Shackleton WR963 - [Official Topic]

[MRTT]

"Love Shack" - Tom Jones put questions to Richard Woods, of the Shackleton Preservation Trust, about their project to get Avro Shackleton WR963 back where she belongs.

Stunning shots and a great report!

[IP1960]

Agreed, that's a great report, looking forward to seeing her growling around the airfield in two weeks.

[Tommy]

Thank you, both, for the very kind words. It was fascinating to put together, and the guys at SPT are really, really accommodating. Hopefully it gives a little more information on everything they're doing, and questions that enthusiasts might have about the operation. I think it's without hubris to say that this is (certainly one of) the next "big" things for UK aviation, and it's great to see all the efforts going into getting the machine back into the air.

Also, as a small bit of pride for me, is that, apart from the Flypast article earlier in the year, I think we're one of the first independent outlets to run an in-depth feature on the SPT and WR963. Hopefully that changes, and they get a lot more public exposure in the months and years to come.

[IP1960]

All the guys there are very approachable, and the mention of being "up close & personal" is very true, at the photo shoot last winter it was my pleasure to take a photo for a gentleman who hadn't sat in the pilots seat of a Shack for 35 years until that day and really enjoyed the fact he could still scramble over the spars and so on just as he used to "vault" over them in younger times. Hopefully this level of access will continue although I accept that it may not be possible.

[Brevet Cable]

Just tried the fundraising page ( http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html ) in both Firefox 45.0.1 & IE 11.0.29
Part of it displays as follows ( with 'tick boxes' nest to the various 'Options' ) :

I want to Gift Aid my donation to the Shackleton Preservation Trust *

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3



I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it is my responsibility to pay any difference *

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

No explanation on there as to what each 'Option' represents ........ is there a glitch on the page , or is it just me ??

[Domvickery]

Just tried the fundraising page ( http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html ) in both Firefox 45.0.1 & IE 11.0.29
Part of it displays as follows ( with 'tick boxes' nest to the various 'Options' ) :

I want to Gift Aid my donation to the Shackleton Preservation Trust *

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3



I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it is my responsibility to pay any difference *

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

No explanation on there as to what each 'Option' represents ........ is there a glitch on the page , or is it just me ??

I'll forward this on to the SPT guys to get looked into

[hunterxf382]

Spot of good news folks, the gremlin on the Gift Aid Form has now been fixed.... apologies for the inconvenience to anyone trying to fill it in...

And in other news:

This Saturday sees one of our usual Public Guided Tour Dates, but with a bonus for anyone booking to attend!

As it is only one more week to go before we taxy on April 9th, a final static ground run will be carried out by our crew.

And of note too please.... the closing date for booking onboard taxy places for the big day Saturday April 9th is tomorrow! Bookings close at midnight Friday 1st April. So gran the last few places while yo have the chance if you want to be part of history in the making as this will be the first time ever that a Shackleton has carried paying public on a taxy run!!!

See our website for all the details:

http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html

[Domvickery]

Well, after an exhausting 12hr day, myself & everyone at the SPT walked away with an immense sense of pride what we achieved yesterday, it was our first time we had ever taxied with passengers on board and the first time '963 had gone out twice in a day since her service days, we now have our own dedicated merchandise store and a shiney new support vehicle, things are certainly on the up! I'll let Pete give a full report into the days events later.

Thank you to everyone that came to support us, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

[hunterxf382]

An update on a moment in history!

Since our last review of activities, a lot of work has been ongoing in the background by our incredible volunteers. Months of planning came to fruition on Saturday April 9th when we made a little bit of history when we carried paying passengers onboard WR963 for not one, but two taxy runs carried out by our Chief Pilot Jon Corley assisted by our highly experienced onboard crew.

Prior to this momentous day, preparations had included a big wash day to remove accumulated algae and residue which had settled over the winter period and changed the white surfaces into a slight camouflage appearance! Much work has also been carried out on the engine issues which had bothered the team recently, with magneto and fuel pump niggles to overcome particularly on No.2 engine. Luckily for us, not only do we have spares available, but our own knowledgeable ex-Shackleton Chief Engineer Druid Petrie able to pluck essential data from his memory as if it was yesterday, rather than 1991 when he last had the pleasure of engineering outside in all the weather that Scotland could aim at him and his colleagues....

Several test runs of all engines were carried out in the weeks prior to the big day, and all seemed good for us to have a special reason to enjoy our moment!
Not content with dealing with just the aircraft, huge strides had been made by our illustrious chairman Dave Woods at meetings with the Airport Management at Coventry who have helped us enormously since the demise last year of the resident “Airbase” and “Classic Air Force” operations. We not only received sponsorship from the airport which is helping financially towards the costs of being on site, but we were also offered the use of a large portacabin which had previously been the Visitor Reception for Airbase! The airport’s help means that we finally have somewhere undercover to act as a welcoming visitor centre and shop, but also a crewroom for our hard working team to have a much needed brew....

Saturday 9th April finally arrived, and the arriving volunteer team who had travelled from far and wide were greeted with pleasant sunshine! We were busy right from the moment of arrival with a quick set-up of our new shop and crewroom facilities, as well as starting to prepare the aircraft. Well that should have been the plan, but your ever-busy publicity officer had other ideas, and made everyone stop and stare by arriving in our brand new support vehicle which has been loaned to us by our other new partnership with SsangYong GB. The pick-up truck is complete with sign writing and will appear at events towing our Shackleton nose section amongst other duties!

After a crew briefing, we all set about preparing WR963 to be towed out onto the concrete ready for her performances later on, and also greeted the visitors who had started to arrive for their unique experience...
Part of our plan involved pairing up public with key volunteers so that they could take an active part in some of the vital pre-taxy preparations themselves! That was hugely enjoyed by all, and gave a small insight into how hard we work to achieve just one day in the life of our aircraft!
The next stage was another unique treat – lunch with some of our crew onboard the resident DC6 Diner which has recently re-opened as both a cafe and formal diner! The public really seemed to enjoy chatting to us whilst gazing out across the airfield and eating a fine meal...
After lunch, the pace quickened as we finished off a few tours onboard, and finally got the teams mustered prior to start for the first of two taxy runs! All seemed to be going well until one of our crew spotted a broken brake hose, which couldn’t be changed right away, and so was capped and isolated from the rest of the system to the satisfaction of our pilot.

The crew may have been nervous inside, but showed little sign of that as they climbed onboard with our first group of public. As soon as Jon Corley had obtained clearance, it was time to start those mighty Griffons! All went well, and after clearing the start crew and equipment away, Jon eased WR963 out onto the taxiway and trundled slowly down to Bravo Apron, turned, and then came back! Of course we couldn’t just leave it there, so whilst alongside the “Airlock” gate adjacent to the old Airbase hangar, Jon stopped, and opened up the throttles for a few minutes of “Griffon Growl” resonating across Coventry, and shaking the ground where our groundcrew stood....
Once back at our allocated parking area, the aircraft was shut down for a brief rest, and once the entire onboard crew and public were disembarked, a group photo was taken in front of the star of the day!

The crew carried out a turnaround check on the aircraft whilst the public passengers went off to get their souvenir certificates and have a brew with the rest of our team.
Second group were mustered, crew found from their hiding places near the tea urn, and it was time for the second taxy run, or so we thought!
Once we had got everyone onboard and secured the door, Jon started going through the usual pre-starting checks.... only to pause when it came to requesting our usual fire cover from the airport’s fire station only a few hundred metres away. After what seemed like an age, the welcome sight of a fire truck who had been rather busy on a tea break meant that we could carry on with our rigorous checklists.
Engine start seemed to go ok on the starboard side, but when it came to the port side, No.2 engine was reluctant to start! Knowing that we may have faced a ‘hot start’ situation with a small risk of exhaust fires, we were being extremely cautious with this second start. After starting No.1 engine whilst resting the starter motor on No.2 engine, this was tried again, and finally came to life, albeit with a resounding backfire that gave a brief scare to our crew-chief standing only a few metres away on the comms lead....

With all four running, it was time to go for another trundle around the taxiway, which followed the same pattern as the first, almost! On the return stop by the airlock gate and the higher rpm blast – the watching team wondered why No.2 Engine seemed to be running slightly rougher than the others, which soon manifested itself into a premature shut-down of that engine! With due consideration given by the team onboard to the prospect of slow taxying being made difficult with asymmetric power, it was decided to also shut down No.3 engine too, leaving both outboard engines to provide the means to taxy back the short distance to the parking area...

Once all had gone quiet again, the entire onboard crew and public posed once more for the group photo, and the public made their way over to our crewroom as the weather had declined somewhat during the late afternoon. This left the crew to debrief with our pilot on the engineering situation with our beloved aircraft...
Typically for aircrew, the engineers gave him a near perfectly serviceable aircraft to go and play with, and it came back with a list of ‘snags’ which aircrew expect to be easily fixed in time for their next sortie...... but we really like our pilot so we are only too happy to get dirty once again and repair the issues, test it all again, and get WR963 ready for her next starring role!

To summarise the issues left with us as our pilot made his way home:
No.2 engine ignition issues to be investigated as not only was it reluctant to start, but ran rough on the second run, before finally shutting down completely.
No.1 engine seen to develop a small oil leak underneath, which needs investigating by closer inspection with the cowlings off.
One brake hose to be changed
Hydraulic system to be investigated as we found that the handpump handle locating bracket had sheared off and caused the handpump handle to strike an adjacent hydraulic pipe resulting in a breakage and subsequent total loss of the hydraulic system.

Anyone familiar with aircraft will know that these engineering challenges are just part of what we expect when dealing with a 62 year old airframe, and we will just fix her up and carry on smiling as usual!

After an exceptionally long day, the last few team members left the site after 8pm leaving WR963 resting in her usual parking position on the grass. It took a few days for most of us to recover from this one, but we would do it all again without question!

By creating this event, we hope to have given an insight into just what is involved in maintaining our Shackleton, and given the paying public a real hands-on experience that they won’t forget in a hurry! Every single person onboard went home smiling, despite the weather change in the afternoon, and some are coming back for more now that they have experienced the appeal of the Avro Shackleton close up!

Without doubt, the day was a success, and raised vital monies towards keeping WR963 alive and moving towards our long-term goal of return-to-flight! We are fully aware that she needs to be run on a regular basis to keep all systems healthy, and are already planning more events like this throughout the year! Our website and social media will give more on these as soon as we can!

Finally, and on a nice note to finish with, it was especially wonderful to see Richard Woods pay is a visit to see how we were getting on! Richard had been a vital part of the team for many years before personal circumstances meant that he had to take a break from the constant travelling to Coventry, but couldn’t resist a return to see how the old girl was behaving!

George Aldrich by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Andy Rowlands 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 4 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Aaron Hiscock 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Ian Preece by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Andy Jones 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 5 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

SPT Edit by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr


Hope you enjoyed this very brief review of our historical day, and we hope to see you all down at Coventry soon!

Regards

Pete Buckingham
Publicity Officer

[IP1960]

Pete, thanks for the update (and for using one of my photos above) the day was excellent, sadly I was only a ground visitor as I couldn't commit to getting there early enough for the "full experience", but once again, as at the VTTS event last year, it was wonderful to see and hear her on the move, and particularly the sound during that pause at the Airbase gate. As I've said on here before, and said to the guide on Saturday, it's great to have such a level of access to the cockpit etc.
I had to leave by 4, so I think I missed the Vulcan/Meteor/Venom displays, any chance they will be back for your anniversary day on the 9th July
All the team do such great work, hope you're moving towards that Hangar total.
Ian

[hunterxf382]

One long month and one huge update!

Since our previous double taxi runs that took place April 9th, an awful lot of engineering work has been carried out by the amazing team of volunteers that work hard to continue the success of WR963’s public appearances!
Going back to the runs – we suffered a few technical issues which required careful analysis after the event which then required the following work:

The hydraulic handpump decided it did not like being part of the main hydraulic system and let go in spectacular style including shearing off its handle attaching bracket! The internal seals had ruptured and subsequent high pressure fluid flowed around the system before dumping itself overboard.
The Pressure Relief Valve and Handpump were skillfully rebuilt by one of our resident engineers Mark Ward who regularly surprises us with his ability to make old parts like new again!

Mark Ward 3 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Mark Ward 4 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Even Richard Woods assisted by dismantling the long-removed original handpump to find the same problem had occurred before....

Richard Woods 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

The system’s filters had been long suspected of being a culprit in this problem, and on subsequent removal they were found to be totally clogged up and unable to filter anything in the system at all!

George Aldrich 3 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Once the gauze / mesh filters were cleaned up (for now), fresh hydraulic oil was replaced in the system, and after a very long hand-pumping session the entire hydraulic system was bled through and systems checked to make sure they all worked again. This work involved some very long hours and extended beyond our normal Saturday work days too, with good weather helping some of the team who worked mid-week on the system too...

George Aldrich 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Water ingress in the No.2 Fuel Tank has been another long standing issue to be dealt with, which was suspected of causing a premature shut-down of No.2 Engine during the taxy run, and on a subsequent test run too.... The fuel system is drained of water each time we attend to the aircraft, but the water ingress also crept into the fuel pump, so a suitable drain tap was installed to help us drain the water efficiently rather than continually having to dismantle the pump each time.

Water ingress may also be the culprit on the overhead panel above the pilot’s head, where the engine magneto switches are located. Previous corrosion had been found on the contact points of these switches which led to the belief that water was getting in – more noticeable after a downpour!
On the taxy runs, it rained between the two runs, and we then experienced problems on start-up for the second run. In the long term, we will need to replace the bank of switches of course (if anyone happens to have an example as illustrated that they wish to donate then please get in touch!), but we also need to address the water ingress itself. Our Chief Engineer (the one and only Druid Petrie of ex-8 Sqn Shackleton fame) assures us that the correct method involves an application of Cellulose Dope around the Escape Hatches, so that is being looked into as we speak once we source the correct Dope of course....

5CW 1252a by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

On various engine runs, the crew noticed that the Radiator Shutters were not working as they should on No.2 engine, so a replacement “Inching Controller” box has been installed to hopefully sure the problem. Another test run will confirm this.

Mario McLaughlin 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Nitrogen... a vital gas to top up the pneumatics system used on the Shackleton to provide braking etc. Well despite the aircraft not having any major issue with its own system, our portable trolley decided it required attention as it was leaking badly from behind the inflation control panel.
So another of our intrepid engineers, Mario McLaughlin took the panel apart, sourced and repaired the leak, and even repainted the control panel while he had five minutes to spare! These trolleys were a common sight at any RAF Airfield, but never before did one look so shiny as ours does now!

Mario McLaughlin 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

On the subject of pneumatics, we had a brake hose fail on us, which was spotted before we taxied the aircraft. Suitably isolated to carry on the taxy runs, the hose was subsequently replaced with a newly manufactured one by Mark Ward once he had sourced the correct fittings needed.

Mark Ward by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Engine Ignition issues continued to give the team a good reason to keep checking the points gaps on all engines, which is no easy task when you compare the average family car engine with the huge Griffon V12 ones we have! Nevertheless, another job tackled by our team of course!

Not content with the technical items that formed quite a list of jobs to do, other work has been carried out on site.
The prominent red spinners on WR963 had started to look rather faded, so Andrew Clarke volunteered himself to polish them all up again with the assistance of young George Aldrich. They now look stunning in the sunlight again!

Mark Ward 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

“Zebedee” or VP293 our loaned Mk1 nose section received some attention prior to heading out on the roads for the first time in a long while! This season will see Zebedee appear at various events away from Coventry, so a good tidy up inside was in order, plus making sure the trailer he is mounted on was ready for the journeys ahead. There is ongoing progress with the nose section itself too, with more internal refit of original equipment to take place soon, which will get the interior looking more authentic as well as replacing parts which famously vanished during a period of storage at another venue before we took charge of the nose on behalf of the owner on a permanent loan basis. Keep an eye out for a Shackleton Nose on the roads this year!

Dscf2685a by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

And finally....

A personal touch to raise a smile or two.

Ongoing crew training has resulted in another person able to operate the Engineers Panel during ground runs / taxy runs, giving us more flexibility with crew availability, with another member currently in training....
However, the post taxy run banter amongst our crew deserves sharing if only to show that we are all human (friendly ones of course).
Our crew training has been undertaken by our highly experienced Chief Engineer who apparently knows a thing or two about Shackletons, and has accumulated many hours / years of sterling service on the aircraft up until the end of service with Number 8 Squadron up at RAF Lossiemouth. We are constantly amazed at the depth of his knowledge, and he teaches us all an awful lot, which gains him the respect he fully deserves!

So picture the scene when the first taxy run was completely successful with a slightly nervous newly qualified Engineer on the panel throughout....
However, on the second taxy run, our well respected Chief Engineer decides to have a go, and brought back an aircraft on two out of four engines running; a hydraulic failure; and a suspected electrical generator fault too!!!!
We thought he was trying to recreate the pressure the Squadron were under back in the 90’s when faced with QRA alerts on an old aircraft – whereas we were told this was just to test our ability to work under pressure


And then there is other BIG news too!

Number 8 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Reunite with The Avro Shackleton!

In the summer of 1991, the RAF said goodbye to a long-serving eye in the sky when the Avro Shackleton bowed out after 40 years of operational service – the last 19 years of which were with Number 8 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. Replaced by the state-of-the-art Boeing E3-D “Sentry AEW MK1, Number 8 Squadron continues to serve our country to this day.

July 9th 2016 marks two special anniversaries which we are happy to announce!

25 years ago to the day, our Shackleton WR963 flew in to Coventry Airport for preservation, and in the same month, it has been 25 years of operational service for Number 8 Squadron’s Sentry AEW MK1 aircraft!

The Trust were delighted to hear from a representative from Number 8 Squadron recently, and even more excited when hearing that the current squadron wanted to establish a formal working relationship with us, as we are looking after one of their old airframes!

Number 8 Squadron themselves have a long history, first forming on 1st January 1915 as part of the Royal Flying Corps as a Fighter Squadron. Over the years, the Squadron have operated many aircraft types ranging from the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c, through De Havilland Mosquitos, Hawker Hunters, and of course the Avro Shackleton.

Despite operating a high tech aircraft in the current RAF, Number 8 Squadron have always acknowledged their long history, to the point of having an Number 8 Squadron Hawker Hunter as their current Squadron “gate guard” outside their HQ at RAF Waddington.
Our own Shackleton served with the Squadron right up to the end in 1991, and we do our part to keep its history alive too.

Our partnership with Number 8 Squadron means a lot to us, and the Squadron will be coming over to Coventry on July 9th to help take part in our special 25th anniversary celebrations, although sadly we can’t fit a Sentry AEW MK1 into Coventry Airport.... Members of the squadron will see for themselves their old aircraft, and we cannot wait to show them around! Despite being some 60+ years old, I’m sure our volunteers will delight in highlighting that the Shackleton could still perform the AEW task today if things got serious
The Squadron are also offering to help us with providing manpower if possible during any intensive engineering times such as our anticipated NDT strip down checks this coming winter. Of course this will be subject to operational circumstances, but any assistance from their crew will be most welcome indeed at any time!

There is much more besides the above to formalise, but we really do look forward to establishing a great formal partnership between our two organisations!

Looking in to the future, and our own return-to-flight status, it goes without saying that 8 Sqn’s base is definitely on our own bucket list, which I’m sure will be a much anticipated event when that happens!

Bringing an element of Number 8 Squadron’s history alive is a unique and exciting prospect, and one that we, the Shackleton Preservation Trust will endeavour to accomplish with great pride!


Website Logo by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

WR963 Waddington 1991b by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

JR7b by Photo courtesy of John Robinson, on Flickr

JR4b by Photo courtesy of John Robinson, on Flickr

8 Sqn 25 Years b by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

[rob68]

Excellent news update

[Domvickery]

Its been a hard wait keeping the 8sqn news quiet but I for one am very excited about meeting up & working alongside the RAF

It may also be (although not 100% sure) the first time the RAF has taken part in a public RTF project

[Timc]

Fantastic news and the open and transparent updates are much appreciated Pete!

If there's one project that deserves the necessary support, then this is it!

[Pringles]

As soon as I'm old enough to drive I'd love to join the team, so if you could hold a space for me?

Great news about the RAF's support for the project, have all the names been added to the bomb bay yet by the way?

[Domvickery]

As soon as I'm old enough to drive I'd love to join the team, so if you could hold a space for me?

Great news about the RAF's support for the project, have all the names been added to the bomb bay yet by the way?

There's always space for volunteers!

We're still adding names, but nearly there, have you added yours, pm me your name if so & I'll see if I can grab a pic for you tomorrow

[Pringles]

Thanks Dom but hopefully I can visit myself to check I'll pm you when, eventually, I can lend a hand

[IP1960]

Thanks for the update, great news regarding the RAF

As I posted elsewhere you are going to be busy in July, hopefully will create plenty of awareness of you (and your next door neighbour) and raise funds for you both.

[sdad]

I well remember the grey Shackletons but what's the white scheme all about?

[Stagger2]

It's the scheme this aircraft wore as a Mk 2! Please Google Shackleton.... Images... for more?

[Daz]

WR963 wears the colour scheme she wore when on strength with 224 Sqdn based on Gibraltar.

[Domvickery]

It's the scheme this aircraft wore as a Mk 2! Please Google Shackleton.... Images... for more?

WR963 wears the colour scheme she wore when on strength with 224 Sqdn based on Gibraltar.

This is why, its also the only Shack in the world wearing this scheme

[sdad]

Thanks. I never went to Gib!

[Domvickery]

If anyone's going to Coventry Motofest this weekend make sure you come say hi & take a tour of our nose of VP293 'Zebedee'

[fb-post]https://www.facebook.com/coventrymotofest/photos/a.545469705523216.1073741829.541992345870952/1104599732943541/?type=3&theater[/fb-post]

[richw_82]

Hi all.

Just a quick drop in by me to remind you all about the 9th July approaching, whch marks 25 years since WR963 touched down at Coventry and entered preservation. She's come a long way, and a short distance in that time. Usually you can find her providing shade for visitors and occasionally killing the grass in patches when the Griffons are run up just across from Hangar 7, Coventry.



Then occasionally she takes a stroll. Its only been once or twice a year so far, but the bar is being pushed. The 9th July will see another taxy run, and there'll be more this coming year once this event is past. The intent is to try an bring her serviceability up to be capable and reliable enough to taxy once a month, something the team is pushing hard to achieve. I got lucky last year - I was Engineer for the taxy run in the Vulcan day. ONce everything was behaving I took a chance and got these two shots from the window, but the memory will last forever. A couple of chaps on the recent taxy run in April got even better footage... a chance that others can take advantage of too incoming months!





One thing that struck me when I visited recently was that although I've removed myself from duties with SPT; I still want to see WR963 fly and I still believe it can happen. I want to see this taxy past, become a turn onto a runway and off into the blue yonder. Hear the Griffon growl and watch '963 become a distant speck in the distance.



SPT have got a hell of a long way, and managed to secure funding for the NDT work, then when everything seemed to be a done deal they then had a new problem in having to find the money to rent hangar space after our long time friends at Air Atlantique decided to start ceasing activities. So far without resorting to endless chain e-mails or campaigns, they've already got over half way. Please support the SPT, as visitors are still welcome as ever. Go and watch a ground run up, or visit. Book a taxy ride when the spaces become available. Or, if you have a spare minute online and fancy donating to help go here:

http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A Shackleton will fly again, and your help would make it happen that bit faster.

Regards,

Rich