The Elephant In The Room

[Renegadenemo]

Following the recent posting on here by Neil what is the current bluebird k7 situation? Have tools been downed by all concerned or is the rebuild on going?

We're 100% business as usual, though I do confess to having welded a small piece of aeroplane today too. More sponson frames tomorrow because John has got ahead with the riveting. You listening, Bullfrog?

[ace_chris]

Thanks for the update Bill

Cheers

Chris

[Stuart Baker]

Bill,

For what it's worth...

When engineering giants undertake complex projects, they enter into commitments to their shareholders, customers, suppliers, and employees. Their shareholders expect a premium over "putting the money in the bank", and their customers, suppliers and employers make contingent commitments on the basis of all this. These engineering giants have a responsibility to deliver on these commitments, and responsible directors ensure that they have made known to everyone involved what the risks are, and are expected to take all reasonable steps to mitigate these risks. Yet still, these engineering giants sometimes fail. This is because some of the risks cannot be mitigated - that's what the "premium" is all about. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The Bluebird project is in the far right hand corner of risk taking. You have risks beyond those which would be acceptable to the average shareholder - no known extent of the work required, inadequate documentation, no formal commitment from your workforce, insufficient funding, etc, etc.

To my knowledge, you have never made a secret of this. But this is not a commercial venture, you do not pretend to offer security of employment, you do not pretend to be able to pay suppliers for everything you need, and you do not have a customer who will pay for your end project, or shareholders who expect to reap a reward.

But you do have a passion to promote an interest in British engineering excellence, you have helped people develop skills, and most importantly you have stayed true to your stated objective at the start of the project to restore Bluebird K7 to a condition as near as possible to that immediately prior to her crash. I believe that everyone who has supported you through this has done so on the basis that they understood those objectives, and they understood that the project could not have a fixed end date.

When the job is done - you will all be rightly proud of what you have done, and whilst these are my personal comments, I'm sure that my employer will be proud to have been involved in your achievement too. I know why I agreed to support you, and I still believe we did the right thing for the right reasons.

Now stop reading this and get on with it!

Stuart

[Terminator]

Well said that man and thanks for your support.
Novie

[rob565uk]

Well said that man and thanks for your support.
Novie

I agree, many thanks Stuart

[Jordangbr]

Very well written Stuart and a great morale boost. Thank you.

[Richie]

Quit yer winging Bull.... We've got sponsons to finish, a few engines to spool up, and a hull to top and tail

Thanks for the kind words by the way... It cheered me up too.


Richie

[Renegadenemo]

Yes, thanks Stuart - high praise indeed from an 'engineering giant' and just what the doctor ordered.

[mtskull]

I've been keeping out of this thread until such time as I decide to post exactly what I think of the way we've been treated of late....

Mike, take my advice and say nothing. Your (and by that I mean the entire team's) achievements will last longer and count for much more than anyone's mere words. This has been posted before, but perhaps it is time for a reminder:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Keep up the good work and nil illegitium carborundum.

[rob565uk]

Solid advice and great encouragement. I am sure the Team will not let anyone wear it down. I believe the saying goes "Semper in excretum, solum profunditas variat"