This is an ongoing project that will be divided in different parts as our work progresses along the year.
Welcome to part 1. R.A.F. Marham’s Tornado GR4
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I got involved in a new project.
After spending hours and hours on my new website, once again, I realise that the good old “word of mouth” works far better than technology.
A pilot from No.IX Bomber Squadron based nearby at RAF Marham contacted me to take part in the following conceptual memento:
Can you hear it?
The iconic Panavia Tornado GR4 bomber jet is coming to the end of its service life in March 2019, an end of era which will have seen it in RAF service since 1982. If you live in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire you’ll be quite familiar with their powerful Rolls Royce engines. So gentle and considerate…
One of its last serving aircrew, my newest Boss, who has also flown the legendary Lancaster and Dakota with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, is managing this project, which is melting down scrap steel from the Tornado Jets and re-casting it to be transformed into a series of commemorative Tornado sculptures. The sculptures are being made exclusively for all of the men and women who have built, flown, maintained and supported the Tornado over its long and illustrious career to keep as a memento of their time and involvement with this fine aircraft.
Each sculpture contains approximately 1kg of aircraft steel, supported by an original, titanium RB199 engine compressor blade and attached to a beautiful bespoke wooden plinth. (With emphasis in the last four words).
The mindbogglingly extensive preparation work before the foundry process, and finishing afterwards, is in the hands of Raven Armoury where Simon Fearnhamm (whom I mentioned on an earlier post) is in charge of this part of the venture and I’m very excited to work in collaboration with such a fantastic metal-work artist.
If you just can’t wait to see dirty pictures of greasy metal, more photos will be posted soon of the progressing project.
You can always find me on Facebook and Instagram. Just follow the cube!
Next post: The first prototypes.