How an internal RAF Museum e-mail listing 26 aircraft being considered for disposal was leaked I've no idea, but I'm glad it was. Before we published the story last month, the message had been seen by most of the UK's aviation heritage community, and its contents discussed on Facebook and forums. Why do I consider this a good thing? Because, first and foremost, these aircraft are publicly owned assets. We all, if we're British taxpayers, have a small stake in them. Of course, not every potential divestment from a national museum can, or should, be the subject of open scrutiny. But, were the RAFM to dispose of all 26 of these aeroplanes - and it must be stressed at this point that none have yet been formally offered for disposal - it would represent the largest such off-load by any of the national collections. Wider debate, therefore, is in the public interest.
展开▼
