis]

Answer to Q4 Is along the lines of finger removed from rear orific put in phone talk to press nationally dont wait for th email to pick up that the Vulcan is in the SHITE yet again ..Have no fear I already told them that but not by way of answering the Q4 .The so called press officer as in your venerable press agent {no names} still aint bitten and got in touch with even one paper up here.They still aint grasped that way to inform people mind you having said this I've been having no luck getting any coverage either .Oh well roll on th ebegining of next aseason and we all look round and wonder how the hell the engineers managed to pull that off as they no doubt will in their usual profesional manner.I remain positive Well have got to they tell me I don't have aids so have to be positive at something . .Funny that a non club member is trying to either keep your spirits up or avoid getting run over by the crazy dwarf on his motor bike

[Air]

I'm more and more of the opinion that this
state of affairs just might prove to be a
blessing in disguise.

Really? How so?

Its the only way to get rid of the management dead wood .... obviously no one has the balls to do it currently.

Fold, then someone who knows what they are doing take it over and keep all the ground crew and the few 'managers' that are worth anything ....

Unless you people know better, I don't believe if they fold that anyone else will take over. I really think that will be it. I remember last time they said it might get sold to some Americans, but tbh, if it's not flying in the UK then I'm really not interested.

I've read some posts on these forums and know some people have a beef with managememt, but I just feel that once the trust folds or whatever, then that's that and I just don't want that to happen.
My only concern is to have a flying Vulcan, and if that means the current lot who are running it then so be it.
Better that than a museum piece imho.

[MadNaddy]

Do we send feedback in?

Will they read it?

So it gets read..... but does it get taken any notice of?

BUT

If we DON'T send any feedback in, it means that there's nothing for them to take any notice of and we stand NO CHANCE AT ALL of being taken notice of!

Got to be in it to win it!

So yeah I'll be sending something in. Lets face it...... Many of the supporters are feeling the same way. And if people keep quiet no one will know the real feeling and tension that IS being felt. They can't brush EVERYONE'S comments under the 'carpet', not when people will have their own copies of them!

[Xplumberlives]

Do we send feedback in?
Will they read it?
So it gets read..... but does it get taken any notice of?
BUT
If we DON'T send any feedback in, it means that there's nothing for them to take any notice of and we stand NO CHANCE AT ALL of being taken notice of!
Got to be in it to win it!
So yeah I'll be sending something in. Lets face it...... Many of the supporters are feeling the same way. And if people keep quiet no one will know the real feeling and tension that IS being felt. They can't brush EVERYONE'S comments under the 'carpet', not when people will have their own copies of them!

They always seem to have managed to ignore it all before!

[MrTim]

I've just sent in my feedback. Hope they bloody well do read it

Can't say I'm surprised at where we are right now. We learned from the last appeal that it was all very last minute, and even then, only down to the press coverage that we reached the target. The same will be required again, and I'm not talking about features in FlyPast...

[Stigish]

If the email asking for feedback only went to 5000 people & only 1in5 reply, thats still alot of feedback to trawl through when the easier option in my opinion would be to hold some sort of members only/public meeting in a central location and just bite the bullet. It'd be over & done with in hours & there would be no moderators to squash a valid if not contravercial comment.

I'm sure there would be some hotel/conference venue willing to offer a function room with Tea & coffee for a few hundred if they were getting some free publicity from it? Or even a rather large aircraft hangar somewhere?

At least that way we get to air our views or at least know there will be people in attendance that share a similar opinion. If the management are serious about this project they should at least face the people that they depend on!

I'll be sending my comments going along with this sort of theme

Stuart (real name when serious )

[Mayfly]

I think everyone should send in their thoughts - at long last we've actually been asked to - something many members have wanted the opportunity to do for years. - I certainly shall!!!!

[Spitfire]

Well I didn't renew my membership having got fed up with being squeezed over and over for more cash always at the last minute - having already given way more than I can afford So I didn't get this email.

So I've responded to their email request without even being asked too - that should confuse them

They aint gonna like it either - but they did ask

[Mayfly]

The basis of mine is written - just need to reread & tweak before it goes - I don't suppose they'll be overly fond of mine either.