WIX Archives
Re: Historic Flying Limited
Posted by Mick on Wed Dec 19, 2001 05:00:18 PM
In reply top Re: Historic Flying Limited posted by Paul McMillan on Wed Dec 19, 2001 01:32:14 PM
:
: Annual sales of $344 M in 1997.. So no wonder he can affor
: d a few Spitfires!
Apparently without the need to sell them either!
I wondered myself about this policy of HFL not allowing visitors when I first read it a few months ago.
It most probably is insurance, security and commercial privacy, which are all legit reasons to keep Mr & Mrs Joe Public and their 2.4 screaming kids out.
Regarding security, many museums have had theft of artifacts.
Two examples which I can remember off hand are the complete control column sawn off from the IWM's Swordfish while people were actually looking round the hanger, but of course saw nothing...and the case of the stolen just restored Zero gun sight from the NASM Garber facility on an open day..........just picked up from a table while the group was being escorted around the workshop, again no-one saw anything and it wasn't actually missed until after the weekend !
However, I don't see any real reason why they couldn't put some kind of viewing room (or corridor ?) on the side of the hanger, similar to when the Sea Hurricane was being restored in that little building round the back........perhaps with two-way mirror glass, just like in all good cop movies when people are interrogated, so the workers don't feel like monkeys in a zoo.
Mick