Tag: February

City Bridge Trust aids Museum engage older visitors

City Bridge Trust

The RAF Museum London is pleased to announce that the City Bridge Trust has donated £87,600 towards its program to engage older visitors.

City Bridge Trust is the grant-making arm of Bridge House Estates, whose sole trustee is the City of London Corporation. It supports London’s charities and provides grants totaling around £15 million annually.

In December of last year HRH the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh conducted the official opening of a new permanent exhibition at the Royal Air Force Museum London entitled ‘First World War in the Air.’ The exhibition was funded by the HLF with support from BAE Systems and encompasses a four year long program of supporting events.

The funds from City Bridge Trust will be used to ensure a run of events and activities to support the First World War exhibition which are specifically targeted at an older audience. It will also fund three posts Education Officer, Community Development Officer and Volunteer Co-ordinator, all of which encourage a wider engagement with the Museum’s audiences

Jeremy Mayhew, Chairman of the City Bridge Trust, said: “The Royal Air Force has played a vital role in British military history – and the Royal Air Force Museum offers people, of all ages, a great opportunity to learn about that role; this is an excellent national resource which can be used to connect and engage with an older audience, who are also in a position to share their knowledge of history with younger generations. We are delighted that our grant will enable more older people to get involved in a number of aspects of the Museum’s activities – including its work with schools, both as visitors and volunteers.”

Karen Whitting, Director Public Programmes RAF Museum: “We are delighted to receive this grant from City Bridge Trust which will enable us to widen and develop our relationship with more mature audiences. As we near the Centenary of the RAF itself, it is of utmost importance to engage the different generations whose lives have been touched by the work of the Service and the bravery and sacrifice of its men and women.”

www.rafmuseum.org

Vulcan Set To Roar Again At Air Day

Vulcan at Yeovilton Air Day

XH558, the world’s only flying Avro Vulcan ‘V-bomber’, is RNAS Yeovilton Air Day’s first confirmed flying display participant. Now 55 years old, this thunderous Cold War icon will be among the largest, heaviest and noisiest types involved in this year’s show on Saturday 11 July.

XH558 is a globally unique survivor and has brought Air Day to a standstill on each of its previous appearances at RNAS Yeovilton. As before, the sensational Vulcan will perform a spectacular, roaring air display and will also be present on the ground. This will allow visitors to enjoy a close-up guided ‘under-wing’ tour – an attraction offered by few other airshows. With 2015 marking XH558’s last planned display season, this really could be one of the last chance opportunities to see this famed and hugely popular type in South West England.

The Vulcan’s RAF career peaked during the 1982 Falkland’s Conflict when the type’s famous Black Buck missions became the longest bombing raids in history. Many squadrons from RNAS Yeovilton also played a hugely significant role as part of the Royal Navy task force sent to regain the Falkland Islands.

RNAS Yeovilton Air Day 2015’s main theme marks 75 years since the Air Station was commissioned as HMS Heron on 18 June 1940. A large gathering of aircraft types with past RNAS Yeovilton connections is planned to mark this anniversary.

Advance tickets priced at £20 (adults) and £6 (children 5-15 yrs) are now available to order from www.royalnavy.mod.uk/yeovilton-airday.

Monospar Update 2015

Newark Air Museum Monospar

In recent weeks good progress has been made on applying the polyester fabric to the complex latticework structure of the starboard wing of General Aircraft Monospar VH-UTH at Newark Air Museum.

The work is being undertaken in the museum’s on-site workshop by museum members who developed their fabric application techniques on the project during 2014.

The innovative yet complex structure of the Monospar wing can be seen through the recently applied fabric and by looking inside the covered wing. As the warmer weather approaches the work will be progressed and a top coat of paint applied.

As previously reported some work is still to be completed on the ‘top hat’ longerons on the Monospar fuselage, but once this has been undertaken the fuselage fabric will also be applied.

All of the rebuild work on the General Aircraft Monospar VH-UTH at Newark Air Museum is being without any working drawings or airframe plans.

www.newarkairmuseum.org

Yorkshire Air Museum 2015 Events

Thunder Day

2015 Event Programme

Fri. 13th March Night Shoot – “Friday the 13” Special, also featuring the Douglas Dakota; De Havilland Devon and Mosquito Nightfighter. Pre-booked Ticket only. SOLD OUT!!!

Sat. 11th April “Rolling Thunder Day” – Fast jet taxy runs celebrating 5th Anniversary of Nimrod XV250 arriving at YAM. Propeller driven aircraft start-ups.

Air Transport Auxiliary Association Memorial Plaque Unveiling.

Sat 9th / Sun 10th May Battlegroup North. Annual gathering of Historic Military Vehicles, Wargaming Show and Living History Displays celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Victory in Europe and 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

4th – 7th June RAF Museum Hendon’s Collections Handling Tour.

Sun. 7th June “Thunder Day”. On site aircraft engine starts of the jet and propeller driven aircraft.

Thur. 25th June Inspirations STEM Education Challenge.

Sat. 11th July Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club (Yorkshire Branch) Driving Day. 30 + Rolls Royce cars.

Sun. 26th July “Golden Era” Vintage Motorcycle Run. Gathering of pre-1931 motorcycles.

Sun. 2nd August “Thunder Day”. On site jet and propeller driven aircraft engine runs.

Mon. 31st August “Rolling Thunder Day”. Fast jet taxy runs & propeller driven aircraft starts.

Sun. 6th September Allied Air Forces Memorial Day. Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary.

Sun. 4th October Classic Bus Rally – Thornes Independent Coaches classic bus gathering.

Sun. 8th November Remembrance Sunday. Services at the French Memorial, Elvington Village and YAM Station Chapel.

Note – wherever possible, events will feature flypasts by historic aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Some events may be charged at different rates – Battlegroup North and Thunder Days £10 Adults, £8 Concession and £5 Child. For the Rolling Thunder events, an Airfield Viewing pass will be available.

www.yorkshireairmuseum.org

Open Cockpits Evening tickets go on sale

RAF Cosford Open Cockpits Evening

Date: 15-16 May and 18-19 September

Time: 6.00pm to 9.00pm

Cost: £12.50 per person

Tickets for the popular aviation enthusiasts’ event ‘Open Cockpits Evening’ at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, are now on sale through the Museum’s website. Just 300 tickets per evening will be available for this exclusive event, where a wide range of aircraft will be available for close viewing on the night: including transport aircraft, jet fighters and unique research airframes.

The event has been a complete sell out for three consecutive years and to help cope with demand, organisers have doubled the number of evenings. The event, which is held twice a year in May and September, will now run on a Friday and Saturday evening giving twice as many aviation fans the chance to sit inside some of the world’s most iconic aircraft.

Visitors will be able to get a feel for what it was like to fly these much loved machines by entering their cockpits and, in addition to this, will have exclusive after-hours access to the Museum which displays a collection of over 70 aircraft, military vehicles, engines and aviation artefacts within three wartime hangars and the award-winning National Cold War Exhibition.

Aircraft confirmed for close viewing in the May event include the Gloster Meteor F8 Prone Position. This post-World War Two fighter jet was used to evaluate the advantages of coping with the effects of gravity while flying lying down. In practice the difficulties of operating the controls of the aircraft outweighed the advantages. Other highlights include access inside the giant Lockheed Hercules C130K Mk3. This troop transport, disaster relief and aerial tanker aircraft has been a mainstay of the RAF transport fleet since the late 1960s and has seen extensive operational use including the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan. Visitors to Open Cockpits Evening will also have the rare chance to sit inside the General Dynamics F-111F-CF, the first variable-geometry combat aircraft to enter service. This two-seat fighter-bomber saw extensive service during the Vietnam War and also served with US forces and the Royal Australian Air Force.

RAF Museum Cosford Curator Al McLean said:

“We are pleased to be able to provide this opportunity to see inside the cockpits of several of the museum’s unique aircraft as well as some of the ones that are more familiar and that, for some, may bring back memories.”

The evening will commence at 6.00pm and finish at 9.00pm, with numbers onto the Museum site strictly limited to 300 people – providing enthusiasts with three hours to examine the Museum’s historic and wondrous aircraft in an exclusive environment. The Museum is advising aviation fans to book early to avoid disappointment. Admission is by advance ticket only; tickets cost £12.50 per person and are now available to purchase through the Museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford. Lightning Members price £10.00 per ticket (please note membership cards will need to be shown on entry to the event). Parking charges are included in the ticket price. Minimum height restrictions of 1.07 metres will apply.

The Museum will close at 5.00pm on each ‘Open Cockpit Evening’ in order to set up for the event. A detailed list of aircraft open on the September evenings will be issued nearer the time.

Calling all past employees of the Fleet Air Arm Museum PR

Fleet Air Arm Museum 1960's

It’s 50 years since the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton first opened its doors to the general public.

The Museum was formally opened on May 28th 1964 by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Naval Air Service, the predecessor of the Fleet Air Arm.

Over the ensuing years, the Museum has expanded to become the largest Naval Aviation Museum in Europe and the second largest worldwide.

In 1964 when the Museum was first opened, its single hangar contained eight aircraft. Four years later there were ten and by 1973, there were 18.

Today, the Fleet Air Arm Museum is one of the Museums which comprise the National Museum of the Royal Navy. It houses over ninety aircraft, 2 million documents, 800,000 photographs and 30,000 artefacts and is one of the leading tourist attractions in the South West, welcoming over 100,000 visitors every year from around the world and attracting the highest approval ratings from Visit England.

The Museum has seen many milestone events during the last half century, from visits from the Royal Family, Prime Ministers and politicians to the flying-in of Britain’s first Concorde and the opening of the award winning Aircraft Carrier Experience which replicates life on board HMS Ark Royal. The Museum’s aircraft conservation work has been recognised around the world as leading the way in conservation techniques.

As part of the Museum’s 50th birthday celebrations all staff and previous employees are invited to reunite at a celebratory gathering which will take place on Wednesday 28th May commencing 3pm.

If you worked at the Fleet Air Arm Museum and would like to attend, please contact Sue Wilson 01935 842624 suew@fleetairarm.com.

Says Sue Wilson, “We’d love to see as many past employees as possible but I’d like to know they are coming before they arrive or there might not be enough cake to go around!”

IWM Duxford commemorates the 70th anniversary of D-Day

William Bray by Robin Savage

IWM Duxford commemorates the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings with a range of events, family activities, exhibitions and digital resources which explore the preparations for the invasion of Normandy and the final decisive D-Day mission.

Personal stories come to the fore as we look at the many individual contributions that combined tomake the D-Day invasion a success. Complementing those personal experiences are hands-on family activities which bring the science and history of D-Day to life, alongside events which show the aircraft and vehicles in dynamic action.

Events

D-Day Landings Tour

Saturday 5 April, Wednesday 30 April, Saturday 3 May, Wednesday 21 May, Friday 6 June

Our Land Warfare exhibition features one of the best collections of military vehicles in the country, including types that were used in the D-Day Landings.

In the D-Day Landings Tour, our guide will discuss the strategic planning for D-Day, the work of the resistance, how deceit and misinformation played a vital role in preparing for the D-Day Landings, the challenge of themission itself and the specialist armoured vehicles that were used.

The tour will look at some of the vehicles in the collection and will explain how they would have been used in the D-Day Landings. We’ll also look at some of the unique archive film that is on show in the Land Warfare exhibition.

The D-Day Landings Tour commences at 11amin the entrance of AirSpace. It runs for approximately 90 minutes. Groups will not exceed 25 people and there will be plenty of opportunity for questions, debate and personal interaction. The tour is suitable for all ages but is primarily aimed at adults. Places must be booked in advance and can be booked online at www.iwm.org.uk

Ticket prices (including admission to all IWM Duxford exhibitions):
Adult (16-59 years) £20.75
Child (under 16 years) £3.25
Senior (60 years and over) £16.60
Student (in possession of a valid student card) £16.60
Unemployed (with proof of entitlement) £16.60
Disabled Adult (proof of disability allowance required) £16.60
Disabled Senior (proof of disability allowance required) £14.50
Disabled Student (proof of disability allowance required) £14.50
Disabled Child (proof of disability allowance required) £3.25
Carer (one per disabled visitor) £3.25
Supporter (Duxford Aviation Society Member, Friend of Duxford, IWM Friend, IWM Volunteer) £3.25

Easter Holiday activities

Saturday 5 to Monday 21 April

The Science of D-Day
Sponsored by Lockheed Martin
10.30amto 2.30pm
Conservation Hall, AirSpace

Our Easter holiday activities look at the ingenious inventions created by scientific boffins to ensure victory on D-Day. We’ll explain how tanks were made to float, how they carried their own bridges and how they destroyed mines.

There will be plenty of opportunities to try your hand at using these inventive pieces of equipment. Have a go at firing a petard and then take a look at the real petard that can be seen on the Churchill tank in our

Land Warfare exhibition. Build your own Bailey bridge and see two real Bailey bridges that are still in use on a daily basis at IWM Duxford. Learn how to drive a tank, try on somemini-uniforms, make an Airfix model of an aircraft that would have been used in the preparation for the D-Day Landings and enter our creative competition to design your own specially-modified D-Day tank.

Easter holiday activities are included in general admission to IWMDuxford. Visitors aged 15 or under enjoy free admission to the museum and to our Easter holiday activities.

The D-Day Anniversary Air Show
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25May

The D-Day Anniversary Air Show commemorates the 70th anniversary of this decisive military campaign, demonstrating the vital role that aerial warfare played in the invasion of Normandy.

The air show will feature fighter, bomber and transport aircraft types that would have been seen over the beaches of France, together with thrilling ground content. This special D-Day Anniversary Air Show is not to be missed.

Air Show tickets and hospitality passes are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.iwm.org.uk

The recommended last booking date for overseas postal delivery is Friday 9 May.
The off-sale date (and last date for UK postal delivery) is Tuesday 13 May.
Purchase your tickets in advance and receive one free child ticket with every adult ticket purchased.

You’ll also enjoy 10% off ‘on the day’ ticket prices.
Advance ticket prices:
Adult (16 or over) £24.75
Child (5 to 15 years) £16.30
Disabled £16.30

Spring Half Term

Monday 26 May to Sunday 1 June
10.30am to 3.30pm

Activities take place across the museum

During Spring half term, follow our trail around themuseumand encounter some of the aircraft and vehicles that would have been used on D-Day.

Follow the story of this huge and complex operation, and find out how Allied air, sea and land forces combined to liberate Europe. We’ll take you through the build-up to D-Day: from the Allies’massive aerial bombardments and clever tricks to fool the enemy, through the role of naval forces, to the arrival of thousands of troops in France by air and by sea. Find out the impact of tanks, trucks, vehicles and weapons on the fierce fighting that followed.

You’ll find outmore about each historic object you encounter on the trail, including how it was used on D-Day and the experiences of themen relying on it for a successful mission.

At the end of our trail, in Land Warfare, you’llmeet our costumed character representing a D-Day soldier, who will tell you about his experiences and will show you the equipment that would have been used by soldiers and airmen during the D-Day Landings.

There will be hands-on craft activities and dynamic games to enjoy which will bring D-Day history to life for all the family.

Spring half term activities are included in general admission to IWM Duxford. Visitors aged 15 or under enjoy free admission to themuseumn and to Spring half term activities.

Military Vehicle Show
Sunday 15 June

Enjoy a special day out for Father’s Day at the Military Vehicle Show. Exploremilitary vehicles large and small, from motorcycles to jeeps, ambulances to huge trucks and tanks. Some of the vehicles on display will be of the type used during the D-Day Landings. See the vehicles up close and then watch themcome to life as they parade around the airfield during the cavalcade.

A wide range of living history groups will bring Second WorldWar history to life, chatting to visitors and encouraging families to try onmilitary equipment and clamber aboard military vehicles.

Join us for the Military Vehicle Show – an unforgettable experience for Father’s Day.

Ticket prices:
Adult (16 to 59 years) £18.50
Senior (60 years and over) £14.80
Child (under 16 years) Free
Concessionary prices available – see iwm.org.uk for details.
New exhibitions

D-Day-The Last of the Liberators photographic exhibition
By Robin Savage

Produced by the Airborne ForcesMuseum(Airborne Assault) and Helion Books
April to December

Mezzanine Gallery, AirSpace

D-Day -The Last of the Liberators is a collection of photographic portraits of some of the last surviving British Normandy veterans. It records, in a unique way, the stories of these remarkable individuals and their emotional but dignified return to the locations, in many cases the exact spot, which are tied to their most profound personal memories of the campaign; places where they saw action or were wounded, where they experienced instances of miraculous chance or where they witnessed their friends being taken away from them through the horror of battle.

The photographs in the exhibition are 15 of those from a new book of the same name. Taken during the 68th and 69th anniversaries by photographer Robin Savage, they are a record of some of the final visits these brave and dignified men and women wil lmake to the places that imprinted themselves indelibly on their lives.

D-Day -The Last of the Liberators is included in general admission to IWM Duxford. Visitors aged 15 and under enjoy free admission to the museum.

The Padre’s Trail in the Land Warfare exhibition
From May 2014

Our Land Warfare exhibition houses one of the finest collections of tanks, military vehicles and artillery in the country. It charts the technological advances that have changed the face of ground warfare.

The Normandy Experience in Land Warfare vividly tells the story of the D-Day Landings through sound, film and military vehicles set in evocative dioramas.

As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of D-Day, we are adding a layer of interpretation to The Normandy Experience which gives a very personal view of the D-Day Landings and how it felt to be in the thick of the action.

Captain Leslie Skinner was an army chaplain who landed on the coast of Normandy on themorning of 6 June 1944 with the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry tank regiment.

Apart from29 days spent at home recovering fromhis wounds, he spent the rest of the war with the Sherwood Rangers as they fought through France and into Germany. It is Captain Skinner’s story that is told in his own voice via extracts from the diary he meticulously kept throughout his time with the Sherwood Rangers.

He saw it as his duty to find the bodies ofmen who were killed as the Regiment’s tanks advanced. On many occasions, he risked his life to ensure that his comrades’ bodies were recovered or buried. The work could be harrowing and he refused to allow the other tank crews to help. Padre Skinner travelled all over the front line and the battlefield, talking to the troops and listening to their worries. As this extract from his diary shows, he experienced at first-hand the stark realities of warfare.

25 June 1944: “In burst of machine gun fire I dived into slit trench on top of young soldier… it was his first show and he was all alone. I assured him that the machine gun fire was way up in the air…he picked up a ration box lid and held it above ground. Burst [of fire] cut it in two. It shook me. When firing stopped I moved out. He, poor devil, had to stay. About 11:30…Shrapnel got me across forehead and knocked me out. Lots of blood but soon conscious.”

The Padre’s Trail is included in general admission to IWM Duxford.

D-Day collections on display at IWM Duxford

Land Warfare exhibition

Land Warfare is home to the Normandy Experience and the Monty exhibition. Together they tell the story of the finalmonths of the war in Europe, fromD-Day, through the fierce battles in France to VE Day.

The Normandy Experience features many of the types of tanks and vehicles that took part in the liberation of Europe. These include the GMC Amphibian DUKW and the Sherman Grizzly tank. Nearby are examples of German tanks and vehicles thatmade up some of the fierce defences encountered in the battles of 1944 and 1945.

Field Marshal Montgomery – Monty to the troops – commanded the Allied land forces on D-Day. At the nerve centre of his operation was his Tactical HQ, which is on display in the Monty exhibition. Visitors are able to peer through the windows of Monty’s headquarters and imagine this dynamic leader at work.

In addition to the tanks and vehicles displayed in realistic dioramas, Land Warfare also contains powerful personal stories from the men who took part in Operation Overlord.

American Air Museum

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain, which is suspended majestically fromthe ceiling in the American Air Museum, was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces in April 1944 and served with the 316th Troop Carrier Group of the 9th Air Force. It was assigned to the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron and operated from Cottesmore in Lincolnshire for a year.

It is believed to have participated in the airborne drops over Normandy in 1944, the airborne assault on Holland in September 1944 and the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.

The P-47 Thunderbolt that can be seen in the American Air Museum is the type of aircraft flown by pilots of the 78th Fighter Group, from RAF Duxford, in support of the D-Day Landings.

The B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator also flew in support of D-Day operations. Examples of these aircraft can also be seen in the American Air Museum.

AirSpace

The Avro Lancaster bomber flew bombing missions in support of D-Day operations. You can get up close to a Lancaster bomber in our AirSpace exhibition.

Airborne Assault Museum in AirSpace
Airborne Assault is the Regimental Museumof The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces. It tells the stories of the soldiers who go to war from the air, including the significant contribution made to the D-Day Landings by the Airborne Forces and Parachute Regiments.

Of particular interest in this 70th anniversary year is the originalmap used to plan the D-Day operation, which would have been viewed by Field Marshal Montgomery and General Eisenhower. Also on display is the accompanying planning model which was used to strategically plot the mission to capture Pegasus Bridge.

There is also a model of Bing, one of the paradogs who were trained to parachute alongside the troops and to undertake guard,mine-detecting and patrol duties.

RAF Duxford’s D-Day history

D-Day and the 78th Fighter Group
May to June

In June 1944, RAF Duxford was home to the 78th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces.

Equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts, its pilots flew severalmissions on D-Day andmanymore in the days, weeks andmonths that followed.

The fighters of the 78th Fighter Group encountered very little resistance from the German Air Force on 6 June 1944. Their aircraft flew equipped with bombs and were sent to attack targets such as railway bridges and enemy airfields.

During May and June, we’ll be tweeting summaries which show how the 78th Fighter Group built towards D-Day operations, what they did on 6 June 1944 and how they supported the fighting in France.

Follow@historicduxford to read these summaries fromthe 78th Fighter Group diaries and look out for related posts on our Historic Duxford blog at www.iwm.org.uk/exhibitions/iwm-duxford/historicduxford

In our Historic Duxford exhibition, you can find out what life was like for the American servicemen who were based at RAF Duxford during the latter stages of the Second World War. See interviews with American pilots who took part in D-Day and see the A2 flying jacket which belonged to Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence ‘Larry’ Casey.

Casey was an American fighter pilot who flew fromRAF Duxford. On 11 June 1944, he was shot down over France. With the help of the French resistance, he was able to avoid capture andmake it back to Britain. Casey later flew missions in the Pacific and he stayed in the United States Air Force after the Second World War.

BAE Systems support Museum transformation

EAP

The Royal Air Force Museum has officially announced a major partnership with BAE Systems who have pledged to support the transformation of the Museum at both its Cosford and London sites, in advance of the Centenary of the Royal Air Force in 2018.

The announcement was made at the official unveiling of the Experimental Aircraft Programme (EAP) technology demonstrator exhibition at RAF Museum Cosford. The event was attended by The Chairman and Trustees of the RAF Museum and Directors of BAE Systems with key partners, contributors and invited guests. The new exhibition celebrates the ground-breaking achievements of this unique aircraft through the use of previously unseen video footage, interactive kiosks and images.

Peter Dye, RAF Museum Director General said:

“The Trustees of the RAF Museum would like to take this opportunity to thank BAE Systems for their generous support. The international success of the Eurofighter Typhoon, and its contribution to the Royal Air Force’s frontline, underscore the importance of the EAP in safeguarding our nation. The EAP can now take its proper place in the history of British scientific and engineering achievements, alongside other famous and iconic test aircraft that form the Royal Air Force Museum collection. We are privileged to be able to exhibit the EAP, to tell its story and hopefully, to inspire a new generation of scientists, engineers and pilots.”

Chris Boardman, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Military Air & Information business said: “EAP has played an important role in the recent history of BAE Systems. It paved the way for Eurofighter Typhoon, widely regarded as the world’s best swing-role combat aircraft. Today we continue our work on technology demonstrators in the shape of Taranis – the most advanced aircraft ever built in the UK. I am delighted that we are able to announce our partnership with the RAF Museum on their RAF Centenary Programme to mark it with the formal unveiling of EAP in its new exhibition area.

BAE Systems has been a partner in the Museum’s success for more than forty years and the unveiling of the EAP is the start of a joint transformation of the Museum. By developing new exhibitions and activities it will ensure that the Royal Air Force story endures and enriches future generations.

Phase one of the transformation will mark the Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Supported by BAE Systems, a major new exhibition, exploring the birth of air power through the stories of men and women who took part in the war, will open at RAF Museum London in Autumn 2014. An accompanying exhibition will also be unveiled at RAF Museum Cosford by the end of 2014. BAE Systems funding will also support the Museum’s conservation and award winning apprentice programmes.

Members of the public are now able to view the new EAP exhibition at the Museum’s Cosford site, located in the Test Flight Hangar. The creation of this new exhibition area has been funded by BAE Systems who deliver a wide range of advanced defence, aerospace, and security solutions globally.

The Museum is open daily from 10am and admission is free of charge. For more information on the Museum, visit www.rafmuseum.org or call 01902 376200.

Grahame White Factory to close 3rd March

Visitors to the Royal Air Force Museum London have until March 3rd to view the Museum’s replica Vickers Vimy before it leaves the site and goes into storage in the Museum’s Reserve Collection in Stafford. This is part of an overall project to refurbish the Grahame – White Factory Hangar at the Museum’s Colindale site during which this area of the Museum will be closed to the public.

In May 1967 the Vintage Aircraft and Flying Association decided to build a flying Vimy replica to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Alcock and Brown’s 1919 trans-Atlantic flight in what became known as ‘the Triple First’.

When told of the project Rolls-Royce began a world-wide search for engines. Eventually they recovered three Eagle engines from Dutch canal barges two of which they stripped down and rebuilt; putting the first on bench test in August 1968. The aircraft was completed on Friday 30 May 1969 by and on Tuesday 3 June at 6.40pm the replica aircraft took off on its first flight. On 6th June the aircraft crossed the Channel to appear at the Paris Air Show. On 9 June it returned to the United Kingdom and two days later, after being repainted in service markings, flew to Ringway Airport, Manchester to become the centre of an Alcock and Brown exhibition at that site.

The exhibition lasted a month and on 14 July it was being prepared to fly to the Rolls-Royce test airfield at Hucknall when it caught fire. The fire, which is thought to have been caused by concentrated sunlight on the fabric of the wing, resulted in extensive damage. However, the replica was successfully rebuilt as a static exhibit, never to fly again, and has been on view to the public at the Museum’s London site since 1972.

This aircraft together with the Museum’s Sopwith Tabloid is to be stored in the Museum’s Reserve Collection in Stafford, for the foreseeable future. The building work on the Grahame-White Factory will necessitate that this area of the Museum is closed to the public. It is anticipated that these works will run until the end of November, when the Grahame -White Factory will open again to the public.

www.rafmuseum.org

Red Arrows Confirmed For All Four Days Of The 2014 Bournemouth Air Festival

18th February 2014: It’s officially a first for the Bournemouth Air Festival, but the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows have confirmed today they will be displaying at on all 4-days of the much anticipated summer event.

Jon Weaver, Air Festival Director said; “We’ve only found out today and can’t believe we have been allocated the Red Arrows for all 4days of the Air Festival, its incredible news. For us as a Festival, the organisers, teams of people behind the event and the hundreds of thousands of people who attend, it really shows how far we have come to have such superb RAF support. We have great plans to develop this year’s festival and with news like this – it can only get better!”

It’s a momentous year for the Reds as they celebrate their 50th display season and with this a recently unveiled new tailfin design. The makeover is the most significant change to the look of the Team’s famous aircraft in its history. In the shape of a Union flag, the striking new tail design reflects the Best of British and emphasises the Red Arrows’ role as ambassadors for the United Kingdom and as the public face of the Royal Air Force.

Timings are yet to be confirmed, more information will be released at the Air Festival launch event at the end of March – www.bournemouthair.co.uk