SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – Direct from the UK – DEC. 14, 2023 Major Donation from the RAF Museum to the Bomber Command Museum of Canada ”Halifax Project”

As your Curator and Halifax Project Manager we are searching worldwide to recover and restore a Halifax heavy bomber for our national memorial museum, BCMC, in Nanton, Alberta.

It is my pleasure to now announce a great donation by the Royal Air Force Museum – a right-hand Hastings outer wing panel – which is the same design as the Halifax outer wing panels except for the aileron attachment points.

After weeks and months of negotiations between BCMC and the RAF Museum – handled in the main by Harry Raffal – Head of Collections and myself as Halifax Project Manager, this ”new” wing section is a great donation to our project and a BIG leap forward in our progress.

Time constraints were tight just before Christmas but thanks to Harry and his team today we were able to bring this wing out of long-term storage at Cosford and transport it to Thirsk, Yorkshire – all thanks to our crane team and our sponsoring transport company ”POTTER PLANT HIRE” and president Giles.

How do you extract a 25 foot wing weighing 1,900 pounds from a big RAF storage hangar, —- with expert help and very carefully. Well done lads.
Today was that exciting day as we lifted – loaded – transported this SECOND 25 foot wing for our Halifax Project from RAF Museum Midlands in Cosford to the storage facility of Patrick Smart at Maddison 4X4 in Thirsk, UK.

At Patrick’s shop we will build the steel shipping cradle needed to hold this RIGHT wing, as the LEFT wing is already prepared in its cradle.

WHY the steel cradles for BOTH of these wings — over 50 feet of outer wing for our Halifax — because the RCAF will be airlifting these 2 wing panels direct from the UK to RCAF TRENTON, Ontario in the weeks ahead.

From there the wings will be going to our Halifax rebuildshop in Arnprior, Ontario – see the Facebook page called ”REBUILDSHOP” to see all of our Halifax rebuild magic performed by KNOX TECH — https://www.facebook.com/rebuildshopKT

See the photos and video of working on this little darling addition today, coming to Canada soon.
Our sincere thanks again to the RAF Museum and their great team for donating this treasure to us for the Halifax.

This is a great example of museums helping museums while sharing and saving our aviation history together.
regards, Karl – Curator

www.rafmuseum.org

We promised you a special announcement this month, and here it is…

We’re pleased to announce our first confirmed aircraft for RIAT 2024, in the shape of the McDonnell Douglas CF-188A Hornet from the Royal Canadian Air Force!

The display will be part of our celebrations of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Centennial at RIAT 2024. This will also include a themed static display area on the showground itself.

Regular weekly announcements won’t start up properly until next year, but you can check out more on our Canadian Centennial theme on our website here.

Be sure to secure your place at this year’s show, treat yourself and the family this Christmas with some tickets to RIAT.

www.airtattoo.com/tickets-packages

Packed full of firm favourites and some brand-new events, Brooklands Museum’s programme is set to provide many memorable days out throughout the year for all ages.

Our ever-popular New Year’s Day Classic Gathering kick-starts the season, the first of three Classic Gatherings in 2024. The second is the recently established Easter Classic Gathering on 30 March and later the Summer Classic Gathering & Autojumble on 28 July, where enthusiasts can grab a bargain amongst the large array of trade stands.

Vintage and veteran motoring fans will be able to enjoy watching competitors tackle complicated courses in the Vintage Sports-Car Club’s annual Driving Tests taking place on 28 January. Later, the Brooklands’ Double 12 weekend will see the Mercedes-Benz World track packed with action on 15 June, and then step back in time to Brooklands’ hey-day, with Brooklands Double 12 Relived on 16 June. Featuring Driving Tests on the Finishing Straight, Pride of Brooklands Concours and Test Hill ascents, alongside vintage themed music, costume and food, the spirit of Brooklands will be well and truly reignited.

There will also be plenty of celebration events this year including the Brooklands Sunbeam 100 on 17 March, to celebrate the centenary of the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club, where all pre 1940s motorcycles will be welcomed to join in the spectacle. 60 Years of Ford Mustang will be held on 20 April which would also welcome all American vehicles and the MG Centenary will be on 19 May.

As always, Brooklands Museum will be celebrating the best of manufacturing from around the world as it hosts event days for specific nation’s marques with key favourites Italian Car Day on 4 May and American Day on 1 September. Following successful events last year French Day will be returning on 11 August and German Day will be on 29 September. See the site filled with amazing marques, complimented with busy trade and food stands along with entertainment to make for a fun day out with friends and families alike.

Our younger fans will be in for a treat with Paddington Bear making special guest appearances at Best of British on 27 May, which will combine the best of British manufacturing alongside traditional British family entertainment. Following Working Vehicles Day’s inaugural event last year, where the site was filled with working machines such as tractors, mobile cranes, airfield vehicles and more, the beloved children’s character Bluey will be joining us for special guest appearances on 20 July. And not forgetting the yearly favourite Emergency Services Day on 15 September, giving everyone a chance to thank the everyday heroes of our country, with PAW Patrol’s Skye, Chase and Marshall coming back to say hello.

All the usual favourites including Mini Day on 24 March, Motorcycle Day on 7 July and Autumn Motorsport Day 13 October are in the diary alongside London Bus Museum’s three popular events – Spring Gathering, 14 April, Summer Festival, 23 June and Transportfest, 20 October.

Explore the full calendar to see all the other events that will be taking place including fly ins, talks and club meets, and enjoy all the fun activities on offer during the school holidays for families to enjoy.

Furthermore, we are excited to announce we are reducing our child ticket in the New Year to under £10 when booked in advance. Or there’s our amazing value membership where you can enjoy unlimited admission all year round including our large list of events. Plus, there are a range of benefits including a bi-monthly magazine and discounts on member talks to name a few, and as a registered charity and protected heritage site, a Brooklands membership goes a long way in helping preserve the original home of British motorsport and aviation.

Plan your 2024 calendar and fill it with fantastic memories at Brooklands.

www.brooklandsmuseum.com

Following several recent bequests and donations of aviation books the Newark Air Museum has decided to host a special Autumn Aviation Book Sale on Saturday 16th December 2023 from 10.30am until 2.30pm in the Volunteer Crewroom at the main museum site.

The museum regularly receives offers of donations; however, that lack of appropriate storage space means that not all ‘donations’ can be automatically accepted. When they are accepted, it is on the basis that books that duplicate anything already held in the collection can be sold to raise funds, with the item that is in a better condition being the one that is retained.

There are over 200 books that will be available for sale and these have all been accepted on the conditions mentioned above. ALL items will be sold as seen and the museum is unable to arrange for any mail order despatch of these items, or provide detailed lists of what is available. Cash sales are preferred for this Pre-Owned Aviation Book Sale.

There will be no admission fee due for people just wanting to view and purchase books. Normal museum admission fees will need to be paid for anyone wishing to view our displays, and visit the café. There are toilet facilities in the Volunteer Crewroom and shoppers are welcome to visit the Museum Shop on the usual basis.

www.newarkairmuseum.org

Hurry up… not long left to grab 15% off enclosures ?

On the 2nd January ’24, our 15% discount offers will end on ALL enclosures.

Aviation Club – already SOLD OUT Saturday
First Class Lounge also SOLD OUT Saturday and Sunday fast on its heels
Cotswold Club – almost gone ?

Why not secure a bird’s eye view of aircraft taking off, whilst relaxing in a vibrant atmosphere in one of our grandstands? Or enjoy the café style ambiance of our newest enclosure ‘The Wingtip Garden’.

RIAT24 will return on 19th, 20th and 21st July. For more information on our hospitality packages click here. See you at RIAT 24.

On 22 December 2022 Airscene had the chance to preview the new exhibition at the Cambridgeshire branch of the Imperial War Museum. Following on from the success of last year’s popular display of 12 Supermarine Spitfires, this year, the famous Duxford Aerodrome is playing host to a unique collection of Hawker Hurricanes, the unsung hero of the Battle of Britain. The exhibition brings together seven unique and airworthy examples of the Hurricane alongside examples of the Hawker Fury, Nimrod and Hart biplanes – all of which provided the blueprint for the monoplane Hurricane.

During the Battle of Britain, Hurricanes outnumbered Spitfires consistently by two to one. Designed by Sydney Camm, the chief designer at Hawker Aircraft Ltd, the Hurricane would prove to be the workhorse of Fighter Command. With the dawn of the 1930s, the Air Ministry decided to issue a specification for a new high-speed monoplane fighter. These new fighters would require the capability to fly at 250mph while armed with four machine guns. Camm initially presented two designs to the Air Ministry, but both were rejected due to their cautious approach. Undeterred, and without any government backing, he decided to pursue his designs further. The result was the ‘Fury’ monoplane, a development of Camm’s earlier Fury biplane.

The Fury monoplane was ready for flight when the Air Ministry released a revised specification for the new fighters. They would now need to carry eight machine guns instead of four. Rather than allow for a complete overhaul, Camm simply fitted a new pair of wings capable of carrying the extra weight. The Hurricane was born. Despite the hundreds of hours invested in its design, the Hurricane retained many features of its biplane forefathers. It had a wooden frame constructed around a wire-based framework of metal tubes. Over this was stretched fabric, painted thickly with lacquer to stiffen, and protect it.

This marriage of old and new was ingenious. The Hurricane was economic, easy to produce and easy to maintain. Its fabric and wooden frame was less susceptible to enemy cannon fire than all-metal constructions. Shells would simply pass through instead of exploding on impact. Moreover, the Hurricane was easy to repair. RAF mechanics were already well trained in how to service aircraft of its more old-fashioned construction. By contrast, the stressed-metal construction of the Spitfire required skilled training.

The Hurricane was also extremely effective in battle. Its eight guns were fixed as two groups of four as close as possible to the fuselage. This made it perfectly suited to tackling the waves of German bombers it would soon be faced with. The first protype, K5083, flew at Brooklands on 6 November 1935. It was piloted by George Bulman, Hawker’s chief test pilot. Bulman was impressed by how easy the aircraft was to fly. Seven months later, the RAF placed an initial order for 600 Hurricanes. The most numerous RAF fighter during the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane equipped 33 squadrons by September 1940.
During the battle, Hurricanes accounted for 656 German aircraft shot down – more than the Spitfire’s total of 529. Between 30 July and 16 September 1940, 404 Hurricanes were destroyed.

The exhibition features four Mk I Hurricanes (P3717, V497, P2902, R4118), a Mk IIa Hurricane (5711, marked as R4175) and a Mk IIb Hurricane (1374, painted as BE505). The later of which has recently been fitted out as a two-seater and can be booked for passenger flights. The Shuttleworth Collections Sea Hurricane (Z7015) will join the collection in the new year once maintenance is complete. Alongside the Hurricanes you can also see Hawker Fury Mk I (K5674) and the unrestored airframe of a Hawker Hind (L7181). You can also see the Imperial War Museums own Mk Ia Spitfire offering a comparison between the two iconic fighters. Currently, a Hawker Nimrod is filling the space that will eventually be occupied by the Sea Hurricane.

To learn more, visit Hurricane: Unsung Hero, opening 27 December 2022 at IWM Duxford. Also, look out for several celebratory events around the exhibition, including a day with Airfix on 15 January, an evening photoshoot on 4th February and a full day of Hurricane history for the Hurricane Conference on 18 February. Check out the Imperial War museums website for further details;
https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/Hurricane-unsung-hero

The RAF Museum is delighted to announce that we have been granted the Royal Charter in our 50th birthday year.

On Monday 12th December,  the Representative Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Barnet, Martin Russell and the RAF Museum Chair, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, formally unveiled our Royal Charter, which is now on public display in our newly refurbished entrance to our Hangar 3 entrance at London.

The Royal Charter was granted by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who also officially opened the Museum in 1972.

Maggie Appleton, Chief Executive Officer, RAF Museum said:
‘It is a great honour to have been granted a Royal Charter by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. All the Museum team – Trustees, staff and volunteers – are incredibly grateful for this recognition. We are inspired even further to fulfil our dual role as a National Museum and community resource and partner, collecting and sharing globally significant stories for and with everyone.’

What is a Royal Charter?
A Royal Charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch which confers an independent legal personality on an organisation and defines its objectives, constitution and powers to govern its own affairs. Incorporation by Charter is a prestigious way of acquiring legal personality and reflects the high status of that body.

Only pre-eminent leaders in their field are granted this honour and Charter status provides an appropriate governance structure for the future and is an affirmation of the national importance of the Museum.
According to the Privy Council there are now over one thousand Royal chartered bodies. The first ever organisation to receive a Royal Charter was the Weavers Company in 1155. This year, the RAF Museum became the 1,038th company to receive their charter. Other famous fellow chartered bodies include the BBC, the British Red Cross and the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

How did the Museum receive the Royal Charter?
The Royal Charter was granted to the Museum in recognition of its objectives to educate and inform the public and members of the RAF about the history and traditions of the RAF; and
the role of the RAF in relation to the armed forces of the realm, other air forces and aviation.

Applications for a Royal Charter take the form of a formal Petition to The Sovereign in Council. The Museum’s own petition included signatures from five previous RAF Chiefs of Air Staff
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Johns (1997-2000); Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy (2006-2009); Air Chief Marshal Sir Andy Pulford (2013 – 2016); Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier (2016-2019) and Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston – Chief of the Air Staff incumbent.

Original support was given by the Museum’s former Royal Patron, His Late Royal Highness Prince Philip.

www.rafmuseum.org

The Royal Air Force Museum is delighted to announce it has been awarded investment from The National Lottery Heritage Lottery Fund for its Inspiring Everyone: RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme.

This ambitious project will deliver a major regional engagement programme, alongside a site transformation. An immersive exhibition will explore today’s RAF, a new Learning Centre will provide bespoke facilities, and a purpose-built Collections Hub will enable the Museum’s stored collection to be shared with the public for the first time. The complementary development of a woodland landscape and new public realm will encourage outdoor learning, discovery, and contemplation.

The transformation will be underpinned by, and feed into, activities that welcome more of our communities to use the RAF Museum and RAF Story as a resource, enabling us to play a more impactful role across the Midlands. The project has been designed with inclusion at its heart, with a multi-strand engagement programme that has opportunities for co-creation throughout, helping us engage with a wider range of visitors and ensure our offer is relevant for everyone.

The project will also support the Museum to achieve its commitment to Carbon Net Zero by 2030. Throughout the programme, we will learn alongside the RAF, working with their environmental think tank to invest in sustainable technologies and operations.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s investment is a significant contribution towards the Museum’s fundraising campaign for the project, and will enable the Museum to progress plans, working with local communities to develop partnerships, programming and designs for the new spaces and exhibitions.

To deliver our vision of ‘Inspiring everyone with the RAF Story’, the Museum’s bold plans include delivery of a new innovative nationally relevant exhibition focusing on the critical role of the RAF over the past 40 years. Engaging and interactive displays will invite visitors to discover more about the RAF’s mission today and how the service will need to adapt in the future. Artefacts ranging from aircraft to films will be selected with community partners and multisensory display interpretation will be developed through co-design. By engaging audiences with wide ranging interests and backgrounds in the development process, the Museum will deliver storytelling that better reflects the diverse communities across the region.

A purpose-built Collections Hub will enable the Museum to conserve and care for more than 65,000 objects, currently held in storage offsite. The Collections Hub will provide an opportunity to share the stored collections with visitors for the first time, supporting a broad programme of engagement and skills-sharing with activities including conservation, research, digitisation, and collections-inspired creative sessions. One of the first uses of the Hub will be as a venue for volunteering, preparing objects for the new exhibition.

Working closely with young people and partners, the Museum will design a new Learning Centre with bespoke facilities dedicated to the development and delivery of lifelong learning programmes, with an increased capacity to engage with a wider audience than ever before. The new learning spaces will enable exploration, discovery and debate, and ignite visitors’ curiosity, both in STEM subjects as well as art, history and design. Learning programmes will support the development of new and existing skills while improving the wellbeing of participants through targeted activities onsite in the new centre, outreach activities and online.

The visitor experience will be enhanced with a new woodland area and public realm, to encourage outdoor learning, discovery, and contemplation. The new greener landscape will provide an opportunity for carbon capture, increasing biodiversity and creating spaces where visitors, staff and volunteers can improve their physical and mental health while supporting the Museum’s Carbon Net Zero target of 2030.

RAF Museum CEO, Maggie Appleton said:
‘I’d like to thank The National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of all our staff, volunteers and Trustees for the generous support they have given us – we could not be happier! We’re one step closer to our ambitious plans becoming a reality, made possible thanks to National Lottery players. Over the coming months we will continue to work closely with our local communities to develop the project, ensuring we deliver spaces that will make a vital and positive change to people’s lives across the Midlands and beyond.’

The project will be supported by a number of funders including The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as the RAF Museum’s own investment. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has generously supported the RAF Museum’s application for £5m at first round towards its £22.1m RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme. The Museum will now enter into a development phase, before building work commences in early 2025, and is expected to be complete by summer 2027.

To find out more about the redevelopment project and how you can get involved, visit www.rafmuseum.org/midlands. The Museum is open daily from 10am and admission is free.

On the weekend of 11th/12th February 2023 it will be forty (40) years since Avro Vulcan XM594 landed (actual landing date 07.02.83) on the former wartime runway at Winthorpe Showground to go on display at the Newark Air Museum, 2023 it is also the 60th anniversary of its entry into RAF service.

To mark the anniversary, the museum trustees will allow members of the museum’s Cockpit Opening Team to provide FREE cockpit access to the Vulcan on the weekend – this will be available for visitors who pay to come into the museum and who advise the museum in advance of their plan to participate.

The museum will be open from 1000 to 1600 hours, with last admissions to the site being at 1500 hours. Admission costs to the museum site are: Adults £10.00, Over 60s £9.00 and Children £5.50.

The museum trustees anticipate that this will be a popular event, so to try and ensure that people have sufficient time inside the cockpit and that they are not waiting around outside, they are implementing a timed ticket system for going on board Vulcan XM594.

To help the museum formulate the timed ticket schedule they need to hear from people who plan to visit on the weekend and we would ask them to email in the following bits of information by 1600 hours on 1st February 2023: Estimated arrival time and The likely number of people in your group & their approximate ages

Once this information has been submitted the museum will draw up the timed visit schedule for people to go on board XM594 and notify people of their allocated time. The museum does reserve the right to close the offer before the stated date if the uptake is so great that it cannot cope with the number of visitors requesting the free access to the Vulcan. Further details will be posted on the News & Information page of the museum website at www.newarkairmuseum.org

Please be aware that because of the restricted space in the cockpit the Vulcan can only take 3-4 people at a time; please also be aware that access to the Vulcan is also dependent on a height restriction and visitors to the aircraft will have to be at least 1.00m (one metre) in height.

If you would like to look inside the Vulcan for FREE on the weekend please send the museum an email with the requested information via admin@newarkairmuseum.org to indicate your interest, and please state “FREE Vulcan 40th Anniversary Visit” in the subject / topic section of your email.

In addition, a series of talks by ex-Vulcan aircrew is planned to take place throughout the weekend – further details will follow.

Of course a donation towards museum funds would always be appreciated for anyone taking part in this activity!!

www.newarkairmuseum.org

The Imperial War Museum based at the historic Duxford airfield will play host to a brand new exhibition featuring the largest collection of Supermarine Spitfires under one roof in modern times. Duxford is often referred to as “the home of the spitfire”, it was the base from which the first RAF squadron received the aircraft in 1938. Today the museum still boasts the largest range of different Spitfire marks anywhere in the world and, from 27 December 2021 until 20 February 2022, Spitfire: Evolution of an Icon will present the largest exhibition of these historic aircraft. Bringing together 12 Spitfires of varying marks together in IWM Duxford’s AirSpace hall, the exhibition – free with entry to the museum – will demonstrate how the iconic warbird evolved throughout the Second World War.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of tours, talks, events and family activities which will delve deeper into the Spitfire’s history. Characterised by its graceful curves, elliptical wings and powerful Rolls Royce engine, the Spitfire has remained a British icon since its heroic efforts in the Battle of Britain in 1940. A familiar site across the skies over Duxford, Spitfire: Evolution of an Icon will see 12 Spitfires brought together to show how this aircraft underwent continual refinement in order to keep pace with German aircraft development.

Alongside IWM’s own iconic Mk Ia Spitfire – one of few remaining airworthy Spitfires to have seen conflict in the Second World War – there will also be Mk V, Mk IX and Mk XIV among the most noteworthy. Visitors will also find information about each aircraft and how the Spitfire cemented its place in history as one of the greatest fighter aircraft of all time. The full list of the 12 spitfires is:

1. Spitfire Mk I N3200
2. Spitfire Mk I AR213
3. Spitfire Mk Vb BM597
4. Spitfire LF Mk Vb EP120
5. Spitfire Mk Vc JG891
6. Spitfire Mk IXb MH434
7. Spitfire Mk VIIIc MV194
8. Spitfire T Mk IX PV202 or PT462 (depending on flying/conservation needs)
9. Spitfire PR Mk XI PL983
10. Spitfire Mk XIVe RN201
11. Spitfire FR Mk XIVe MV293
12. Spitfire Mk 22 PK624 (undergoing restoration)

This exhibition has been made possible thanks to several private owners who have loaned their Spitfire to IWM for the duration of the exhibit. IWM Curator, Adrian Kerrison, said, “The Spitfire became synonymous with hope and protection as the threat of German invasion loomed heavy over Britain. The aircraft captured the hearts of the home front to such an extent that members of the public from across Britain and the Commonwealth would dig deep into their own pockets to fund their production, and the love for them has not subsided since they were first produced. It’s a great honour for us at IWM Duxford to know that we were not only the location from which the first operational Spitfire squadron flew, but that now we can bring together so many of them in one place for the first time and enable visitors to get up close and learn more about this icon of victory.” Spitfire: Evolution of an Icon will be open to general admission visitors to IWM Duxford from 27 December 2021 with associated events and activities taking place for the duration of the exhibition, enabling visitors to learn more about this legend of the skies.

Family Activities
New for winter 2021, Spitfire Engineers will give families the chance to complete activities and learn about the design of the Spitfire, its engineering principles, and the forces of flight. From wing design to fuel consumption, find out more from IWM’s knowledgeable team and take part in hands on challenges to discover how the Spitfire became a force to be reckoned with in the skies.

 Tours and Talks
Twice a week for the duration of the exhibition expert guides will be running an Evolution of an Icon: The Spitfire Exhibition Tour. Priced at £10, this 60-minute in-depth tour will offer the chance to discover more about the development of the Spitfire and look at examples highlighting the evolution of this historic machine whilst getting up close to displayed aircraft. On Wednesday 29 December there will also be the chance to delve into the Spitfire’s history from the comfort of your own home with the one-off Introduction to an Icon which will use IWM’s extensive photo archive to introduce the history and development of the Spitfire and look at the tied history between Duxford and this famous aircraft.

In-the Cockpit Experiences
For just £45 visitors will also be able to Join an expert guide and sit inside the cockpit of the airworthy Mk 1 Spitfire N3200, which flew with 19 Squadron from Duxford. Guests will first explore the history and restoration of the aircraft, followed by 15 minutes inside the cockpit, complete with photo opportunities, learning the controls and immersing themselves in the conditions experienced by those who flew them.

Airfix Event
On 9 January 2022 the museum will host an all-day event explores the design process behind Airfix’s iconic modelling kits. Airfix Product Designers will discuss the research, design and production methods they use, and an IWM expert will take visitors behind the ropes of Spitfire: Evolution of an Icon and observe the intricate details of the aircraft up close. Tickets for this event will be £35 and can be booked via the IWM website.

Photography
ON 19th February 2022 the museum will host a unique evening photoshoot; ‘Duxford in a Different Light’, following the first successful night photography event in 2020. All twelve Spitfires gathered for the exhibition will be lit by white and coloured lights throughout the evening and complete re-enactors from living history groups. Tickets cost £75 and include admission to the site from 3:30pm.

www.iwm.org.uk

(article by Lee Chapman)