UK Aviation Museum News – Page 52

Experience the virtual skies at Cosford

Flight Sim at RAF Museum Cosford

Date: 8 October 2016

Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm

Cost: £7 in advance / £10 on the door

Aviation fans can experience the virtual skies in Shropshire next month as the Flight Sim 2016 event heads to the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. Taking place on Saturday 8 October, aviation enthusiasts will enjoy a day packed with all the latest flight simulation software and the chance to test out their virtual flying skills.

After three very successful shows held at the museum, the UK’s largest Flight Sim show will be returning to Cosford for an even bigger and better event. Just Flight, one of the UK’s leading flight simulation software publishers, will be hosting this major gathering in association with PC Pilot magazine to show visitors the very best in desktop flying. Building on the success of previous events, organisers are anticipating in excess of 1,500 visitors will attend the one day show.

Visitors will be able to get hands on and fly the latest flight simulation aircraft, preview ‘in development’ projects, check out the latest hardware and chat with leading developers, publishers and other enthusiasts in addition to the many exhibitors at the show.

This show will take place in the museum’s Hangar 1 from 10am until 5pm, giving visitors plenty of time to enjoy the wide range of entertainment on offer. So whether you’re a veteran desktop pilot, flight simulation novice, or someone thinking of getting airborne in the virtual skies for the first time, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

Visitors attending the Flight Sim 2016 event this autumn will experience the best of both, the virtual world and the real world of aviation, as they explore the world class collection of aircraft and exhibitions on display at the RAF Museum Cosford.

Advance tickets for Flight Sim 2016 are now on sale online for just £7 per person and can be purchased up until 6 October, with free entry for under 16s accompanied by an adult. Advanced ticket holders will also receive a free goody bag on arrival which includes; a boxed add-on from Just Flight, a Dovetail Games code for a free add-on, an Aerosoft code for a discounted product, a copy of PC Pilot and a Pro-Sim Air stress ball!

Tickets purchased on the day cost £10 per person. For further information on the event or to purchase your tickets in advance, please visit the show’s website www.flightsimulatorshow.com .

To cope with the additional visitors, a free park and ride will operate from Cosford train station with regular pickups throughout the day. Entry to the museum is free of charge and on-site parking is available (charges apply). Entry into Hangar 1 on Saturday 8 October will be for Flight Sim 2016 ticket holders only.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

Hampden bomber gets new lease of life

Hampden bomber

A rare example of a Handley Page Hampden being restored at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford is making huge steps towards completion of the fuselage section. As one of the Museum’s longest running conservation projects, the aircraft is starting to take shape now thanks to one of the museum’s skilled Aircraft Technicians who is building a large section of the aircraft from scratch!

The museums Hampden, serial number P1344 is one of only three examples of the type remaining and was recovered from a crash site in northern Russia in 1991 and acquired by the RAF Museum the following year. Restoration on the badly damaged airframe has been a slow labour of love for the team at Cosford, but since it was taken under the wings of full time Aircraft Technician Dave Carr 18 months ago, the project has been propelled and the unmistakable Hampden silhouette can now easily be recognised.

With the project now stepped up a gear, visitors who viewed it during last year’s open week just ten months ago will remember seeing the tailplane assembly, a predominantly new build manufactured on site at Cosford. The Hampden’s salvaged fin and rudder parts were fully restored and with little else of the original tailplane remaining following the aircrafts crash landing, Dave used pre-production drawings and built formers to create the components he needed including a new elevator. Following the build, the rudders received a new covering of Irish linen and the tailplane assembly was given a new coat of paint in its initial Bomber Command camouflage colour scheme; the assembly was well received by aviation fans who visited during the open week last November.

Eagle eyed visitors will have also noticed that work had just started on the forward fuselage and the beginning of the frame work was starting to take shape. Since then Dave has focussed his efforts on the forward fuselage and cockpit section and in just twelve months the section is now almost 75% complete and is estimated to be fully manufactured by Spring 2017. Work on this section began with creating formers and building the entire framework from scratch. Some components including instrument panels, seat mounting and windscreen frames have also been produced and fitted. Castings and a few components from P1344 have been restored and fitted to the newly built forward fuselage and work is now underway skinning the section.

The entire new section has been assembled using original Handley Page pre-production drawings from the late 1930s and where possible, measurements taken from the partial wreckage remaining from the original aircraft. As the build procedure for the Hampden is not documented on any of the original drawings, the build has required a lot of forward thinking to ensure components were fitted in the correct order, as not to cause complications further down the line.

RAF Museum Aircraft Technician, Dave Carr said:

“I have worked at the RAF Museum for over 18 years and this has by far been the biggest project I have worked on from a scratch build point of view; usually we are conserving and repairing aircraft. Because I don’t have a build procedure, I always have to work about five steps forward to ensure the correct components are fitted before the aircraft is skinned i.e. anchor nuts, brackets etc. It is being constructed as accurately as possible, although there will be some subtle differences as I’ve had to manufacture with hand tools and limited machinery, rather than the original factory machinery which doesn’t exist anymore. It’s very rewarding and motivating to see the aircraft coming together.”

The lower forward frame work is still to be complete as well as frame work for the nose section followed by the instillation of electrical and hydraulic components. An original Hampden seat salvaged from a crashed Hampden in Patricia Bay, Vancouver will also be incorporated into the new cockpit. Once complete, the next phase will see the new section programmed into the museums paint shop where it will undergo a full re spray to match the tailplane.

All effort on the aircraft is going into manufacturing the fuselage section which is hoped will be completed sometime in 2018.

Visitors to the museum will be able to view the continuing progress on the Hampden during the Conservation Centre Open Week from14-19 November. By November it is hoped that the lower longerons will have been manufactured and fitted to the forward fuselage so visitors will see an almost fully complete frame. Work is also continuing on the rear fuselage repairing damage caused during its crash landing. The Conservation Centre will open between 10.15am and 1.00pm each day and admission is £5.00 per person (children under 16 are free and must be accompanied by an adult).

The Museum’s other hangars will be open from 10am until 5pm and entry to the museums is free of charge. For further information, please visit the museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford or call 01902 376200.

Newark Air Museum Indoor Aeroboot Aviation & Avionics Sale

Newark Air Museum Aeroboot

Saturday 15^th October 2016

The next Newark Air Museum Indoor Aeroboot / Aerojumble Sale at the museum’s site in eastern Nottinghamshire takes place on Saturday 15^th October 2016. This charity fund raising event has attracted interest from a wide range of sellers and once again looks set to be a sell-out event.

The funds that the museum raises from organising the event will be used to support the Project Panini (Mod) fund raising campaign to build new Café & Toilet facilities at the museum, which is located in eastern Nottinghamshire close to the Lincolnshire border.

Around 45 tables, featuring a host of different sellers, who come from around the UK will be arranged amongst the aircraft in Display Hangar 2 at the museum.

Buyers / visitors who attend this fund raising event will have the opportunity to search through a varied selection of aviation and avionic items: including books, paintings, prints, DVDs, plastic kits, die-cast models, clothing, radio equipment and aircraft parts. Regular updates / sellers information are being posted on the news page of the museum website www.newarkairmuseum.org

Buyers / visitors at this event will be able to access the museum site on Saturday 15^th October, 2016 at a special discounted admission price of just £5.00 per person.

The museum opening times will be 09.00 to 17.00 hours; with the sale taking place between 09.00 and 14.00 hours; to get the best bargains we suggest that you get there early.

Further details are available on the Events Page of the museum website www.newarkairmuseum.org or by telephoning 01636 707170.

Roald Dahl and his RAF journey to literacy stardom

Graham Laurie

Date: 10 September 2016

Time: 2pm

Cost: £5 per person (recommended for families with children aged 10 and over)

One of Britain’s most iconic writers, Roald Dahl will be the focus of a talk taking place at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford next month. Celebrating the 100^th birthday of Roald Dahl, the talk entitled ‘Roald Dahl’s War’ will delve into his life before he became an iconic writer, including his career in the RAF. Presented by historian Graham Laurie, the talk will take place at 2pm on Saturday 10 September 2016.

During this talk, Graham will examine Roald Dahl’s career from the moment he left school through to his employment with the oil company Shell, his first overseas post in Africa and his life in the Royal Air Force. Dahl eventually went on to become a giant in the world of children’s books, making characters like ‘The BFG’, ‘Matilda’ and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ household names for millions of children.

So famous were his popular novels, Dahl’s Royal Air Force career is often one that’s over looked. Following the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, at the age of 23 Dahl enlisted in the RAF and quickly began his training in Tiger Moths. Once qualified, he travelled to Iraq for advanced training on Hawker Harts and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the RAF Volunteer Reserve and posted to 80 Squadron based in North Africa.

In 1940 on a flight to deliver new aircraft to his Squadron on the coast, Dahl came into difficulties and was forced to make a landing during which the aircraft overturned. As a result he suffered severe head and back injuries requiring almost six months recovery in a British military hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. The following year he re-joined 80 Squadron near Athens, Greece, flying a Hurricane Mk 1 and went on to take part in ‘The Battle of Athens’. After suffering debilitating headaches as a result of his crash in Libya and no longer able to fly, Dahl returned home to Britain and was discharged from the RAF.
This illustrated talk contains many of Dahl’s own photographs and is given by kind permission of The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. The talk will take place at 2pm on Saturday 10 September, just three days before what would have been Roald Dahl’s 100^th birthday. Places are limited so anyone interested in attending is advised to book their place now via the museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford. Spaces on the day will be subject to availability.

The insight into Dahl’s military career and life before his famous books will be presented by guest speaker Graham Laurie. Now a historian and an ambassador of the RAF Benevolent Fund, Graham was a pilot in the RAF for 36 years and during the latter half of his career he flew members of the Royal Family and senior government ministers.

RAF Museum Cosford Events Manager Abi Betteridge said:

“We are looking forward to celebrating 100 years of Roald Dahl here at the RAF Museum Cosford and honoured to be able to share the stories of his time serving in the RAF with our visitors. He was such a significant writer to children and adults alike and we look forward to our guest speaker, Graham Laurie telling us more about a side to the author many people know little about.”

Admission to ‘Roald Dahl’s War’ lecture is £5 per person and is recommended for families with children aged 10 and over. For further information or to book your place visit: www.rafmuseum.org/cosford. The museum is open daily from 10am and entry to the museum is FREE of charge.

Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire secures major Heritage Lottery Fund investment

Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire

Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, part of Lincolnshire County Council and working in partnership with West Lindsey District Council,has received a confirmed grant of £423,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for their project ” Lincolnshire in World War One: Bastion in the Air”, it was announced today. The project, which will begin in early 2017 and run through to 2020, aims to highlight the importance and significant contribution the county made to the defence of the country and the development of aviation in World War One.

Thanks to this grant we will offer the public the opportunity of seeing a depiction of a World War One airfield, including flying replica fighter aircraft from the period, within a hangar on an operational RAF station in 2018. In addition there will be an exhibition held at the Collection in Lincoln detailing the technical and social advances that such an important hub in military arms production brought to the county.

There will be travelling exhibitions at community centres and village halls at locations throughout Lincolnshire, detailing specific themes to local areas and what their particular contributionwas and where community volunteers will be recruited and given training on supporting this project. A comprehensive educational programme is also planned to run the entire period of the project.

The story of Lincolnshire’s part in the defence of the realm against the aerial threat of the Zeppelin and the menace of the U-boat is one of national importance. Lincoln was one of the world’s largest aircraft production centres in World War One. Through the development of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, who were based at airfields around the county, the world’s first independent Air Force – the Royal Air Force – came into being.

The social changes in the workplace, where thousands of women were employed in previously male-only engineering roles, will be a central theme to this story.

www.aviationheritagelincolnshire.com

Spitfire 10K – Countdown to race day

RAF Museum Spitfire 10k run

Date: 4 September 2016

Time: Race starts at 10am

Cost: Standard entry £22.50 per person (15 years & over)

The countdown has officially started for the first ever Spitfire 10K! Taking place at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in just under two weeks’ time, this unique sporting event will see hundreds of runners’ race across the airfield and down the runway before crossing the finish line and picking up a specially commissioned Spitfire medal. This charity run, raising funds for the RAF Museum (registered charity No. 244708) will take place on Sunday 4 September, where over 600 runners are already signed up to take part.

Participants will head to the start line and begin their race in the museum’s spacious grounds, before setting off onto the adjacent military airfield to complete part of their 10K race. Exclusively for this event; participants will run the scenic route past the wartime hangars, alongside the air traffic control tower and even down the runway! Runners are advised to arrive from 9am in order to collect their race number and warm up, then its chocks away at 10.00am as the race begins.

Whether you’ve been running for years, or you’re just getting into the sport for the first time, the race at Cosford is guaranteed to be a fun and memorable one. The Spitfire 10K is a gently undulating road course with small sections along a track and is suitable for keen runners and novices alike, so if you’re aged 15 and over why not give it a go?

There will be specially commissioned winner’s trophies up for grabs in a variety of categories in addition to the unique Spitfire medal that all runners will receive upon crossing the finish line. Participants will also receive a goody bag filled with goodies thanks to some event sponsors, including a much needed bottle of Radnor Hills mineral water to quench your thirst and a pack of Willy Chase’s Fit Popcorn to pick up your energy levels after the race. Plus, the museums onsite caterers Kudos have supplied a muffin bar for every runner and bags will also include a 20% discount voucher to spend on the day in the museum shop.

As a memento of the day, bespoke 2016 Spitfire 10K technical running t-shirts will be available to purchase on race day for just £10, with limited stocks available. Made from breathable fabrics, they make the perfect attire for race day and for running adventures beyond.

So with the race just days away, if you haven’t already registered and you want to take part, visit the museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford to book one of the last few places remaining. Entry costs £22.50 per person with proceeds going towards the RAF Museum (registered charity No. 244708), to support work conserving and sharing the story of the RAF for current and future generations. Armed Forces Personnel and running clubs are eligible for the discounted entry fee of £20.50 per person.

(The Spitfire 10K was first launched at the museum’s London site in 2015)

Museum evening event is plane marvellous!

FD2 RAF Museum Cosford

Date: 16-17 September 2016

Time: 6.00pm to 9.00pm

Cost: £12.50 per person

The doors to military aircraft spanning a history of more than eight decades will be opened up to visitors at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford next month during a special two night event. Aviation fans will be able to view inside a total of fifteen aircraft, with everything from Cold War mainstays to unique prototype jets that pioneered the way for many of the world’s most iconic defence aircraft. Taking place on 16-17 September, just 300 tickets per evening are available for those who want to make their visit to the museum extra special.

Visitors can marvel at the advanced technologies on unique airframes including the TSR2, one of the most exciting and controversial British combat aircraft designs of the 1960s. Despite its outstanding technical success, political opposition led to the project being cancelled in April 1965 and the TSR2 is still a subject of great debate to this day. Arguably the most popular and advanced aircraft of its time, the TSR2 is still a popular favourite with aviation fans and is sure to be a highlight on the night.

The Fairey Delta 2 (FD2), one of only two ever built will also be opened up to ticket holders. Designed during the late 1940s in a bid to retrieve Britain from trailing in supersonic aircraft design, the FD2 later went on to break the World Air Speed Record in 1956 reaching 1132mph, breaking the record set only the year before by over 300mph. One of its unique features was the aircrafts ability to tilt the cockpit and nose section down by ten degrees in order to improve the pilot’s forward view during landing, taxiing and take-off. Visitors can learn more about its capabilities by speaking with staff and volunteers on the night, ensuring they get the most out of their visit.

Over in the museum’s National Cold War Exhibition a collection of aircraft that were the backbone to the west’s successes during the Cold War period will also be available. Aviation fans will be able to take a seat inside the cockpit of the sturdily built nuclear-capable Blackburn Buccaneer S1 nose section flown by the Royal Navy and the United States Air Force’s General Dynamics F-111, a combat aircraft capable of altering its wing configuration in flight to adjust the aerodynamic properties. Plus, the giant Short Brothers Belfast used by the RAF for almost twenty years, capable of carrying 150 fully-equipped troops or two Wessex helicopters will be opened exclusively for ‘Open Cockpits Evening’.

During the event, ticket holders will also have exclusive after-hours access to the museum which displays a collection of over 75 aircraft, military vehicles, engines and aviation artefacts within three wartime hangars and the National Cold War Exhibition. Other aircraft available on the night include: Hawker Siddeley Andover, Avro Anson C.19, Scottish Aviation Bulldog T Mk1, Hunting Percival Pembroke C1, SEPECAT Jaguar ACT Demonstrator, Saunders-Roe SR53, Hunting H126, McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1, Hawker Hunter F.4 and the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer. This mix of aircraft means there is something to suit the interests of all enthusiasts and young aviators alike.

Tickets are now available to purchase through the museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford and cost £12.50 per person which includes parking (minimum height restrictions of 1.07 metres will apply). A full list of aircraft available on the night is also available online. The Museum will close at 5.00pm both days, however the Visitor Centre and Refuel Restaurant will remain open prior to the event which commences at 6.00pm and finishes at 9.00pm.

Fleet & Foreign Aircraft Days

Mig 27 cockpit newark air museum

Fleet & Foreign Aircraft Days

Newark Air Museum

3^rd & 4^th September 2016

Preparations for the new Fleet & Foreign Aircraft Days are now well underway at Newark Air Museum’s site in eastern Nottinghamshire; close to the border with Lincolnshire. Newark Air Museum is a registered charity that is located on part of the former site of RAF Winthorpe.

The Fleet & Foreign Aircraft Days event takes place on Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th September 2016 and will focus on the museum’s diverse collection of Fleet Air Arm (Royal Navy) and international aircraft / helicopters. Visitors will get the opportunity to view the cockpits and interiors of more than twenty (20) of the museum’s collection of aircraft, cockpits and CIMs.

We also have flypasts on both days by aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight; 3^rd September, Hurricane & Spitfire and 4^th September, Spitfire – times to be confirmed.

The event is open to everyone and normal museum admission rates will apply:

Adults £8.50, Over 60s £7.50, Children £4.50 and Family ticket [2 adults & 3 children] £23.00. Please telephone 01636 707170 if you require any further information.

{A small additional fee / donation will be applicable when going inside the museum aircraft – this will go into the Project Panini Fund; to build a new Café & Toilet facility.}

N.B. The cockpits and aircraft may not be open at all times during the day and access will depend on the availability of our team of volunteer cockpit openers.

www.newarkairmuseum.org

Mirage IVA Aircraft Cleared for Transfer to Allied Air Forces Memorial

Mirage IVA

French Ambassador to the UK, Her Excellency, Mdme Sylvie Bermann, said:

“I am delighted to add my congratulations to the Allied Air Forces Memorial at Elvington upon the announcement that our Minister of Defence has agreed to the gift of one of France’s most iconic aircraft, the Mirage lV, in recognition of the close ties between our two nations.’

Museum Director, Ian Reed, who began negotiations for the transfer of the jet with the French Government in 2007, said today:

“I would like to thank the French Government, diplomatic staff from the French Embassy and the French Air Force based both in Britain and Paris and aviation associates as far away as Dubai for their efforts in helping us over the last 9 years, to make this unique and historic project happen“.

Note: Last year the Museum was formally acknowledged by the European Union as “The Allied Air Forces Memorial”, which undertakes significant memorial events across UK and Europe. On behalf of DCMS (the UK Dept of Culture Media & Sport), the Museum represented the British & French air services last month at the international centenary commemorations for the Battle of the Somme at Thiepval, France by exhibiting a full sized WWl British fighter biplane.

Images attached show examples of Mirage !V aircraft. Two of these show the actual aircraft in the Citée des Sciences Museum that will shortly be transferred to Elvington.

www.yorkshireairmuseum.org

Poignant Womens Section Royal British Legion Memorial Day at Yorkshire Air Museum

Yorkshire Air Museum Royal British Legion

In what turned out to be a very special and moving occasion here at the Allied Air Forces Memorial & Yorkshire Air Museum, the Women’s Section Royal British Legion held their annual Memorial Day on Sunday 14^th August. Members of RBL Women’s Section Branches from across the Yorkshire and North East regions gathered during the morning in readiness for the Parade of Standards, which led into the unique Memorial Garden to the Women’s Air Services for the colourful Wreath Laying Ceremony. In a strong turnout, 19 Standards were presented, including support from York Royal Air Forces Association.

Both the Museum and RBLWS organisers were delighted that HM The Queen’s representative the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Mr. Barry Dodd CBE and Lady Feversham, President North Yorkshire RBLWS; attended the event to take the Salute from the Parade and lead the wreath laying ceremony. Wreaths were also laid by Mrs. Wendy Bromwich JP Life Vice President;(who followed the Lord Lieutenant to lay the wreath); Mrs. A. J. Murray MBE, Vice President Durham RBLWS; Mrs. D. Ingham OBE, President East Riding RBLWS; Mrs. H. Crosby, South & West Yorkshire RBLWS and Mr. Ian Reed ONM FRAeS, Director of the Allied Air Forces Memorial & Yorkshire Air Museum.

Following this, the Parade reformed to march to the Chapel for the Memorial Service. What made the ceremony so significant and poignant this year was the official Laying Up of the three Regional Women’s Section Standards of North Yorkshire County, East Riding of Yorkshire and South & West Yorkshire County. Additionally, following a last minute decision by Branch Members, the Crofton, Walton & Warmfield cum Heath Branch (South West Yorkshire) also presented their Standard to be Laid Up. The Laying Up of these Standards followed the recent decision by the Royal British Legion to amalgamate the Women’s Section into the core body, to no longer be a distinct group.

Emotions were welling, but stoically kept in check, as the Standards were taken into our care by our Honorary Chaplain, the Revd. (Squadron Leader) Charles “Taff” Morgan MBE, with each Standard Marched forward in turn. In his typically eloquent sermon, “Taff” paid tribute to the dedication of women in Service from WWI and the Battle of the Somme, which saw women tending to the horrendous wounds suffered by infantry and indeed airmen, engaged in the bloody battles on the fields and, for the first time in history, in the skies above. He reflected also on those women at home, who were left to deal with the consequences of menfolk away from home, and the damage to mind, body and soul of those returning from the front. This dedication has continued to today, where women are now serving on the frontline and piloting the latest aircraft in service, with no distinction between them and their male counterparts. Perhaps it is this modern ethos that has led the decision to streamline the Royal British Legion.

Not surprisingly, after the ceremony was complete, the tears flowed as the significance of the occasion sank in.

Ian Reed, Museum Director comments: “We are very proud and indeed humbled to take these treasured Regional Standards into our care here at Elvington. Our Station Chapel is indeed a fitting place for these symbols of friendship and Remembrance to rest. They mean so much to those that have carried and marched with them at many Memorial Ceremonies, and are honoured that this Memorial & Museum was the past place they were Paraded to the public.”