Tag: RAF

Next year, the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre (MBCC) at Royal Air Force Museum Cosford is opening its doors to the public for the first time.The MBCC is one of the finest aircraft conservation centres in the world. To enable greater public access and an understanding of the centre’s work, it will be opening its doors to visitors for two exclusive periods in 2008.

Visitors to the Museum will gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access to aircraft conservation work and have a rare opportunity to view current projects, including work being undertaken on the Handley Page Hampden bomber, Lindbergh’s Miles Mohawk and the Sopwith Dolphin.

The first open week will run from Monday 28th January to Friday 1st February 2008. The second will be from 24th to 28th November 2008. The Conservation centre will be open each day from 11.00am – 3.00pm.

Manager of the Conservation Centre, Tim Wallis says:

“The conservation team at the MBCC are justifiably proud of the work they do towards preserving our aviation heritage. We welcome this opportunity to allow the public a degree of access towards finding out more about the painstaking and skilled work that aircraft conservation entails. The MBCC is a very busy place however and it will remain a working domain throughout. Come along and experience this fascinating work with us, I’m sure you’ll not be disappointed.”

The main Museum is open daily from 10am – 6pm (last admission 4pm). Admission and parking are both free of charge.

For further information, please contact the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford on 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org

Rebecca Pitts, an Apprentice working for the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, beat the competition hands down to become the Telford College of Arts and Technology, Apprentice of the Year 2006/2007.Rebecca, aged 18 from Telford, was nominated for the ‘Engineering Apprentice of the Year’ award by her Company Representative, Mr Tim Wallis, Manager of the Royal Air Force Museum’s Michael Beetham Conservation Centre (MBCC). After winning her category Rebecca was entered for the Telford College of Arts and Technology ‘Overall Apprentice of the Year’ along with the winners from each of the other categories, and was crowned the overall winner.

Having worked for the Museum for two years as part of a 5 ½ year apprentice placement, Rebecca has just completed the first year of a BTEC National Certificate in Operating and Maintenance. The course consisted of 6 modules in total which included Mechanical Technology and System Measurements and she received distinction grades in all six modules. Rebecca is also the only female in the country studying the course and she is delighted her hard work and effort has paid off.

Rebecca is also studying for her NVQ Level 2 in Performing Engineer Operations and has completed the first year of her course four weeks early. Tim Wallis, Manager of the MBCC says: “Rebecca is a very focused, driven student which stood her in good stead for a difficult year. Next year will be even harder to achieve but I have no doubt that Rebecca will be successful in anything she sets her mind to.”

The Modern Apprentice Scheme provides a work-based training and development for 16 – 24 years olds who have left full-time education. Two days a week are spent at college and three days are spent in the workplace.

The location of the Museum’s Michael Beetham Conservation Centre and the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering offers a unique training opportunity. The scheme also offers a unique opportunity to fill a skills shortage of technicians qualified and skilled to work on the conservation and preservation of historic aircraft.

The Royal Air Force Museum will be recruiting a further two apprentices to begin training in October 2007.

Rebecca will be enjoying the summer break from college and working full time at the Museum over the summer months, before returning to college in September for her third year. www.rafmuseum.org.uk

The Royal Air Force Museum is proud to announce the unveiling of a new permanent exhibition: The interactive, walk-through Chinook Helicopter.The Boeing Chinook is a versatile and powerful helicopter, used for troop movement, artillery emplacement and battlefield re-supply. It was first procured by the RAF in 1980 and has seen operational service in The Falklands War, The first Gulf War and the current Gulf conflict.

Based around the frame of an actual Chinook forward fuselage, the exhibition will allow visitors a ‘walk-in’ experience and includes a full cockpit with controls, along with additional display materials including interactive kiosks and audio-visual presentations on wide-screen monitors. The exhibition is fully accessible by ramp and is supported by a number of graphics panels.

The ex-US Army Chinook model: CH-47D (serial currently unknown), was flown across from America to Osnabruck in Germany and then to Mildenhall in the UK. From there it travelled by road, to the Museum site in London. This fuselage is a product of the current refurbishment programme for US CH-47s, which are receiving new front ends.

The exhibition is sponsored by Chinook manufacturer Boeing, who organised the gift of this ex-US Army airframe, along with a large scale model displayed over the exhibit and a kind donation through RAFM American Foundation. Honeywell have donated the T-55 engine and Rockwell Collins has provided a mock up of their Collins Avionics Architecture System, (CAAS) – a fully integrated tactical helicopter flight and mission management system comprising five advanced Multi-Function Displays and two colour Control and Display Units. Summit Aviation assisted in preparing the Chinook fuselage for the exhibition.

Technical assistance was provided by RAF Odiham, where the RAF’s Chinook fleet is based, along with the provision and fitting of many additional parts, ranging from pylon fairings taken from a wreck, to crew seats replicated by their workshop and rotor blades.

The exhibition will be on permanent public display in the Rotorcraft area of the London site, from Thursday 18th July 2007.

For more information please visit www.rafmuseum.org