…and we might know the real story behind the cancellation of the second Great White Hope, abbreviated as TSR2…

I never thought that I might be lucky enough to ever seen a TSR2 in the flesh, let alone two in two days – it really is one of the most beautiful aircraft and it is tragic that it was scrapped so ignominiously, heralding the death knell of the British aviation industry that brought us such names as Spitfire, Lancaster, Hunter and Vulcan…

In my travels over the last two days I have been very impressed by the British motorway system (less the Oxford Ring Road which I still spit upon); visited the Imperial War Museum at Duxford and the RAF Museum at Cosford; and grown to really despise the stupid German hire car. I can heartily recommend that anyone with an interest in aviation and/or 20th Century history visit both these great facilities which I would rate as being up there with the Udvar-Hazy part of the Smithsonian in DC. Having said that and while applauding the resources being applied to preserve Britain’s aviation heritage, it’s also rather sad to see some of the gaps in the collections…some of the lesser known of the Few who took the war to Germany in those early days; Wellington, Hampden, Blenhiem, Beaufort, Whirlwind, Defiant, Whitley, Manchester, Stirling…these museums are great places for kids and not because of the range of big boys toys but also to sow the seeds of awareness of our history and those who sacrificed to preserve a way or life – it was really good to see so many children and family groups of all ages at both venues.