The Museum...a few ideas..

[GoneToTheCanner]

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

[Fouga23]

I like it! very good idea. It works in other countries, so why wouldn't it work in Ireland

[sealion]

Having been to duxford,and seeing what they have achieved there,all of the above is possible.

All we are short of is for those who can provide the above to listen,and have the foresight to see its a good idea.

In time,if managed correctly,these things can self fund. How many small museums around the country survive on door takings alone?

[Silver]

Great ideas GTTC!

I didn't realise the Museum doesn't even have a toolbox?!!

I'm sure there are many people out there who would be more than willing to help/run/maintain a Museum on a voluntary basis.

'Air Force World' Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand is staffed mostly by pensioners. The guide I had there last October knew so much about the RNZAF. The tour even included a tour of the workshops where many aircraft are under restoration/repair.

All that is needed to get the AC Museum fully functioning is for somebody at the top to take an interest in it and get the ball rolling *cough GOC perhaps?*  

Perhaps corporate sponsorship is another possibility for funding the museum ?

E.g. Shell Aviation Ireland have been sponsors of Air Spectacular 2000 and many other AC events/publications.

Interesting, I saw a PR advert in the current RAF annual yesterday publicising the corporate sponsorship of the RAF's Tucano and Tutor display aircraft!

[FMolloy]

Funding should come from another source, not from the existing DF budget. Robbing operational units to pay for a museum is lunacy.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hello all
When I said that one should take a slice from each unit's budget, bearing in mind that each budget has a certain amount of "fat" in it, then to eke E100K out of the several hundred million that makes up the Defence Budget, after pay and allowances are taken out, is not really asking too much.Naturally,I don't want operational units to do without food, bullets or boots but you do know, as well as I do, that there is an element of wastage in the PDF that could be redirected. Better still, get it from the Heritage funding that goes to the National Museum.But, therein lies another problem.If you go outside the DoD for funding, the other departments would cry foul and claim that their projects were more worthy. All museums find it very hard to get set-up funding and equally hard to get enough sustainable funding.Maybe the Air Corps should go cap in hand to the National Lottery?
regards
GttC

[202]

Sealion, you pose the question ' How many small museums surive on door takings alone'? The answer is: virtually none. Certainly no museums which are staffed or have any level of professional staffing. Most are heavily subsidised by grants or assistance in kind from public sources eg. where it not for the cheap labour of people on FAS training schemes most of these places would have gone under.

Voluntary staffed museums which take a discretionary admission fee are a different story but even many of them are subsidised by Leader or Heritage Council funding.

[FMolloy]

Could the museum be situated in such a way as to avoid having civvies coming through the main gate?

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi FMolloy et al
Physically, the nearest gate is the Main Gate and any coach or other vehicle has to make several turns to get to the Museum.Any other gate is either too far away for security's sake or is not in use.The building stands too far from the gate to stream civvies seperately from the Camp staff.
As far as the GOC is concerned,I'd imagine he is supportive, given his track record, provided it's needs would not impinge on operations.
regards
GttC

[Silver]

There is a gate just before the first building as you approach Baldonnel from the Dublin side - could this be opened up permanently for access to the museum ?

(I always envisioned a seperate entrance and car park for the museum, with no direct access to the base proper).

Added to this, I envisioned a viewing platform at the rear (front?) of the museum - looking out to the apron/runways - from where museum visitors could view AC aircraft as part of the 'museum experience' (perhaps while having a coffee from the "museum cafe"?).

I also imagined having a Fouga 'gate guardian' in the museum car park (which could be seen from the road also). This would create a very dramatic effect as people drive past/enter the car park.
You can almost hear the kids (and some adults!) going "Wow! Look at that!!"   '>

I'll stop daydreaming now!   :'>

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi Silver
There was a proposal years ago to put a Fouga on a pillar on the square,but it was knocked on the head.Allegedly, the square-bashers didn't want to give up some of their sacred turf.
regards
GttC

[Turkey]

Silver, that gate is on the wrong side.


I also imagined having a Fouga 'gate guardian' in the museum car park (which could be seen from the road also). This would create a very dramatic effect as people drive past/enter the car park.
You can almost hear the kids (and some adults!) going "Wow! Look at that!!"    

Yeah right, maybe if it was a real aircraft.................... '>

[Frank]

What makes the Fouga not "a real aircraft"?

Ask the Arabs who were strafed and bombed by Israeli Fouga's if they thought they were real aircraft or not!

The same goes for the guys who were in the Congo being hit up by the mercenary Fouga(s).


Regards,

Frank.

[GoneToTheCanner]

hi Frank
The Fouga's reputation tends to be a bit exaggerated.Post-combat inspection of the Egyptian vehicles attacked by the Fougas with 7.62 MG and 68mm rockets found that the majority of the vehicles were capable of being repaired and made roadworthy in a few hours.Few tanks or AFVs were total losses and were refitted and taken up by the Israelis. The Fougas suffered heavy losses against the Arab anti-aircraft,particularly the 23mm ZU and ZSUs and suffered a disproportionate loss of pilots because of the lack of armour and ejection seats. As for the Congo, it was the first jet the Irish had ever encountered and the Army had brought no credible anti-aircraft defence with them.They really had their eyes opened when they saw the Swedish and Indian jets in action on their behalf,later.Refer to Air Enthusiast or After the Battle about the Fouga and Archie Raeside and Raymond Smith about the Congo.
Apart from that, there's nothing stopping the Don from sticking 3-KE back together and putting it on a plinth or a pillar.The idea of a public viewing area is a good one,too.
Keep touting your ideas, lads and maybe some will get through!
regards
GttC

[sealion]

Quote (GoneToTheCanner @ 10 June 2005,09:06)

Keep touting your ideas, lads and maybe some will get through! regards GttC

How about 6 Medium lift helis,another 10 ab139s,and some F16s?

Who knows...