What happened to XM?

[MrTim]

Just to make clear, it WASN'T me who started the EDM (despite the impression the last 'Vulcan' club magazine may have given people) . I just wrote to various MPs, government departments and the PM directly, to draw their attention to it. I just kicked off the e-petition a few days later which gave the public their chance to have their voice heard by number 10.

[Wedgy]

(edit: yeah, cracking website Mr Tim - Wedgy, can we add that to the links please?)

We can do better than a silly little text link at the top of the page (see my previous post )

[MrTim]

Tell you what, provide me with a banner (or URL to one) no bigger than 900x80 and I will make it a permanent link to your site at the bottom of these forums. I was contemplating adding a TVOC one, but would prefer to link to a site with passion rather than a "corporation". Yours is perfect

Cheers, Wedgy. Will do. Haven't got any graphics yet, I'll have to get something sorted. Will do the same for you.

[MadNaddy]

Well, I'm sat here crying.

Yeah, tough 'guy' Naddy, in tears.

The shit hole that the other forum has become, that I can't even bring myself to post on really now, and definitely since hippocrocadogapic MK2 has taken over, well, I can't really say much more.

I had SO many threads deleted in which I spoke my mind, spoke a whole lot of truths etc, and all for nothing really, as hardly anyone got to actually SEE the threads before they were whisked away. Huh, such comments don't stand a chance now do they!!

On here, SM is speaking SO freely, well, everyone is! and I am just in awe really. I truly am.

Thanks for this opportunity for all this, well, this freedom of speech with NO DELETIONS!!!!!

Hugs all round xxxxx

[MrTim]

:((

Well, I'm sat here crying.

Yeah, tough 'guy' Naddy, in tears.

The shit hole that the other forum has become, that I can't even bring myself to post on really now, and definitely since hippocrocadogapic MK2 has taken over, well, I can't really say much more.

I had SO many threads deleted in which I spoke my mind, spoke a whole lot of truths etc, and all for nothing really, as hardly anyone got to actually SEE the threads before they were whisked away. Huh, such comments don't stand a chance now do they!!

On here, SM is speaking SO freely, well, everyone is! and I am just in awe really. I truly am.

Thanks for this opportunity for all this, well, this freedom of speech with NO DELETIONS!!!!!

Hugs all round xxxxx

Look on the bright side. Two NEW websites for you. All positive. No politics. No censorship.

Let it all out, Naddy!

[Saracenman]

well that's as good as 'started it' in my book Mr Tim

it's interesting that this subject has come up now as it has, as this very matter was my first run-in with Rusty. knowing how boastful it would've sounded (and still does,so i apologise) i made a point of never saying this on the TVOC forum. it was as a result of the email to the 6,000+ names on XM's database. upon reading Keith Man's statement in Feb that we needed to raise the funds or TVOC would fold at the end of March, i PM'd XM asking him whether we could send out an email to all of his database. i realised that there would be thousands who wouldn't realise what peril the project was in as they clearly never visited the website (the stats proved that much)

he suggested that i put together a draft email and he would put the idea to Dr Pleming and Rusty - he wasn't able to put anything into action without their authorisation. the idea was sanctioned and he sent out my email as was! i had experessly said to XM that i wanted no credit personally for my words, as they should be considered 'Club words' and that i cold he please say the same to TVOC, which he did. i'm not sure i can relay just how proud i was to find that my exact words had been reproduced in various newspapers. in fact, the EDM itself was largely my wording (i'd recognise it at a thousand paces!) just tweaked in a few places to make it more 'parliamentary'

imagine my reaction when Rusty posted on the forum concerning a letter to the press written in a "personal way" (if i remember her wording correctly) and being far more effective that a "mass emailing"

yeah, right - thanks Rusty! that'll be a "personal letter" written by ME, being more effective that a mass emailing which you yourself sanctioned - one that doubled our club membership! one that raised the money needed! one that was announced to this mysterious symposium by Dr Pleming!

now that's what i call a kick in the teeth! when i challenged Rusty on it, she tried to make out all sorts of things which simply weren't true. it's very sad that it was about the only time that i ever lost my rag on the forum - i really felt cheated, not from a personal point of view, but that THE CLUB had been cheated in every way possible.

what that occasion proved so comprehensively is what a passionate and effective bunch we are - we were never ASKED to start the campaign, nor were we ever thanked for it. even so, many good things sprang from it both on a Club level and on many personal levels too - how many people wrote to their MPs? probably the vast majority had never written to their MP before, or perhaps didn't even know who their MP was! to be taken seriously and receive a reply had an astonishing effect on some people.

similarly, with letters/emails to the media - to actually see their letter in print gave many people a huge boost - a boost felt by the whole Club - a boost for 558. i for one was proud to be a part of all that, and when i saw 558 fly with my own eyes, it made it just that bit more personal to know just what i was a small part of.

the sad part of all that however was that TVOC management began to see this forum cameraderie as some kind of divide - a 'them and us' situation; they rwally seem to think that 'we' are against 'them' - why can they not see that we are all singing from the same hymn-sheet? it's a complete mystery to me!

sm

[MrTim]

Hmmm. All sounds damn familiar. Publicly being encouraged to write to MP (by Rusty herself), and privately being told to 'keep my snout out of the politics!'. The two-facedness of it all was just astounding.

Don't get me started on T-Shirt-gate either Over £500 raised and all we got was a 8*!!*(&ing!

Anyway, in general I look back at those times in Feb/March with great pride and and some affection. WE really pulled together and made it happen. I think a lot of friendships were formed during those times too.

[Cluny]

Looks like its started [or stopped] already , just been dumped out the forum and it wont let me back on

[MrTim]

Looks like its started [or stopped] already , just been dumped out the forum and it wont let me back on

Was just thinking the same. Someone's pulled the plug on the database server. Maybe Denis's new censorship tactic

[Saracenman]

oh Tee-shirt Gate was something else!

i think that showed that Rusty was finally losing her vice-like grip on it all; issuing an 'order' not to proceed with tee-shirts, deleting threads only to see new ones spring up, abusive phone calls to Mr & Mrs hibs who organised it all in the end.

quite incredible really!

you're right about the friendships though - even if the worst happens and TVOC fold (which is looking ever more likely) these are firm friendships that will last, im sure of it

sm

[Cluny]

Looks like its started [or stopped] already , just been dumped out the forum and it wont let me back on

Was just thinking the same. Someone's pulled the plug on the database server. Maybe Denis's new censorship tactic

Or Paul throwing a SPANNer [sorry , that was as bad as Jangors ] in the works for him , he was still lurking at the time lol

[MrTim]

Or Paul throwing a SPANNer [sorry , that was as bad as Jangors ] in the works for him , he was still lurking at the time lol

First verbal warning for Jangor-esque jokes (was pretty good actually)

Looks like it's back up and the 'lurker' is still there...

[RLN]

Nope. Just tried and my account is disabled. Bugger

[RLN]

Tried again and got in, XH558 is still there.

[Saracenman]

well if i can get in.....................

[Wedgy]

It locked me out a couple of times last night - they are playing behind the scenes thats for sure!

Whenever you change the "fundimental settings" of a forum like this, it will lock people out, maybe even having to re-login afterwards.

Notice anything different yet?

[Cluny]

It locked me out a couple of times last night - they are playing behind the scenes thats for sure!

Whenever you change the "fundimental settings" of a forum like this, it will lock people out, maybe even having to re-login afterwards.

Notice anything different yet?

Yeah , no ones on it lol

[Wedgy]

True

[MadNaddy]

Speaking of TSHIRTS did you notice how many times they DELETED me at that time? And, especially as I was pushing so very hard to have our very own T-shirts done and to raise money. Oh, and I intentionally had one printed with XH558 and the word VULCAN on it, and wore it with pride to the Wellesbourne wings and wheels day and had lots of comments made. There were looks, stares and nudges in HUGE amounts when people saw it (we were told NOT to have the word Vulcan on our Tshirts if you remember ) OOPS.

Almost every thread I posted in was deleted!!! People were PMing me asking me not to post so that threads stayed - how infuriating that was let me tell you! But I kept posting because I said they just couldn't delete EVERY thread I posted in - and I posted A LOT .

I think the fact that people are 'speaking with their feet' in the other forum speaks volumes doesn't it...... NO ONE'S THERE!!!!!

I really hope Mr Spann is playing around winding Damien and Denis up - I'd PAY him to do that!!

[MrTim]

I didn't realise you had been censored SO much (probably because you'd been censored ).

I'll be wearing my t-shirt next week, and I'm thinking some 'Save XH558' t-shirts might be on the cards...

[MadNaddy]

At one point I had people following me around every topic posting immediately after me tearing a strip off me. It really got to me at one point - I actually got upset and rang SM about it!

[Prometheus]

What are TVOC so scared of ? I sometimes get the impression that they don't want our lady to continue flying

[MrTim]

What are TVOC so scared of ? I sometimes get the impression that they don't want our lady to continue flying

Losing control over 'THEIR' little airline.

They need to accept that they don't always know best and should gracefully accept ideas and criticism from others. They are very good at some things, but are desperately lacking in other areas.

[Bunny Hop]

Just to let you all know that I have moved this topic from Chit Chat to Anything Vulcan.

Bunny Hop

[Prometheus]

What are TVOC so scared of ? I sometimes get the impression that they don't want our lady to continue flying

Losing control over 'THEIR' little airline.

They need to accept that they don't always know best and should gracefully accept ideas and criticism from others. They are very good at some things, but are desperately lacking in other areas.

With the large cash injection from the HLF doesn't that make her the PUBLICS airline ?