Museum – Page 4 – Airscene News

Cockpits open for Museums at Night

19th May 2012

6.00pm – 8.30pm

£10.00 per person

(Open cockpits and aircraft may be subject to change)

Tickets are now on sale for the ever popular ‘Open Cockpits Evening’ at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. The evening will commence at 6pm on Saturday 19th May. A total of 16 aircraft will be available for close viewing on the night: including transport aircraft, jet fighters plus unique research airframes. Exclusively for this evening the Museum will be opening up one of its latest arrivals, weather permitting, the Hercules – a military transport aircraft.

The evening in May will be the third time the Museum has held this event which allows rare access to the interiors of some of the world’s most historic and iconic aircraft. Visitors will be able to get a feel for what it was like to fly these much loved machines: aircraft such as the unique Bristol 188, a twin engined stainless steel supersonic research monoplane designed to investigate the effects of heat on aircraft structures at very high speeds. Or the F-111 an American twin engine, two seat, multi-purpose attack aircraft which not only became the first variable-geometry combat aircraft to enter service but also saw action during the Vietnam War.

Other major highlights for aviation enthusiasts include the opportunity to see inside the Museum’s Tornado P02, one of the prototypes of the RAF’s twin-engined, two-seat ground attack jet fighter that saw extensive action during the first Gulf War. Visitors will also be able to examine the interior of the Museum’s Sikorsky MH-53 long range combat search and rescue helicopter, a helicopter that saw conflict in various arenas of war from Vietnam to Afghanistan as part of the United States of America Air Force.

Other aircraft accessible to visitors on this evening will include the Pembroke, JU52, Jaguar and the Phantom. In addition to this, visitors will have exclusive after hours access to the Museum which displays over 70 aircraft.

RAF Museum Cosford Assistant Curator, Clare Carr says:
“This Open Cockpits Evening allows visitors to have close up access to Cold War warriors such as the F-111 and MiG21 as well as work horses such as the Hercules and Belfast. The evening is a must for any aviation fan.”

Cosford’s ‘Open Cockpits Evening’ is part of the Museums at Night, an annual international event where hundreds of museums, galleries, libraries, archives and heritage sites across Europe open their doors to the public for special after hours events. This evening will commence from 6.00pm and finish at 8.30pm. Numbers onto the Museum site will be strictly limited to only 300 people, to enable enthusiasts to spend as much time as possible examining these wondrous aircraft. Admission is by advance ticket only. Organisers are advising, given the popularity of previous ‘Open Cockpit Evenings’ to purchase your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Tickets cost £10.00 per person and are now on sale at the Museum. Minimum height restrictions of 1.07 metres will apply. Parking charges are included in the ticket price.

For further information on the ‘Open Cockpit Evening’ or to purchase tickets over the phone, please contact the Museum on 01902 376200. Visit www.rafmuseum.org for information on the Museum and other events. Please note: Open cockpits and aircraft available for close viewing may be subject to change.

Brick by Brick – Rebuilding Our Past

BBC2, 9pm Friday 6th April

The Grahame-White Watch Office at The Royal Air Force Musem London is the subject of an hour long documentary on BBC2 this Friday.

On Good Friday at 9pm BBC2 will be showcasing the Royal Air Force Museum’s Grahame-White Watch Office Restoration Project in a documentary that explores the building’s dismantling brick by brick from its original site, the salvaging of its original materials, its relocation to the Museum’s site and its final restoration to its full 1915 glory. A task made all the more difficult by the 25 years of vandalism and decay the building suffered since closing to the public in the mid 1980s.

During the course of this restoration process architectural engineer Charlie Luxton will guide viewers through this vast and complex three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle as it is pieced back together; whilst exploring the traditional crafts necessary to restore the dilapidated Grahame-White Watch Office; and discovering the challenges that the building’s original construction created for the restoration team. At times, things are not quite what they seem, and rather than correcting the mistakes of the past both architects and the restoration team adhere to the original drawings and errors to reconstruct the building as it actually was during its hey-day.

At the same time, architectural historian Dan Cruickshank investigates the building’s history, discovering the incredible stories it has to tell of the people who worked, slept, played in its environs.

People such as Richard Thomas Gates, the Grahame-White factory’s first manager and the first serving pilot to die defending London from aerial attack during the First World War ; female workers such as Miss Pilkington for whom working at the factory was an escape from the day to day drudgery of unskilled labour offered to women at the time; and of Claude Grahame-White, a man very nearly written out of the pages of history by an Officer and Upper Class who showed him little or no respect for his achievements in the defence of the realm and his plans to turn Hendon into a major aviation hub, with the site that the Royal Air Force Museum currently occupies becoming the world’s first international airport.

This programme is the first in a series of three that explores the incredible stories of historic buildings as they are rescued from the bulldozers and meticulously resurrected in completely new locations; and will be broadcast on Friday 6th of April at 9pm on BBC2. After viewing the programme members of the public are welcome to examine the work of the restoration team for themselves.

The Claude Grahame-White Watch Office and Hangar is open daily to the public from 10am to 6pm and like the rest of the Royal Air Force Museum site is free for members of the public to visit. For further details about the restoration project, and the aircraft of the Grahame-White Watch Office and Hangar, please visit www.rafmuseum.org/london.

First flying displays announced for The Jubilee Air Show

IWM Duxford will be celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in style at The Jubilee Air Show on Sunday 27 May.A stunning aerial display will feature historic and contemporary aircraft from the past 60 years and beyond performing in the skies over IWM Duxford.

Flying displays confirmed to date feature historic and contemporary aircraft fromthe Royal Air Force, including the legendary Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire; Eurofighter Typhoon from No.6 Squadron RAF Leuchars; BAE Systems Hawk from No.208 Squadron, RAF Valley; Embraer Tucano from No.72 Squadron, RAF Linton-on-Ouse; Beechcraft King Air from No.45 Squadron, RAF Cranwell and the Grob 115E Tutor from No.115 Squadron, RAF Cranwell.

The Royal Navy is represented by a solo Lynx helicopter display by No.815 Naval Air Squadron from Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton.

Vintage aircraft flying at this celebratory air show include two glorious 1930s Hawker Nimrod single-seat biplanes; the beautiful and rare Hawker Fury Mark I biplane; two North American Harvards, single-engine trainer aircraft which played a vital role in training fighter pilots during the Second World War; three examples of the iconic Spitfire, synonymous with IWM Duxford’s heritage; the famous B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B; de Havilland Dragon Rapide and the rip-roaring North American F-86 Sabre.

Also displaying is the Gloster Meteor T7 from Air Atlantique, which was the star of the show at the Autumn Air Show 2011.

On the ground, there will be fun-packed activities for all the family to enjoy and the whole museum is open to explore.

To mark 60 years of the Queen’s reign, IWM Duxford is offering senior visitors (aged 60 plus) a free ticket for The Jubilee Air Show when a full price adult or senior ticket is purchased. This offer is on advance ticket purchases only; it cannot be used on the day of the event.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.iwm.org.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01223 499 353. The Box Office is open from Monday to Friday from9.30amto 4.30pm.

There is no booking fee but a postage and packing fee applies per transaction.

Advance tickets will be available until:
For overseas postal delivery – 5pm on Friday 11 May
For UK postal delivery – 5pm on Wednesday 16 May

www.iwm.org.uk

Harrier GR9 arrives at IWM Duxford

Recently, BAE Systems Harrier GR9 ZD461 was transported from RAF Cottesmore to IWM Duxford, where it will undergo conservation work and a rebuild.

The acquisition of a second-generation Harrier with Afghanistan theatre history is hugely important to Imperial War Museums and enables us to communicate and interpret significant aspects of contemporary conflict. No other aircraft in the current IWM collection has Afghanistan service history so Harrier ZD461 presents an important addition to the IWM collection which develops our interpretation of modern warfare.

Harrier GR9 ZD461 was originally built as a GR5 model and was upgraded to a GR7 in 1992. In 1999, the aircraft served with No.4 Army Co-operation (AC) Squadron and moved with the squadron from Germany to RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, Great Britain.

During February and March 2003, the aircraft was deployed with No.4 AC Squadron to Operation Telic in Iraq. In August 2004, No.4 AC Squadron was deployed to Operation Herrick, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, followed by deployment to HMS Invincible in 2005. By May 2006, No.4 AC Squadron was once again serving in Afghanistan. This was followed by a tour of duty at Luqa, Malta before returning to RAF Cottesmore in August 2007. From there the aircraft was transferred to RAF Lossiemouth in September 2007 before being upgraded to a GR9 under the Joint Maintenance and Upgrade programme in 2008.

In January 2010, Harrier ZD461 was grounded at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, having suffered CAT.3 damage from brake fire during exercise Red Flag 2010-2. In March 2010, it was returned to RAF Cottesmore for repairs, where it remained following the withdrawal of the Harrier fleet from RAF service in December 2010.

IWM London is about to undertake a large-scale redevelopment, creating brand new First World War galleries as part of our plans to mark the First World War Centenary in 2014 as well as a transformed central atrium space. It is hoped that the Harrier GR9 will be able to be included in the reconfigured atrium, which will re-interpret and redisplay our iconic large objects, but we are still in the process of finalising our exhibits for this space.

www.iwm.org.uk

IWM Duxford shows newly conserved aircraft for the first time

IWM Duxford’s newly-conserved de Havilland Vampire WZ590 was presented to the media this Tuesday 13 March. Also part of a large gathered audience were members of Friends of Duxford and Duxford Aviation Society.

Steve Woolford, Head of Interpretation and Collections, made a welcoming speech, thanking IWM Duxford staff and volunteers for their dedication and commitment to the conservation of the aircraft, which has taken four years to complete.

Conservation team staff and volunteers were in attendance for photographs, including Dr Rohan Nelson, who travelled all the way from Canberra in Australia to assist with the conservation of the Vampire and who was in attendance at the aircraft presentation.

The aircraft was then rolled out of the Conservation Hall in AirSpace and onto the airfield jet pan for further photographs.

The Vampire will be transferred to the Battle of Britain exhibition this week, where it will go on permanent display to the public.

Chris Knapp, Conservation Manager, said “This is another successful project completed to our high conservation standards. It demonstrates the dedication of our staff and volunteers and helps us to uphold our reputation for excellence. We are particularly proud of the Vampire as it has involved more detailed conservation than we are usually able to undertake. Many components within the aircraft are still in the original paint and condition that they were during the aircraft’s time in service.”

Basil Gowring, who flew Vampires during the 1950s, recently reminisced on his experiences, “I flew a lot from Duxford, having joined 65 Squadron in December 1953, flying Meteors from there until mid 1956. I was posted away, to 233 Operational Conversion Unit at Pembrey, as a staff instructor and it was there where I flew most of my Vampire time – mostly in the single-seat Marks 5 and 9, and also the two-seat trainer version, the T11 – initially without ejector seats but later with the ejector seat equipped version. I did keep flying the T11s on subsequent tours, usually on gunnery instruction or occasionally when conducting instrument rating tests on other pilots. I returned to No 65 Squadron at Duxford for a further tour of flying, this time in the Hunter Mark 6 version. My subsequent fighter tours were all on various versions of the Hunter.

Returning to the Vampire, I always found her to be a pleasure to fly, both in the twin- and single-seat versions. When taxying on the ground, one sat much closer to the tarmac than in , for example, the Meteor or Hunter and , when landing, one had to “get right in” to the observed runway to avoid an over-high round out. Considering the limited power of the single-engined Vampire, compared with the twin -engined Meteor or more potent Hunter, the “Vamp” nonetheless leapt off the ground with fair alacrity and showed a reasonable rate of climb. We used to do formation training at 30,000 feet and above and, provided you kept the engine power up, the Vampire proved pleasant to fly. It had a good rate of turn, at high and lower levels, provided one kept plenty of power on. When doing simulated combat training some good hassles with the simulated enemy could be had – provided again that you retained plenty of power on. Needless to say, continued use of higher power settings had an effect on the fuel state, particularly at the lower levels, so sometimes training sorties were relatively brief!

The Vampire was a good gunnery platform, when firing at a towed banner target over a firing range. The aircraft’s general agility allowed you to safely get into the optimum range from the target to get good results. For air to ground firing, similarly the aircraft could be flown into an optimum firing position before the need to pull out, to clear the ground and avoid loose shrapnel from one’s own firing!

Although my experience on the Vampire was much less than on my “main” aircraft – the Meteor, Hunter, and Vulcan bomber, I still look back to those pleasurable days flying the mighty Vampire.”

www.iwm.org.uk

Gigantic Delivery for RAF Museum Cosford

The RAF Museum today took delivery of a Nimrod fuselage, which arrived in style on a low loader lorry. The fuselage of Nimrod R.1 XV249 was escorted from Kemble, Gloucestershire with the load measuring some 38 metres in length.

The wings and some remaining components of the aircraft will be delivered in the near future and the Nimrod will then be re-assembled on site, before going on static display at the museum later on this year.

RAF Museum Curator, Al McLean says:

“It was amazing to see such a large aircraft transported by road to Cosford and we are pleased to be receiving a Nimrod aircraft into the RAF Museum collection. The aircraft has flown over 11,000 hours during its service with the RAF and we anticipate it being very popular with our visitors. The Nimrod will be re-assembled on site and will go on display later this year.”

Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.1 XV249 was one of 46 aircraft used by the RAF for maritime reconnaissance and signals intelligence work, and was in service for nearly 40 years. It has a wing span of 35 metres and could reach speeds of up to 416mph. It was withdrawn from service in 2011.

The Nimrod is the latest addition to the aircraft collection along with a Hercules C-130K and Harrier GR.9A. The Museum is open from 10am – 6pm (last admission 5pm). For further information, please call the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford on 01902 376200 or visit the Museum website at www.rafmuseum.org.

Cosford Airshow to go ahead on Fathers Day

The organisers of the annual RAF Cosford Air Show have confirmed that the show will go ahead on Sunday 17 June 2012.

In previous years the crowd at this event on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border have enjoyed a fantastic five-and-a-half hour flying display and 2012 will again see dozens of aircraft from all ages of flight coming together for an afternoon of entertainment.

And as well as the excitement in the air the crowds will also be able to enjoy a wide variety of entertainment on the ground with a fun fair, craft fair, market and aircraft exhibitions – as well as entry to the RAF museum. Much of the ground entertainment is indoors. So even if it rains there is plenty to see and do.

Tickets will be £25.00 on the gate, only cash can be accepted, but only £20 in advance. Tickets are free for children under 16 when they are accompanied by an adult. Advance tickets will go on sale in early March. This must be the best present yet for Father’s Day.

Over the next few weeks the organisers will be announcing details of the aircraft taking part but we expect to see many of the RAF stars appearing such as the RAF Falcons display tem and of course the world famous Red Arrows.

Full information on the show can be seen on the air show web site – www.cosfordairshow.co.uk

Through the Eyes of A Service Child

Free to Enter Photography Competition for U.K. Service Children.

1st of March 2012

Following the success of the 2011 ‘Through the eyes of a Service Child’ Art competition, the Service Children Support Network in association with the Royal Air Force Museum is proud to launch their 2012 ‘Through the eyes of a Service Child’ photographic competition; the winning entries of which will be displayed in an exhibition at the Museum’s London site later this year.

The children of all personnel currently serving in any of the United Kingdom’s three Armed Services (Navy, RAF or Army) and their Reserve Units are invited to submit a photograph that reflects their experience as a Service Child. Entries are by age category: Aged 5 and Under; Age 6 to 9 years; Age 10 to 13 years; and age 14 to 18 years – with each child able to submit a maximum of 3 photographs per entry.

The Royal Air Force Museum will be awarding a generous selection of prizes from its shop to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed winners in all four categories with all 12 winners invited to a Prize Giving Ceremony at the Royal Air Force Museum London, to take place this summer, where they will be able to view their photographs on display to the public. These winning images will then be published in the Service Children Support Network’s calendar for 2013 raising valuable funds for the charity.

Keith Ifould, Director of Commercial Services at the Royal Air Force Museum comments:

‘For some service children it can be very unsettling when either their mother or father is away from the family home on active service. This can, in some instances, lead to children of Service Personnel facing added challenges in terms of their educational attainment or fitting in with their classroom peers who may have difficulty understanding the worries that Service Children have. The Service Children Support Network provides valuable support to educational professionals who work with Service Children, enabling such children to reach their full potential in the classroom whilst at the same time providing practical help and advice to the partners of active serving personnel.

Accordingly, I am very happy for the Royal Air Force Museum to lend its support to the Service Children Support Network in the promotion of its annual photography competition, and the subsequent creation of its 2013 calendar, in support of the charity’s work.’

For full details of how to enter the competition and its rules please go to: www.servicechildrensupportnetwork.com.

The competition itself will run from 1st March 2012 until 15th May 2012, with judging of the competition taking place in June.

The Royal Air Force Museum operates at two sites. One London and Cosford, Shropshire. It is open daily from 10am to 6pm and admission is free of charge. For further details about the Museum and to find out when the Service Children Support Network’s Photography Exhibition will be shown at the Museum’s London site, please visit www.rafmuseum.org.

Colonel Richard Graham discusses the SR-71 Blackbird

Former SR-71 Blackbird pilot Colonel Richard Graham (USAF Retired) will be making a welcome return to IWM Duxford on Sunday 11 March 2012.

Always a very popular speaker at IWM Duxford, Colonel Graham will be giving an overview of the SR-71 Blackbird programme at 11am in the Marshall Auditorium in AirSpace.

This talk will be followed by an extended question and answer session, where Colonel Graham will chat with his audience.

At 2pm, Colonel Graham will be hosting walk-around tours of the SR-71 Blackbird that he previously flew at RAF Mildenhall, which now sits in pride of place on display in the American Air Museum.

Following the tour, there will be an opportunity for book signings and to ask more questions.

The SR-71 Blackbird is regarded as one of the United States Air Force’s most important Cold War-era aircraft. It was classified as top secret for most of its operational life, flying covert missions from RAF Mildenhall from the mid-1970s onwards. The aircraft played an important role in military conflicts for nearly thirty years, being superceded only when spy satellites came into operation.

Colonel Richard Graham’s involvement with the Blackbird continued until his retirement from the United States Air Force in 1989 as a highly-decorated pilot with more than 4,000 hours of military flying experience.

Colonel Graham’s talks are always incredibly popular. Both events on Sunday 11 March are included in standard admission to the museum and, as usual, children aged 15 and under go free.

The Marshall Auditorium has a maximum capacity of 200. Entry to Colonel Graham’s talk is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The walk-around tour can also be joined on a first-come, first-served basis.

Join us to hear about the thrill and excitement of flying the SR-71 Blackbird as Colonel Richard Graham enthralls his audience with tales about this iconic and enigmatic aircraft.

www.iwm.org.uk

Harrier GR9A now on display at Cosford

The New Year has got off to a flying start at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford with the arrival of a Harrier GR.9A serial number ZG477. This revolutionary vertical take-off, multi-role combat aircraft is now on display to visitors within the Museum’s Warplanes collection.

The Harrier GR.9A is a single seat, multi-role combat aircraft, capable of operating in extreme environments, at night, low level and from a variety of locations including deployed air bases and aircraft carriers. One of its more unique and well known features is the ability to take-off and land vertically. Fitted with a Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine, the aircraft is over 46ft in length, has a wingspan of 30ft and could reach a top speed of 661mph.

The first Harriers entered RAF service in 1969. This made Royal Air Force the first air force in the world to use this revolutionary aircraft and allowed the Service to access areas normally off limits to other aircraft. Before being withdrawn from RAF service in December 2010, Harriers were used by the RAF in close air support roles and were usually employed in direct support of ground troops. Also used for low or medium-level attacks using precision-guided, freefall or retarded bombs, Harriers were equipped with a variety of weapons including laser and GPS-guided bombs, infa-red missiles, cluster munitions and general-purpose bombs.

The Harrier GR.9A ZG477 now on display at the RAF Museum entered RAF service in August 1990 as a Harrier GR.7. It was initially stationed in Germany with No. 4 Squadron before being based in Turkey following the Kurdish uprising against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In 1993 the Harrier force, including ZG477 took over policing the Northern Exclusion Zone in Iraq from Jaguar aircraft. The three Harrier Squadrons (No. 1, 3 and 4) were rotated on a regular basis until 1995.

In 1999 Harrier ZG477 was based in Italy with No. 3 Squadron during Operation Allied Force. The objective was to degrade and damage the military and security structure that Serbian President Milosevic used to depopulate and destroy the Albanian majority in the province of Kosovo. Upgraded to a Harrier GR.9A in 2004, ZG477 was fitted with a more powerful Pegasus engine and a terrain referenced navigation system as part of an Integrated Weapons Programme (IWP).

Between 2008 and 2009 it saw active service in Afghanistan along with seven other Harriers that were continuously available, with Missions flown in pairs, two pairs on day tasks and one pair at night. The main area of operations was over Helmand Valley, supporting UK Army and Royal Marines as well as other coalition troops.

On the 15th December 2010 all Harriers were grounded after a farewell formation flight, following defence budget cuts. In twenty years of RAF service, Harrier ZG477 ended its career with No.1 Squadron after completing 4,191.25 flying hours and 3,969 landings.

Al McLean, RAF Museum Cosford Curator says:

“We are delighted to be selected as one of only two museums to receive this final example of a uniquely innovative aircraft with a distinguished history. It enhances our display of Warplanes.”

Other aircraft due to arrive at the Museum later this year include the EAP and the Dornier Do-17. 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.