We are delighted to announce that The National Museum of the Royal Navy has been able to secure the medals and log books of Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown following the intervention of an incredibly generous donor. It is fair to say that Captain Brown was by many measures the Fleet Air Arm’s most significant pilot of the post-war period and we are thrilled and honoured to be able to class this collection as one of our own.

We can now preserve the record of innovation which is contained within Captain Brown’s log books which includes previously untapped information and display them for the world to see. The Fleet Air Arm Museum is the spiritual home of the service and a right and fitting place for the medals and logbook to be displayed at.

Captain Brown holds a world record for the most aircraft carrier take-offs – 2,407 and the most landings – 2,271, and on 3rd December 1945 became the first ever pilot to take off and land a jet aircraft – the Sea Vampire – on a carrier. He went on to make many contributions of wider significance to aviation history , using his Fleet Air Arm experience to fly a world record breaking 486 types of aircraft, and to test aircraft for other services and for allies.

The Fleet Air Arm Museum was fortunate to work with Captain Brown in the last decades of his life and have been able to mark and honour his contribution in a number of ways.

The Museum’s collections include the very Vampire Mk1 in which he completed his jet-powered flight, as well as the goggles and gloves which he wore during his tests; in 2015 Captain Brown himself unveiled a new bronze bust commissioned by the Museum which stands proudly in our galleries.

Just as importantly the Museum worked with him to record in detail the long span of his service to form a key part of the archive – which includes the nation’s most significant collection of naval pilots’ flying logs – of the Fleet Air Arm.

www.fleetairarm.com

It’s being to look a lot like Christmas at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, as the Shropshire attraction has received a rather large delivery in the form of three Second World War aircraft!  The Boulton Paul Defiant Mk 1, the Gloster Gladiator 1 and the Westland Lysander III have all been safely transported by road from the museum’s London site and are currently being prepared for display at Cosford.

It is a homecoming for the Boulton Paul Defiant Mk 1, the last surviving example of its kind, built by Boulton Paul at its Pendeford, Wolverhampton factory in 1938.  This two-seat turret fighter, operated with mixed fortunes during the Battle of Britain period but found its niche as a night fighter during 1940-42.  They were used extensively later in the war for air-sea rescue and target tug roles in the UK and Middle and Far East. The museum’s example, serial number N1671 was operated by the newly formed No 307 (Polish) Squadron RAF, who became operational in December 1940.  It was painted in its all black night fighter colour scheme the following January and carried out 15 patrols before moving to No 285 (Anti-aircraft Co-Operation) Squadron in June 1942, its last operational user.  It was originally set aside for preservation in 1944 and spent several years moving between RAF bases for display.  N1671 was eventually acquired by the RAF Museum in 1971 and after almost four decades on display at the museum’s London site, the aircraft was completely restored by Medway Aircraft Preservation Society at Rochester Airport in 2009, going back on display at the museum in 2012. Now the sole surviving intact example of its type has made the 130 mile journey from London to Cosford where it will go on public display early in the New Year.

Another new aircraft to wing its way to Cosford is the Gloster Gladiator 1, the first enclosed cockpit and last biplane fighter introduced into RAF service.  Although Gladiators saw operational service at home it was most successfully employed overseas particularly in the defence of Malta.  At the outbreak of the Second World War, four home based RAF fighter squadrons equipped with Gladiators were sent to France and after just ten days of hard fighting, all the aircraft had been lost. In a desperate attempt to provide fighter cover for the ‘little ships’ involved in the Dunkirk evacuation, a detachment of home based aircraft known as ‘G’ Flight was formed at RAF Manston, Kent.  They were quickly deployed to assist with the rescue of more than 338,000 British and French soldiers trapped on the beaches. During the early war years, Gladiators were used by the RAF in several other overseas operations including; Norway, Greece, North Africa and the Middle East.

The museum’s example, serial number K8042 has been displayed at the RAF Museum London since opening in 1972 and this is the first time the aircraft will be displayed at the museum’s Cosford site.  It’s not however, the first time the aircraft has visited the Midlands, having been stationed with No 5 Squadron at RAF Ternhill and No 61 Squadron at RAF Rednal, Shropshire in the early 1940s.  K8042 was also used for gun trials and experiments, whereby an additional pair was fitted under the top wing, giving a total of six guns instead of the usual four. Also joining the aircraft collection at the RAF Museum Cosford is the Westland Lysander III, the only surviving Special Duties variant of this aircraft.  It was designed to operate closely with the Army and had a remarkable performance which enabled it to get into and out of extremely small fields.  A radical change in Army co-operation tactics meant that its lasting fame is not in this role but as a Special Duties aircraft ferrying Allied agents in and out of enemy occupied Europe.  Four Lysander squadrons went to France in 1939 and despite some notable successes the Army Co-operation units suffered extremely high casualties – over 170 Lysander’s were sent to France; only 50 came back.  After their withdrawal from France, they patrolled the coastal areas of south and east England as an anti-invasion reconnaissance measure. Late in 1940 they began air-sea rescue duties in the Channel and North Sea – not only could the Lysander spot airmen in the sea and bring surface vessels to them, it was able to drop a lifesaving dinghy and supplies.

The museum’s example, serial number R9125 first became operational with No 225 Squadron in 1940 as a coastal patrol and photo reconnaissance aircraft, based along the south coast of England.  It took on the Special Duties role with No 161 Squadron in 1944 and was operational for a further two years until they became obsolete from the RAF in 1946.  For a brief period in 1961 the aircraft was placed into storage at RAF Cosford and ten years later it was acquired by the museum and placed on display at its London site, where it has remained until its recent move to Cosford.

The Defiant and Gladiator will both go on public display in the museum’s ‘War in the Air’ hangar in January 2017, whilst the Lysander will be heading to the museum’s Conservation Centre for an in depth inspection and condition assessment, before work is carried out over the next few years to replace its fragile linen outer skin.

Head of Collections at the RAF Museum, Ian Thirsk said:

“It’s been a busy month at Cosford with five new aircraft arrivals.  We took delivery of the Bf109 and the Tiger Moth earlier this month and now we welcome the Defiant, Gladiator and Lysander to the collection at Cosford.  The Junkers Ju 88R-1, a sub-type of the most versatile German combat aircraft of the Second World War will complete the new line-up and is due to arrive before the New Year.  The museum’s centenary plans have provided an exciting opportunity to relocate significant aircraft in the collection closer to aviation fans in the Midlands. In total Cosford will have received six new aircraft in the final few months of this year.”

The new collection of aircraft will enable the RAF’s story to be more comprehensively represented to museum audiences in Shropshire and is in preparation for the centenary of the Royal Air Force in 2018. The centenary plans at Cosford will also include exploring the first 100 years of the RAF, the role it plays today and its future contributions by sharing this story online with a global audience.

Aviation fans can keep up to date with the centenary aircraft moves and on-going developments by signing up to the museum’s free e-Newsletter http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/contact-us/newsletters.aspx

Visitors will be able to see five of the new arrivals fully reassembled and in their new display positions by early 2017.  Entrance to the museum is free of charge and the museum is open daily from 10am until 4pm.  For further information, please visit the museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford or call 01902 376200.

Financial penalties levied on banks involved in the LIBOR lending rate-fixing scandal will benefit the RAF Museum in North West London, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced today.

In today’s Autumn Statement, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that the RAF Museum will receive £3m LIBOR funds for its 2018 RAF Centenary Programme. The money will specifically support the development of a new exhibition and a dedicated Learning Centre – both of which are part of the Museum’s wider RAF Centenary Programme which celebrates and commemorates 100 years of the RAF in 2018.

The new exhibition will explore the impact of the Royal Air Force on world events, society and technology since the Cold War through its many roles during the past 40 years – during an ‘age of uncertainty’. As part of the Museum’s contemporary collecting strategy, it is actively seeking out inspiring objects and stories that will engage visitors with the RAF’s recent history, to display in this innovative new gallery.

The dedicated Learning Centre will underpin the Museum’s Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) programme along with hosting both formal and lifetime learning activities in history, literacy, art and design.

Chief Executive of the RAF Museum Maggie Appleton said “It’s wonderful to be given such a high level of support from the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Museum’s RAF Centenary Programme. The stories we want to share reflect the bravery, ingenuity and dedication of RAF men and women  working in today’s complex and challenging environment with space for our visitors to reflect on and join in the discussion from their own personal perspectives..” 

The RAF Museum’s RAF Centenary Programme is a £23.5m project which will transform the site in North West London making it more accessible and welcoming to a new generation of visitors. Work has already begun for a completion date of summer 2018 and today’s grant of £3m means that the Museum is now in the final stretch of fundraising.

To find out more on the Museum’s exciting RAF Centenary Programme for 2018 CLICK HERE

A Messerschmitt BF109G-2 and a de Havilland Tiger Moth II, are the first of six new aircraft to arrive at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, having been transported by road from the museum’s sister site in London.  Visitors can now view the brand new arrivals on display in the museum’s hangars with four more aircraft due to arrive before Christmas.

The Messerschmitt BF109G-2, designed by Willi Messerschmitt, is a legend alongside the British Spitfire, American P51 Mustang and the Japanese Zero.  First flown in 1935, the Bf109 was obsolescent by the second half of World War Two yet it remained the backbone of the German Air Force’s day fighter force and was flown by many of her allies. In production right up to the end of hostilities, more than 33,000 were built second only to the Russian ‘Sturmovik’ as the most prolific military design, and post-war versions served with the Czech, Israeli and Spanish Air Forces, the latter until the mid-1960s – with Rolls Royce Merlin engines.  Compact, rugged, fast and heavily armed the Bf109 has the distinction of being flown by the highest-scoring fighter aces in history. With the promised availability of the new Daimler-Benz DB 605A German built engine, design work began on the Bf109G series where higher speeds were obtained, but manoeuvrability and handling were adversely affected. The Bf109G series will be forever linked with the daylight bomber-killing missions in defence of the Reich. German fighter pilots found themselves facing heavily armed American B17 Fortress and B24 Liberator bombers and later long range P38 Lightning, P47 Thunderbolt and P51 Mustang fighters. Ground down by the overwhelming odds, few survived the war. 

The museum’s rare example was disassemble by the museum’s team of Aircraft Technicians and Apprentices in London and transported on a low loader lorry along the M1, M6 and M54 before being reassembled in its new display hangar at Cosford. Members of the public can now view the aircraft in the museum’s ‘War in the Air’ hangar alongside fellow German fighter the Focke Wulf Fw190, facing their British equivalents the Supermarine Spitfire 1 and Hawker Hurricane IIc.

The second of the two new arrivals is the 1930s bi-plane the de Havilliand Tiger Moth II, originally produced as a development of the well-known Gipsy Moth.  The Tiger Moth went on to become one of the world’s most famous training aircraft and provided the majority of RAF pilots with their elementary flying training during the Second World War.  In the aftermath of the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, almost any anti-invasion idea was considered and three extraordinary Tiger Moth conversions were put forward.  Some were fitted with light bomb racks ready to undertake the bombing of enemy troops attempting a landing, whilst others were fitted with a tank in the front cockpit with powder dispensers located under the wings intended to dust the German troops with a poisonous insecticide as they waded ashore.  A more revolutionary idea was the ‘paraslasher’; a scythe-like blade fitted to the aircraft and intended to cut parachutist’s canopies as they descended to earth. Fortunately none of these ideas had to be used, leaving Elementary Flying Training Schools to their vital role of pilot training. 

The Tiger Moth was eventually succeeded and replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in the early 1950s and both aircraft can now be viewed alongside each other in Hangar 1 at Cosford, positioned next to the Scottish Aviation Bulldog T Mk 1, a further progression in training aircraft.  The Tiger Moth also travelled by road to Cosford, alongside the Bf109 .

Other aircraft still to wing their way to Cosford before Christmas include the Wolverhampton built Boulton Paul Defiant M1, Junkers Ju 88R-1, Gloster Gladiator 1 and the Westland Lysander III.  Work is already underway at the museum’s London site to prepare the aircraft for transportation by road to Cosford.  Visitors will be able to see all of the new aircraft fully reassembled and in their new display positions by early 2017, with the exception of the Lysander which will spend a short period in the museum’s Conservation Centre before eventually going on display.

RAF Museum Cosford Curator, Al McLean said:

“This will be the first time that we have been able to display a Bf 109 in the War in the Air hangar at Cosford and appropriately it will be seen confronting a Hurricane and a Spitfire.”

The new aircraft arrivals will enable the RAF’s story to be more comprehensively represented to museum audiences in Shropshire, as the museum prepares to celebrate and commemorate the centenary of the Royal Air Force in 2018.  Whilst there are major transformations planned for the museum’s London site, some exciting additions for Cosford will include exploring the first 100 years of the RAF, the role it plays today and its future contributions, as well as sharing the story online with a global audience.

Aviation fans can keep up to date with the centenary aircraft moves and on-going developments by signing up to the museums free e-Newsletter http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/contact-us/newsletters.aspx

Entrance to the museum is free of charge and the museum is open daily from 10am until 4pm.  For further information, please visit the museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford.

All the right Con-chords will be played as this year’s Christmas Concerts return to the Fleet Air Arm Museum on 1^st and 2^nd December.

Visitors can join the HMS Heron Royal Navy Volunteer Band for the event, which takes place under the museum’s Concorde 002. The concert features several classics and festive numbers. Doors open at 6.30pm and the concert starts at 7.30pm.

General Manager of the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Marc Farrance, said: “Our Christmas Concerts are very popular and they’re held in such a unique setting – under the Concorde 002. We are delighted to host the HMS Heron Royal Navy Volunteer Band again this year.”

“The event has been incredibly popular in recent years. Last year we held it over two nights to make sure no one missed out on tickets and this year will be the same.”

Tickets are £12 each and include a mince pie and mulled wine on arrival. A bar and refreshments will also be available. It is strongly recommended that those wishing to go purchase their tickets in advance.

They can be purchased from the museum during normal opening hours, by calling 01935 840565 or online at www.fleetairarm.com

For more information about the HMS Heron Royal Navy Volunteer Band, please visit: http://www.hmsheronband.co.uk/

Tickets are now on sale for next year’s hugely anticipated Scampton Airshow!

Lincolnshire’s new airshow at RAF Scampton will take place on September 9-10 at the home of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team – The Red Arrows.

This exciting event, which will raise funds to support the RAF Charitable Trust, promises two fun-filled family days out eachfeaturing a spectacular five-hour flying display showcasing exciting aircraft from around the globe.

Airshow Director Paul Sall said that whilst it was too early to announce participating aircraft there was one display team he felt confident would star at the airshow. He said: “When looking at which exciting flying display participants we’d like to see featured at next September’s inaugural Scampton Airshow the Red Arrows naturally come top of our list. Like all other airshows, we will confirm next spring which UK and international aircraft will be taking part.”

It won’t all be about what’s going on in the skiesa bove Scampton. On the ground, visitors will be swept along on an aviation journey through the ages, from a nostalgic Vintage Village- offering access to the station’s Heritage Centre- through to interactive and engaging exhibits from across industry in the Techno Zone. There will also be the opportunity to learn about the modern-day Royal Air Force in the RAF Village where serving personnel will be on hand to give an insight into the many roles they perform.

Those looking to attend the show should note that tickets can only be purchased in advance at www.scamptonairshow.com. Tickets are priced at £39 withall under 16s able to enjoy the airshow free when accompanied by an adult ticket-holder.

Paul Salladded:“We think it’s important that every young person should have the opportunity to experience the magic of aviation,whether that’s in the air or on the ground. This is why Scampton Airshow admission will be free for all under 16s so as many as possible can enjoy a truly inspirational day out.”

Date: Sunday 13 November

Time: 10.30am

On Sunday 13 November, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will hold a Service of Remembrance, paying respect to those service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice during their tours of duty. 

Visitors who wish to pay their respects and reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave service men and women are invited to join the service, led by Rev (Sqn Ldr) Andrew J L Chapman, Station Chaplain RAF Cosford.    Those attending will also be treated to renditions from the Cosford Military Wives Choir, who will perform for visitors on arrival and during the service. 

The service will take place in the museum’s Hangar 1 and visitors are politely requested to assemble no later than 10:30am ready for the Service to commence at 10.45am.  As well as readings from museum volunteers, there will be hymns and the sounding of ‘The Last Post’, followed by a two minute silence.

RAF Museum Cosford Events Manager, Abi Betteridge says:

“The RAF Museum is a fitting location for this poignant occasion and we hope that local residents will choose to join us on Remembrance Sunday so we can remember together.  I would like to thank the Station Chaplain and the Cosford Military Wives Choir for their involvement in this years’ service. I’m sure visitors will enjoy the special service we have planned as well as the performances from the choir.”

 During the service, wreaths will be laid by representatives from RAF Cosford, the museum and a Second World War veteran in honour of those who have fallen in the line of duty. Following the service visitors are free to explore the museum at their own leisure.

If you would like to find out about Service Personnel who fell serving in the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force during the Great War of 1914 to 1918, or to dedicate a digital poppy, please visit the RAF Museum’s online story vault: www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk

The museum is open daily from 10am to 4pm and entry to the museum is FREE of charge.  For further information please visit www.rafmuseum.org/cosford.

The date of the 4^th / 5^th November 1944 is indeed remembered here at the Allied Air Forces Memorial, as it was the night of another heavy RAF Bomber Command raid on the German steel producing city of Bochum, which was of high importance to the Nazi war machine. It was the 150^th time the city had been visited by Bomber Command.

On this night, Bomber Command launched a raid of 749 aircraft from Nos. 1, 4,6 and 8 Groups, comprising of 384 Halifax bombers, 336 Lancaster’s and 29 Mosquito fighter / bombers upon the city. RAF Elvington, part of 4 Group, put up 25 aircraft from the two French Squadrons of 346 “Guyenne” and 347 “Tunisie”. For Guyenne Squadron, the night was to be particularly horrific, as, bringing up the final wave of the attack in the early hours of 5^th November, their 16 Halifax bombers were the most vulnerable to attack by enemy fighters. Consequently, they lost 5 aircraft, each with seven aircrew aboard, amounting to 35 men, no, friends, on this fateful night. Of these, 11 were taken as Prisoner of War after bailing out, one successfully evaded capture but the rest lost their lives. Interestingly, there was also a ‘passenger’ on board the aircraft of Commander Robert Baron (on his 26^th and last operation), this being Lt. Col. N. Dagan from the Free French Air Force HQ in Whitehall, who also lost his life. He was undertaking an assessment operation of a typical mission and the hazards encountered by aircrew.

It was the longest of nights for base Commander Puget, as he paced the floor of Elvington’s Control Tower, which still exists today, until it was clear that these aircraft were not coming home. It was the worst night of losses that the French were to endure during their service with Bomber Command.

The Allied Air Forces Memorial & Yorkshire Air Museum will be represented at the annual Mass commemorating this fateful mission, which takes place at the cathedral of Les Invalides, the Military Museum in the heart of Paris on 4^th November. Ian Reed, Museum Director, will make the journey to join members of Groupes Lourds, the French veterans association for the ceremony.

Ian Reed commented: “The memory of this raid is one of the factors that makes the following annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the French Memorial, Elvington, so important and poignant, and draws a significant contingent from France every year, gathering with the hundreds of villagers, Yorkshire Air Museum Members and military personnel from various nations who come to pay their respects to the fallen of all nations.”

The Service takes place at 11:00am on Sunday 13^th November, at the French Memorial, York Road, Elvington, with a later Service at the Station Chapel at the Yorkshire Air Museum at 13:30pm, which all our visitors are welcome to attend.

www.yorkshireairmuseum.org

Academics, military enthusiasts and interested members of the public are being invited to attend two forthcoming lectures next month, concluding the 2016 series of lectures from the Royal Air Force Museum’s Research Programme.

‘The Development of RAF Air Power Doctrine, 1999-2013’

Date: 10 November 2016

Time: 6.30pm

Cost: FREE

Location: University of Wolverhampton, MC001, Millennium City Building, Wolverhampton Campus.

The first of two lectures is being held on Thursday 10 November at the University of Wolverhampton and is a continuation of the joint partnership between the University’s Department of War Studies and the Royal Air Force Museum. This evening lecture commencing at 6.30pm will examine how the Royal Air Force has adapted to the post-Cold War strategic environment and the influencing factors that have contributed to the change in military doctrine. The lecture entitled ‘The Development of RAF Air Power Doctrine, 1999-2013’ will be presented by Dr Viktoriya Fedorchak, an independent researcher who recently completed her PhD on the subject.

Dr Viktoriya Fedorchak will discuss the variations in the RAF’s policies over the last two decades and the role it has played in the development of the Service’s doctrine and the evolution of air power. It will consider the four major factors in doctrine preparation; operational experience, internal politics, the role of academics and the doctrine writer. Furthermore, Dr Fedorchak will discuss how new campaigns provided operational lessons and how the shift from a single-service to a joint authorship resulted in the change of purpose and functionality.

Dr Peter Preston-Hough, from the University’s Department of History, Politics and War Studies, said:

“We’re delighted to be co-hosting this prestigious series of lectures, which continues to provide an interesting insight into this fascinating area of history. This lecture is a topical analysis of the RAF’s history during an important and very recent period of political and military change.”

‘Coming to Terms with the Air-Atomic Age’

Date: 18 November 2016

Time: 12.30pm

Cost: FREE

Location: RAF Museum Cosford, National Cold War Exhibition Lecture Theatre

On Friday 18 November, Colonel Edward A. Kaplan, Director of Aerospace Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College will be presenting the final Cold War lunchtime lecture, being held in the Museum’s lecture theatre at 12.30pm. Entitled ‘Coming to Terms with the Air-Atomic Age’ Colonel Kaplan looks at the notion that air power makes unique and potentially decisive contributions to national security and how this can have different meanings over time. He will illustrate these shifts using the history of the first twenty years of post-Second World War strategic air power, the “air-atomic age”.

He will explore the shift from an early air-atomic period where American strategic air power sought to destroy enemy industry, through a later period that prioritised blunting a Soviet nuclear offensive, to the rise of Mutually Assured Destruction. The latter idea abandoned conventional notions of victory and substituted signalling an enemy through violence with a final fallback of punishment. Civilians seized control of these air operations to support these efforts to signal or punish an enemy, undermining the professional standing of Airmen. As a result, airpower began a search for a new identity that ultimately led to the substitution of precision for blunt force and the restoration of operational control to professional Airmen.

Dr Ross Mahoney, RAF Museum Aviation Historian said:

“The final two lectures of the RAF Museum’s Research Programme for 2016 examine two fascinating areas related to the development and importance of air power on both sides of the Atlantic. They should be of interest to those interested in the development of air power since the Second World War to the present. Also, we are pleased to be running our Trenchard Lectures with our partners at the University of Wolverhampton who continue to support the series.” 

As spaces are limited to both lectures, organisers advise visitors to book their FREE tickets in advance via the museum’s website to avoid disappointment www.rafmuseum.org/cosford.  Additional information about both lectures and the Museum’s Research Programme is also available online.

Visitors arriving early for the ‘Coming to Terms with the Air-Atomic Age’ lecture being held at the museum’s Cosford site can also take up the opportunity to see inside the Museum’s Conservation Centre during the annual open week which runs from 14-19 November. Doors to the Conservation Centre open at 10.15am until 1.00pm and entry is just £5 per person. 

With the night’s drawing in, the countdown to Christmas has officially started and thoughts turn to buying those all-important gifts for your nearest and dearest.  At the risk of another year of repetitive run of the mill presents, the Royal Air Force Museum is offering you the chance to purchase the ultimate personalised gift for aviation fans and see their spirits soar this Christmas!

The museum has teamed up with the RAF’s official aerobatic team, The Red Arrows, to give aviation lovers from across the globe the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to place their name on one of the UK’s most iconic aircraft, a Red Arrows Hawk Jet, from a donation of just £30.  Quite literally, the name you choose to add to the jet will fly across the globe in 2017 during a season of flying displays, in the build up to the RAF’s centenary in 2018.

So why not think outside of the box this year? Think high-flying and make your Christmas gift the one that stands out from the rest and one that continues to give past Christmas Day.  The ‘Names on a Plane’ gift will become part of the RAF’s 100 year history and will have a lasting legacy at the RAF Museum’s newly transformed London site.  For years to come, recipients can search for their names on the digital wall, surrounded by iconic and historic aircraft, a collection of rare artefacts and personal stories from those who have served in the oldest and longest serving air force in the world. 

At a price that won’t break the Christmas gift budget, from a donation of just £30 you will also receive a gift certificate confirming your chosen name and a beautifully presented commemorative RAF Bluey (specially made airmail letters for sending to and from the Forces) with a special message from the Red Arrows.  In addition, those with their ‘Names on a Plane’ will receive an exclusive app in Spring 2017, enabling them to locate where their name is positioned on the jet.  Recipients will also receive regular behind the scenes updates from members of the Red Arrows Team during their 2017 tour.

Whether it’s a gift for a plane crazy youngster, a passionate aviation fan, friends and relatives who are currently serving in her majesty’s armed forces or a personal tribute to honour and remember a loved one, this unique and memorable gift is one to cherish, whilst also raising money for charity.  Take comfort in knowing that your charity donation this Christmas is an opportunity to support and be part of Britain’s only national museum dedicated wholly to telling the story of the RAF and its people.

If you want to make your ‘Names on a Plane’ gift extra special, for an additional donation optional extras can include a personalised die-cast Corgi Red Arrow Hawk Jet with your chosen name, the perfect bespoke keep sake!  Plus a complimentary one year RAF Museum membership package, packed with added benefits at both the museum London and Cosford sites and a limited edition ‘Names on a Plane’ pin badge.  Order by 10am on 12 December for guaranteed Christmas delivery for UK orders, but don’t panic if you’re making last minute purchases beyond this date, the instant gift certificate means you can present this to your loved one and still surprise them on the big day, available until 31 December.

All proceeds from the ‘Names on a Plane’ packages will support the RAF Museum (registered charity number 244708) and it’s RAF Centenary Programme, celebrating and commemorating the centenary of the Royal Air Force in 2018. 

To purchase your exclusive Christmas gift, be part of something special and to help us tell the stories of past and present personnel visit www.namesonaplane.org for details of the naming packages available which start from donations of just £30.