New Chinook Exhibition to be Unveiled
The Royal Air Force Museum is proud to announce the unveiling of a new permanent exhibition: The interactive, walk-through Chinook Helicopter.The Boeing Chinook is a versatile and powerful helicopter, used for troop movement, artillery emplacement and battlefield re-supply. It was first procured by the RAF in 1980 and has seen operational service in The Falklands War, The first Gulf War and the current Gulf conflict.
Based around the frame of an actual Chinook forward fuselage, the exhibition will allow visitors a ‘walk-in’ experience and includes a full cockpit with controls, along with additional display materials including interactive kiosks and audio-visual presentations on wide-screen monitors. The exhibition is fully accessible by ramp and is supported by a number of graphics panels.
The ex-US Army Chinook model: CH-47D (serial currently unknown), was flown across from America to Osnabruck in Germany and then to Mildenhall in the UK. From there it travelled by road, to the Museum site in London. This fuselage is a product of the current refurbishment programme for US CH-47s, which are receiving new front ends.
The exhibition is sponsored by Chinook manufacturer Boeing, who organised the gift of this ex-US Army airframe, along with a large scale model displayed over the exhibit and a kind donation through RAFM American Foundation. Honeywell have donated the T-55 engine and Rockwell Collins has provided a mock up of their Collins Avionics Architecture System, (CAAS) – a fully integrated tactical helicopter flight and mission management system comprising five advanced Multi-Function Displays and two colour Control and Display Units. Summit Aviation assisted in preparing the Chinook fuselage for the exhibition.
Technical assistance was provided by RAF Odiham, where the RAF’s Chinook fleet is based, along with the provision and fitting of many additional parts, ranging from pylon fairings taken from a wreck, to crew seats replicated by their workshop and rotor blades.
The exhibition will be on permanent public display in the Rotorcraft area of the London site, from Thursday 18th July 2007.
For more information please visit www.rafmuseum.org