Tag: october

Date: 12-18 November 2018
Time: 10:15am-1:00pm
Cost: £5.00 per person

A Second World War Westland Lysander III (S.D.), the only surviving Special Duties variant of its type will soon be on show to the public. The aircraft is currently undergoing conservation work in the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford and this November the centre will be opening its doors, allowing visitors behind the scenes access to aircraft conservation projects and the chance to speak with the team who make them happen.

From 12-18 November visitors can get up close to the current projects undertaken by the team at Cosford and a highlight during this special event will be the remarkable progress on the Westland Lysander III (S.D.) last seen by the public in the static display line-up at the RAF Cosford Air Show in June.

Upon arrival at the Museum some 22 months ago, the Lysander underwent an in-depth inspection and condition assessment and work was carried out on a few minor repairs. The damaged fabric outer skin was removed and focus was put into the aircraft’s engine, preservative treatments were removed and mechanical systems were cleaned and lubricated and are now functional again.

Since it was last viewed in June the aircraft has undergone a major transformation, mainly the recovering of the fuselage in a traditional Irish linen using original doping techniques. The new outer skin has already received its UV microwave protection layer and is currently being primed ready for its 161 Squadron Special Ops colour scheme to be applied within the next few weeks. Aviation fans will be able to view the newly painted fuselage section during the November Open Week and speak with members of the team who have carried out the work.

The Lysander has been a largely Volunteer led project with a team of 4-6 volunteers working two days a week on the cleaning and mechanical elements, whist the new outer skin and paintwork has been applied by the Museum’s skilled Surface Finish Technician.

RAF Museum Conservation Centre Manager, Darren Priday said;
“During the inspection phase, we discovered some original fabric and we’ve taken the decision to conserve this item and keep the original paintwork. Once the fuselage section is complete, work will begin on attaching the ailerons and other flying controls which have already been covered in Irish linen; these will go through the same doping and paint process as the fuselage. The metal cowlings will be resprayed before being refitted. Over the next few months our team of Volunteers will be focussing their efforts on the wings. This work will all be on display to the public in November and in the New Year the undercarriage will be refitted as part of the rebuild phase which is expected to take upwards of 12 months.”

The Museum’s Westland Lysander III (S.D.) is 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 Lysanders 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 remained on display until its recent move to back to Cosford.

Visitors will also be able to view the continuing progress on the Vickers Wellington, Range Safety Launch, a project being run by a team of Volunteers, plus see a glimpse of the Dornier Do 17 smaller objects including propellers and engines, plus the First World War German LVG aircraft will also be on display to visitors. Museum Technicians, Apprentices and Volunteers will be available throughout the week to speak with visitors about their work and answer any questions they may have.

The Conservation Centre will open from 12-18 November between 10.15am and 1.00pm each day and admission is £5.00 per person (children under 16 are free and must be accompanied by an adult). The Museum’s other hangars will be open from 10am until 5pm and entry to the Museum is free of charge. For further information, please visit the Museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford or call 01902 376200.

Date: 13-18 November 2017
Time: 10:15am-1:00pm
Cost: £5.00 per person

A rare example of a Handley Page Hampden being restored at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will be one of the highlights at the Conservation Centre Open Week taking place on 13-18 November 2018.

The Handley Page Hampden’s forward and rear fuselage sections will be placed in line for aviation fans to view during the behind the scenes week. Since it was last viewed by the public almost 12 months ago, the forward fuselage and cockpit section has been completed, manufactured entirely from scratch by one of the Museum Technicians, using pre-production drawings. The new section also includes some original components from the P1344 Hampden and aviation fans will be able to get up close to view the progress during the forthcoming Open Week. Work is continuing on the aircraft fuselage section and it is hoped that work will be completed sometime in 2018. Once complete, the aircraft at Cosford will be one of only two examples and one nose section in existence from a total of 1,430 built.

Other aviation treasures on show to visitors will include the Vickers Wellington, one of only two complete examples anywhere in the world, out of 11,461 built. This popular aircraft is a favourite with aviation fans and has undergone work to treat small amounts of corrosion to its famous geodetic framework, both wings and fuselage, since its arrival at Cosford in June 2010. Now free of corrosion, both wings have been painted in a protective layer and one has already been re-covered in Irish linen, doped and painted in its Bomber Command Night colour scheme. Work is now underway to repeat the process on the aircrafts second wing and eventually the fuselage.

The Westland Lysander III, the only surviving Special Duties variant of this aircraft (which were used to ferry allied agents in and out of enemy occupied Europe). The aircraft which has undergone an in depth inspection and condition assessment over the last six months will also be on display to visitors. This project is being run by the Museums team of Volunteers and work over the next few years will include replacing its fragile linen outer skin.

Another aircraft spending a short period of time in the Conservation Centre is the Hawker Siddeley Gnat T1 – the first aircraft used by the RAF Red Arrows, superseded by the current aircraft, the Hawk in 1979. The aircraft was previously on public display at Cosford and is destined to move to the Museum’s London site before the end of the year. The Open Week in November is a last chance for Red Arrow fans to see the aircraft in the West Midlands. As the aircraft is being prepared for transportation by road, it is also a chance to see it in a partial stripped condition.

RAF Museum Conservation Centre Manager, Darren Priday said:
“It’s that time of the year again when the Conservation Centre opens its doors to the public. The Open Week has become a firm favourite with the aviation enthusiasts and local people who have been regular attendees over the years. This year we are highlighting the Westland Lysander, a WW2 aircraft that was used on SOE ops amongst other things. The aircraft will be in a stripped condition allowing visitors to view the usually closed up areas in detail. If you want a day out with a difference, why not come along and see what we are doing.”

Visitors will also be able to view the continuing progress on the Range Safety Launch, a project being run by a team of Volunteers, plus see a glimpse of the Dornier Do 17 smaller objects including propellers and engines. The First World War German LVG aircraft will also be on display to visitors along with some more unusual objects including the Skynet satellite and a missile collection, which are both being prepped ready for a move down to the Museum’s London site in preparation for the new centenary plans in 2018. Museum Technicians, Apprentices and Volunteers will be available throughout the week to speak with visitors about their work and answer any questions they may have.

The Conservation Centre will open from 13-18 November between 10.15am and 1.00pm each day and admission is £5.00 per person (children under 16 are free and must be accompanied by an adult). The Museum’s other hangars will be open from 10am until 5pm and entry to the Museum is free of charge. For further information, please visit the Museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford or call 01902 376200.

PLUS…in addition to the open week, visitors will also have the exciting opportunity to climb on board the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.1 XV249 during daily tours running from 13-18 November. Tickets are available to purchase online via the Museums website http://www.rafmuseum.org/cosfordor on the day, subject to availability.

Date: 14-19 November 2016

Time: 10:15am-1:00pm

Cost: £5.00 per person

A newly painted Vickers Wellington bomber wing, the Handley Page Hampden fuselage and a Red Arrows Gnat are just three of the aviation treasures on show to visitors next month at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford’s Conservation Centre Open Week. 

An exciting highlight to this year’s open week is the newly fabric covered and painted Vickers Wellington bomber outer wing.  This popular aircraft is a favourite with aviation fans and has undergone work to treat small amounts of corrosion to its famous geodetic framework, both wings and fuselage, since its arrival at Cosford in June 2010.  Now free of corrosion, both wings have been painted in a protective layer and in the last 6 months, one of the wings has been re-covered in Irish linen, doped and painted in its Bomber Command Night colour scheme by one of the museums Aircraft Technicians.  Work is now underway to repeat the process on the aircrafts second wing and eventually the fuselage.  Initially a five year project, the Wellington is expected to be completed within the next two to three years.

The team in the museums Conservation Centre are also lining up another treat for visitors, quite literally.  For the first time ever all four sections of the Handley Page Hampden’s fuselage will be placed in line showing an almost fully complete Hampden silhouette.  Work has been advancing on the Hampden considerably over the last 12 months and large sections of the badly damaged aircraft have been built from scratch on site at Cosford.  Since it was last viewed by the public almost 12 months ago, the forward fuselage and cockpit section has been manufactured using pre-production drawings and where possible castings and a few components from the original P1344 Hampden have been incorporated.  The new section will be placed alongside the rear fuselage, tailboom and tailplane for visitors to get an up close view of this rare example.  All effort on the aircraft is going into manufacturing the fuselage section which is hoped will be completed sometime in 2018.

Another aircraft spending a short period of time in the Conservation Centre is the Hawker Siddeley Gnat T1 – the first aircraft used by the RAF Red Arrows, superseded by the current aircraft, the Hawk in 1979.  The aircraft was previously on public display at Cosford and was moved into the Conservation Centre in June.  The aircraft is destined to move to the museum’s London site in 2017 and the open week in November is a last chance for Red Arrow fans to see the aircraft in the West Midlands.  As the aircraft is being prepared for transportation by road, it is also a chance to see it in a partial stripped condition.  

RAF Museum Conservation Centre Manager, Darren Priday said:

“With the museum fully engrossed in the RAF Centenary Programme the Conservation Centre team have spent a lot of 2016 away from Cosford at our London site preparing aircraft for moving. Another task that has taken us away from home is the Spitfire XIX that is currently on display in the Bahrain National Museum, the forth location it has been on display in the Middle East country in 2017.  With all these task going on away from Cosford it would have been easy to ‘down tools’ on the long term projects, but we haven’t.  The Wellington wing with its new covering and surface finish is a work of art.  In respect to the Hampden, regular visitors will notice how much the forward fuselage section has come on since last year’s open week. The chance to line up all four fuselage sections was something I have been looking forward to for a long time.  Finally the time has come and we will be able to show a Hampden fuselage in the UK; the last time this would have happened would be over 70 years ago.  We look forward to greeting our repeat visitors but also a warm welcome awaits anyone visiting for the first time”.

 Visitors will also be able to view the continuing progress on the Range Safety Launch, a project being led by a team of Volunteers, plus see a glimpse of the Dornier Do 17.  Now clear of all the marine crustaceans, the Dornier is currently housed in a controlled environment with de-humidifiers whilst the museum awaits further advice from the project advisor on how best to treat the metal. 

Museum Technicians, Apprentices and Volunteers will be available throughout the week to speak with visitors about their work and answer any questions they may have.  In addition, from Wednesday through to the Saturday, family members of the crew from the museum’s ill-fated Hampden’s last flight will be in-attendance. 

The Conservation Centre will open from 14-19 November between 10.15am and 1.00pm each day and admission is £5.00 per person (children under 16 are free and must be accompanied by an adult).  The Museum’s other hangars will be open from 10am until 5pm and entry to the museums is free of charge.  For further information, please visit the museum’s website www.rafmuseum/cosford or call 01902 376200.

PLUS…in addition to the open week, visitors will also have the exciting opportunity to climb on board the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.1 XV249 during daily tours.  Tickets are available to purchase on arrival, for more details visit the museum website.