Wessex 822, Wessex N7-212

[Dave Masterson]

Darren
Thanks for the information on Wessex N7-212. On the fireground at Fiskville. Where is that exactly. Is it Victoria? Hopefully we'll get pictures of it soon.

[Dave Masterson]

Disregard my last message. I see that Fiskville is near Melbourne.....

[Brendan Cowan]

Dave,

Fiskville is where the Country Fire Authority (CFA) run there training courses and is also a major logistics/marshalling point for bushfire response.

Given that role, poor old 822 risks ending it's days as a fire training aid I'm afraid.

Good training outcomes - but bad for the Wessex.

BC

[Dave Masterson]

Whoa..another message on the Navy page..now I feel real special! ;)

Thanks for that Brendan, I emailed the powers that be at Fiskville about a week ago to see if we could get some photos..sadly no reply..why am I suprised... <_<

Dave

[gph]

How do we feel about tax payers defence assets being burnt on a fire ground when a couple of old cars would do just as well?

Obviously I think it is a crime. :angry:

[Dave Masterson]

Couldn't agree more with you Grahame, its a shame to see them slowly but surely being destroyed, once gone you can't get them back. Not much foresight me thinks....

Dave <_<

[Rod Farquhar]

You are quite correct in that from our point of view burning what appears to be a perfectly good airframe is very wasetful but, it has reached the end of it's service life and the firefighters need realistic training aids. Much as I would like to see such items donated to interested museums it probaly will never happen. <_<

[gph]

I can't see that a gutted military airframe that still has an intrinsic value (especially to folks like us) is a realistic training aid when, if they have to burn "an aircraft", a gutted civilian airframe would serve just as well. My major concern as Dave points out, is the loss of these assets for ever. Additionally they don't "belong" to the service, ulitmately they belong to the taxpayer and should be offered for sale prior to any thought of destruction.

GPH :angry:

[darren.crick]

We have been promised photo's of the remains of this aircraft several times, but nothing has turned up yet. I'd like to get a good look at it.

I'm sure our fiends in the historical arena for civil aircraft would argue that their aircraft should not end up that way either! B)

[gph]

I was thinking of a common garden Cessna 172 or a 402 and 414 which have the main spar problem and are not worth the fix.

[gph]

I hear that some intelligent forward thinking folks recently saved two RAN Sea Venoms from certain destruction! B)

[Dave Masterson]

Now Graham, your not being biased there are you:0) Good on you guys, those two Venoms would have gone to the scrappers if you had not intervened. Its a shame to see ex military aircraft being burnt on firegrounds. I agree why not burn an old Civvy job instead.

[gph]

Of course I'm including you Dave, and Windy in that description. Wouldn't have happened without you. :D