For three years the Charity has been exploring all avenues to raise the funds required to return the Sea Vixen to flight following her wheels up landing in 2017. This has included a dedicated Sea Vixen appeal in 2018 and a wide-ranging search for major donors who could fund the repairs. Meanwhile, the Charity has been investing in the Sea Vixen, keeping her in a state of suspended maintenance.
We have now reached the stage where we will need to spend capital funds on the aircraft. This is a major decision for the charity and given that we do not have a full funding package in place to complete the work, Charity Trustees have decided that this is not a sensible course of action. This is especially true at this critical time as we manage the important work of transitioning the Swordfish, Sea Fury FB11, Sea Hawk and the Chipmunk to the charity and on to the civilian register.
However, we are acutely aware that the Sea Vixen means a great deal to a great many people and we will still want to make every effort to secure her flying future. Therefore, the Charity’s Trustees have tasked our CEO to engage with a specialist high net worth fundraising company to explore the possibility of generating a significant donation(s) to allow us to complete the necessary work.
The time is approaching when we have to find a clear way ahead. Therefore, a final decision on the future of the Sea Vixen will be taken in the summer, but in the meantime, we will be cutting back on some of the work we do on her as everything that can be done without further investment, has been done.
As always, we will keep our supporters and followers updated as soon as we are able to.
