UK Aviation Museum News – Airscene News

RAF Museum Midlands joint top of Which’s best UK museums list

The RAF Museum Midlands is proud to announce it has been awarded Which? Recommended Provider status in the prestigious ‘Best Museums and Galleries in the UK’ category.

In a survey of over 2,000 members conducted by the independent consumer champion Which?, the RAF Museum Midlands achieved an outstanding score of 93%, making it the joint top-rated Museum in the UK.

Which? members praised the Museum across several key areas including exhibitions living up to expectations and excellent value for money. Museum staff were also recognised in the survey, achieving top marks from Which? members, as did the facilities on offer, and the uncrowded environments across vast hangars and outdoor areas. The quality of information available to visitors and the Museum’s café were also highly commended.

This latest accolade reinforces the RAF Museum Midlands’ reputation as one of the UK’s leading visitor attractions, offering an engaging, educational and memorable day out for all.

Barry Smith, Director of Visitor and Commercial Development at the RAF Museum said:

‘We are incredibly proud to be recognised as a Which? Recommended Provider and be rated joint top of Which’s best UK museums list. Which? only endorses the best products and services that genuinely stand out for quality, making this recognition a true reflection of visitor satisfaction and excellence. We scored consistently highly across all areas, and this recognition is a testament of the team’s dedication to delivering an enjoyable and accessible day out for everyone.’

Which? Recommended Providers are companies that are both rated highly by Which? members and have products that meet the high standards of Which? researchers. As a completely independent organisation, the granting of Which? Recommended Provider status truly reflects what they think – not what someone else wants them to say.

Which? The best museums and galleries in the UK article 2026 stated:

‘Ask an RAF veteran (we did) and they’ll tell you Cosford is the best aircraft museum in the nation, nay the world. You can marvel at the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant V-bombers that dangle from the ceiling of this Midlands hangar, and stand in awe of the supersonic BAC TSR-2 prototype. Kids get a kick out of the Virtual Reality Zone, where they can do loop-the-loops in the pilot seat of an iconic Spitfire, while unwittingly honing their World War history.’

The Museum’s sister site, the RAF Museum London, also performed exceptionally well – with the joint highest visitor score for any museum or gallery in London.

Explore the full Which? findings here – ‘The best museums and galleries in the UK’. To plan a visit and enjoy a free family day out at one of the UK’s top-rated museums, visit rafmuseum.org/midlands. The Museum is open daily from 10.00am and entry is free.

WW2 Bolingbroke project for South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum

The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum (SYAM) can today announce the arrival of a long-term restoration project from the Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford – Fairchild/Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVT ‘9893’. While a composite airframe, the project features parts from 9893 and structural elements known to date back to 1942.

The Bolingbroke was a maritime patrol & training aircraft used by the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. The type saw extensive use through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, a created between the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and trained nearly half of the Pilots, Navigators, Bomb Aimers, Air Gunners, Wireless Operators and Flight engineers that served with the RAF, Fleet Air Arm and the Air Forces of Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the War.

Built by the Fairchild Aircraft Company as a Bolingbroke Mk. IVT in 1942, 9893 would join the No. 4 Training Command of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta and serve primarily with the No. 8 Bombing and Gunnery School. A relatively short service life would follow, with 9893 being heavily damaged on 19th December 1942 during a ferry flight from RCAF Station Lethbridge. Pilot Flying Officer J D Heacock would experience a port engine failure shortly after take off, and carried out a forced landing approximately 12 miles southwest of the airfield. During the landing roll, the aircraft struck a telephone pole and sustained serious damage. Stored in reserve following the accident, 9893 would not be repaired during the war and was subsequently sold off in 1946 following the end of the Second World War and the end of the BCATP.

Bolingbroke serial number 9893 was acquired by IWM Duxford in the 1980s with the long-term intention of full restoration, and has now been formally transferred to SYAM to continue that work and joined the museum’s collection in Doncaster on Thursday 2 April. The restored rear fuselage has been placed on display inside the museum’s main hangar alongside the cockpit section which has seen substantial work completed, while the remaining components remain in storage awaiting further restoration activity. 9893 will be a long term restoration project for the museum, with the aircraft to be exhibited in the distinctive Trainer Yellow scheme used by most aircraft of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) once work is completed.

On acquiring the Bolingbroke project, South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum trustee Sam Scrimshaw said “The opportunity to acquire a genuine Second World War era aircraft isn’t one that is available often, and the addition of the Bolingbroke to our collection will allow us to share with our visitors stories of local WW2 airmen that they may not have known otherwise.

“One such story we shall be sharing is that of Flying Officer Ernest Lewis Ellis, a Sheffield man who completed his flying training in Canada through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, including flying over 40 different Bolingbroke aircraft. After gaining his wings, Ellis flew locally from RAF Hemswell and RAF Lindholme, before joining 166 Squadron at RAF Kirmington, now Humberside Airport on Lancaster Bombers. Sadly Ernest and his crew would fail to return from their 22nd mission, a bombing raid to Pforzheim on 23rd February 1945. The museum holds Ernest’s Logbook and a number of personal letters between himself, family and friends within our collection.

“We would also like to thank IWM Duxford for the opportunity to take on 9893 and giving us the opportunity to share Ernest’s story with our visitors, the role of ‘The Plan’ in supporting the war effort and the bravery shown by the men of RAF Bomber Command throughout the Second World War.”

www.southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.org.uk

RAF Museum Midlands Awarded £1 Million Biffa Award Grant for Major New Exhibition

The Royal Air Force Museum Midlands has been awarded a £1 million grant from the Biffa Award to support the development of a major new exhibition exploring the story of the RAF from 1980 to today.

The funding, awarded through the Landfill Communities Fund, will contribute to the delivery of ‘The RAF: 1980 to Today’ exhibition, a central element of the Museum’s wider Inspiring Everyone: RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme.

The innovative new permanent exhibition will share the critical role of the RAF over the past 40 years, inviting visitors to discover the RAF’s role today and how it is adapting to the future including its responsibilities for space and cyber defence. Through compelling storytelling, immersive aircraft and object displays, and digital interactives, visitors will gain insight into the people, technology and operations that define today’s RAF.

Biffa Award, is a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to communities and environmental projects across England and Northern Ireland as part of the Government’s Landfill Communities Fund. The RAF Museum’s Biffa Award grant will support essential elements of the exhibition’s design and build, including display cases, lighting, setworks, mannequins, interactives, mount making, and specialist infrastructure.

Maggie Appleton, CEO of the Royal Air Force Museum, said:

‘We are enormously grateful to the Biffa Award for this transformative £1 million grant. This funding will enable us to create a bold and immersive exhibition that explores the RAF’s story from 1980 to today, a period of rapid technological change, global operations and evolving challenges. As part of our Inspiring Everyone development programme, this exhibition will help us connect with new audiences, reflect contemporary service life, and inspire visitors to think about the RAF’s future. The support of the Biffa Award is instrumental in helping us realise this vision at our Midlands site.’

Rachel Maidment, Grants Manager at Biffa Award, said:

‘We are delighted to support the RAF Museum Midlands with this significant grant through the Landfill Communities Fund. This new exhibition will shine a light on the vital work of the RAF over the last four decades, helping visitors of all ages connect with the people, technology and stories that continue to shape our national defence. At Biffa Award, we are committed to funding projects that inspire, educate and strengthen communities, and we are proud to help bring this important exhibition to life.’

The new exhibition forms part of sitewide transformation of the RAF Museum Midlands, made possible with the support of funders including The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Royal Air Force, as well as the RAF Museum’s own investment. The redevelopment will also deliver a state-of-the-art Learning Centre, Collections Hub, expanded green spaces, along with a community engagement programme, ensuring the Museum remains nationally relevant and accessible for decades to come. The new spaces will be available for visitors to enjoy from summer 2027.

www.rafmuseum.org/midlands

Twin Lightning Strikes at Newark Air Museum

Progress has been made with the carried over restoration work on Lightning T5 XS417 at Newark Air Museum (NAM).

The recent spell of warmer weather has allowed the museum’s volunteers to apply the 56 Squadron ’Firebird’ makings to the tailfin of XS417. This work brings the successful completion of this particular project much closer to a conclusion.

In other news, the on-loan cockpit of Lightning F6 cockpit from XR757, left the museum site on Thursday 26^th March, 2026 for a new home in North East Lincolnshire.

This cockpit arrived at NAM in summer 2015, when it had to vacate its previous display location at the former RAF Scampton airfield. Its new display location is much closer to the owner’s home in Lincolnshire. During its time at NAM there were limited opportunities for museum visitors to view inside the cockpit.

www.newarkairmuseum.org

Dustbusters take to the rafters for daring aircraft clean

A specialist team of Dustbusters with a head for heights are carrying out the annual suspended aircraft spring clean at the RAF Museum Midlands.

Suspended from the ceiling, up to 100ft in the air, eight aircraft including a Vulcan bomber, will all be given a light dusting this week as part of the annual clean and inspection. Other aircraft being spruced up include a Canberra, Meteor, Sabre, Hunter, Lightning, Dakota and Javelin, all displayed within the Museum’s National Cold War Exhibition.

Strapped into harnesses and with nerves of steel, the specialist cleaning team climb the rafters of the building and abseil down to access the aircraft. No cleaning solutions are used on the aircraft, just a good dusting using large soft fibre mops. In addition to cleaning the aircraft, the team are also conducting safety inspections of the suspension cables supporting the aircraft in their flying display positions.

As part of this year’s spring clean, some of the Museum’s older aircraft in other display hangars have also been given a light dusting, including a Second World War Wellington bomber. Additionally, other harder to reach aircraft including the Lincoln, TSR2, JU88, Bristol M.1c, and Hart, have all been dusted down to keep them looking their best.

Tom Hopkins, Curator at RAF Museum Midlands said:

‘Each aircraft in our collection has its own story and maintaining them properly is essential to ensuring those stories can continue to be shared with future generations. The suspended displays are some of the most striking in the Museum, but they also require a very specialised approach to care. It’s fantastic to work with a team that can safely access these aircraft and carry out such work with precision, helping us keep them in excellent condition for everyone who visits.’

During the clean the Museum will remain open to visitors who can see the high-flying team from Totally Wild Access, industrial rope access specialists, in action.

The Museum is open daily from 10.00am and admission is free. Visit rafmuseum.org/midlands to plan your visit.

Museum Reopens Its Doors

Following a record-breaking half term week, enthralling visitors with what life was like during wartime in the 1940’s, the Army Flying Museum at Middle Wallop in Hampshire was dealt a devastating blow, losing all power on the evening of 19^th Feb, and keeping their doors firmly closed for three weeks.

The Museum which has become a major player on the wider tourism scene over the last few years, has had to reschedule a number of their popular evening talks, along with a large number of school and group visits and regular weekly sessions. Regular visitors to the Museum and Café have been desperately awaiting news of when the popular Museum would reopen, but due to major investigative works, the car park remained empty and the Museum remained in darkness.

But good news is on the horizon, with the Museum due to reopen its doors on Friday 13^th March.

Chief Executive of the Army Flying Museum, Lucy Johnson said “An unexpected situation is always difficult to manage, and for charities in particular, when finances are often challenging, it can feel even more overwhelming. Having to close in the middle of our biggest half term week ever was a huge blow for the whole team and we were very sad to disappoint those booked in. We have been without power for nearly 3 weeks which has had a huge impact on our income, but we have been bowled over by the messages of support we have received, and we are delighted to now be working to reopen on Friday and welcome our visitors back. And with the Easter holidays are only a few short weeks away, we can’t wait for the Museum to be full of life again!”

The Museum has another packed programme lined up for the Easter holidays including their popular Easter Egg Hunt, trails, crafts and much more. With a number of evening and daytime talks rescheduled, there is lots to see and do at the Museum this spring for all ages, as the team build up to their main fundraising event Wallop Wheels and Wings on 11 July, which this year is more important than ever in raising much needed funds for this much loved local charity.

www.armyflying.com

Bentwaters Live at the Museum March 2026

Bentwaters Cold War Museum Live event — *Copyright Bentwaters Cold War Museum*

The afternoon of Sunday 22nd March 2026 will see the return of our popular live at the museum event as a prelude to the museum re-opening for the 2026 season.

Travel back in time to the 1980’s and experience the sights and sounds of a combat alert at RAF Bentwaters during the Cold War in a unique night at the Bentwaters Cold War Museum.

Join our uniformed re-enactors for a ‘Live’ afternoon in the Command Post Operations Room, and watch from the gallery as they re-enact a scenario depicting real combat operations. It’s an opportunity to see what really happened in the Cold War and the perfect opportunity to take some very unique photos!

The event starts at 14.30pm with the ”combat alert” repeated three times during the afternoon, with each session limited to just 30 people, however whichever time slot you book you are welcome to join us for the whole afternoon to look around the museum exhibition rooms, enjoy our outdoor displays floodlit for the evening, or enjoy refreshments in our diner which will be open from 14.30 until 6pm when the event finishes.

There are 30 places available for each timed live re-enactment at 15:00,16:00 & 17:00.

Tickets can be booked HERE

Brooklands Museum visitors to get rare access to motorsport and aviation history

Brooklands Wellington Bomber — *credit: Brooklands Museum*

Visitors to Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey are about to get the chance to step back in time like never before with behind-the-scenes exclusive access exploring some of the most iconic aircraft, racing cars and motorcycles in British history.

The experiences, which begin in March, give rare up-close access to legendary machines including the Vickers Wellington MK1A bomber, Hawker Hurricane MK.IIA, Napier-Railton, Delage 15-S-8, Rudge V-Twin motorcycle, and AKD motorcycle. The tours are carefully curated for enthusiasts and history lovers alike and include expert insight and exclusive archive experiences.

2026 Signature Technical Tour Dates:

10 March and 4 June – Vickers Wellington (bomber) MK1A
12 March, 14 May and 3 September – Napier-Railton
21 April and 4 August – Hawker Hurricane MK.IIA
21 May – Rudge V-Twin Motorcycle
18 June and 6 August – Delage 15-S-8
16 July – AKD Motorcycle

Every tour, of no more than 12 people, begins in the historic Edwardian Clubhouse with refreshments of hot or cold drinks and pastries. Guests will then step back in time and be immersed in the rich history of Brooklands, discovering how the site has evolved over the years. Visitors will then get up close to their chosen vehicle or aircraft, exploring its hidden secrets. The experience takes a more immersive turn when it moves trackside or into the shed or hangar for a detailed technical tour, offering a unique opportunity to get up-close to the icons of the track and air. Guests will have exclusive access and a hands-on discovery in Brooklands Museum’s archive store; which includes object handling and insight into rarely seen artefacts connected to the chosen vehicle or aircraft.

Alex Patterson, Director and CEO at Brooklands Museum, said, “We’re incredibly excited to open up parts of Brooklands Museum that most visitors never get to see. Our Behind the Scenes Technical Tours are about so much more than looking at historic aircraft, racing cars and motorcycles – they’re about discovering the untold stories and experiencing the engineering genius up close, with unprecedented access to historical objects not available on public display. With places strictly limited, it’s a great opportunity for families and enthusiasts to connect with Britain’s pioneering spirit in a way that’s powerful, personal and unforgettable.”

**NOTES**

Tickets are from £80 per person and are limited to ensure an exclusive, intimate and special discovery experience – adults and children 16 years only or older. Advance booking is essential.

These special tours are aimed at motoring and aviation enthusiasts, historians, and anyone passionate about engineering excellence, Brooklands Museum’s Behind the Scenes Technical Tours offer an unforgettable journey into Britain’s pioneering past.

www.brooklandsmuseum.com

On The Roof: The Iranian Embassy Siege Remembered

Army Flying Museum - Iranian Embassy Siege Remembered

On the 30^{th of} April 1980, six-armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington in London, it was a siege that was to last for six days.

The gunmen took 26 people hostage including embassy staff, several visitors and a police officer who had been guarding the embassy.

By the sixth day of the siege, the gunmen, frustrated at the lack of progress to their demands, killed a hostage and threw his body out of the embassy.

The British Special Air Service (SAS) initiated Operation Nimrod to rescue the remaining hostages, abseiling from the roof and forcing entry through the windows. The raid, which was televised live on a bank holiday evening, became a defining moment in British History.

The Army Flying Museum at Middle Wallop in Hampshire are thrilled to give you the opportunity to hear from a veteran of Red Team, B Squadron, 22 SAS Regiment as he describes the events of the Iranian Embassy siege of 1980 at the Museum on Monday 9^th March.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear and ask questions of the first-hand account of someone who was there. A Trooper of Red Team that entered the embassy on a caving ladder through the light well. A replica model of the embassy will also be on display for visitors to view.

This special evening at the Museum is set to be a real treat for visitors as they hear this account in the stunning surroundings of the Hayward Hall amidst the many aircraft in the Museum’s collection.

To book visit https://armyflying.com/what-s-on/ for more information

RAF Bircham Newton Heritage Centre 2026 Open Days

The following are the open days for 2026:

Sunday, 5th April, Easter Sunday (First open day)
Sunday, 19th April
Sunday, 3rd May
Sunday, 17th May
Sunday, 31st May
Sunday, 14th June
Sunday, 21st June
Sunday, 12th July
Sunday, 26th July
Sunday, 9th August
Sunday, 16th August
Sunday 30th August
Monday, 31st August (Bank Holiday Monday)
Sunday, 20th September
Sunday, 27th September
Sunday, 11th October
Sunday, 25th October
Sunday, 8th November (Remembrance Sunday – Final open day)

The Centre is situated within the campus of the National Construction College East (NCC) at Bircham Newton, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 6RH. The Centre is easy to find in West Norfolk, where there are many road signs giving directions to NCC. The Heritage Centre is located near the B1155 road, from Stanhoe to Great Bircham, which passes through the NCC site. It is close to CITB’s Conference Centre. Additional direction signs are displayed within the campus on open days. There is also a large external sign which will help you to locate the building from the car park. This open day schedule will also be pinned in the noticeboard outside the Heritage Centre.

Best way to find us by navigation is Google maps, simply search RAF Bircham Newton Heritage Centre. Or what3words: (///dime.highlight.turns)

If you wish to visit the Heritage Centre, but are not able to make an open day, we are open to arranging Ad Hoc Visits. This is subject to availability of Volunteers. Please contact us by email or ringing the number provided below.

If you need to contact the Heritage Centre team, please call Chairman of
Trustees, Jamie Heffer: 07807098348 or email at: jamie_heffer@hotmail.co.uk

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