Visit to the RAF Museum

Alex D · #1 10-07-2011, 03:52 PM

Here are a few pictures of the RAF Museum. Located about 45 minutes to an hour North of London. It's free, and a great place to spend an afternoon if you are visiting. We traveled by tube/train all the way there.

https://picasaweb.google.com/RVTrain...RAFMuseum2011#

Just made some changes, hope the link works

Alex D

Lemmingman · #2 10-07-2011, 04:17 PM

Getting a "page not found" on that link, Alex.

Alex D · #3 10-07-2011, 04:38 PM

https://picasaweb.google.com/RVTrain...RAFMuseum2011#

Please try again, just made some changes in Picasa

Sorry for the trouble

Alex

rjtjrt · #4 10-07-2011, 06:34 PM

Both links work for me.
Thanks.
A great museum.
John

ArlingtonRV · #5 10-07-2011, 06:40 PM

Is that the museum at Duxford? If so, it has really changed a lot since I was there in the mid 1980s. I was stationed in England for a couple of years and went to Duxford several times, including a few of the fly days. It was quite interesting to see the only remaining flyable Avro Vulcan flying. Big, huge, noisy airplane, itty, bitty bomb bay.

Alex D · #6 10-07-2011, 06:55 PM

yep, I was told they added 2 building in the last 10 years. It has about 4 diffirent building.

Alex

Mark Albery · #7 10-07-2011, 06:58 PM

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Hendon. The Shuttleworth collection at Old Warden and the IWC collection at Duxford are not much further away and well worth a visit too (Duxford has a whole hangar dedicated to the 8th Air Force).

Two of the Hendon exhibits were actually built by a former colleague of mine from Rolls-Royce, Don Cashmore. He was a prolific and meticulous homebuilder especially in his retirement.

He built the Sopwith Tabloid as a replica of '168' the Schneider Trophy winner. I believe it actually counts as a genuine Sopwith as he visited Tom Sopwith in Tom's Hampshire mansion and was granted a Sopwith serial number for its construction. The aircraft flew about 60 hours including one forced landing, but came to an end flying-wise when another pilot had a heavy landing at the RR Hucknall aerodrome.

The other one of his at Hendon was the Bristol M1 monoplane which had a few flights powered by a Warner Scarab, but due to its lack of directional control on the ground, was retired to the museum rather than risk damage (another replica does fly now at Old Warden).

He also built a replica of the Hawker Cygnet, which was Sidney Camm's first design before he went on to produce the Hurricane. That flies at Old Warden powered by a HAPI half VW which is a close substitute for the original 30HP Cherub engine.

Nice to see Alex Henshaw's Mew Gull too, which set the record for London to Cape Town and back which held for over 70 years and recently beaten by Steve Noujaim in his RV-7.

Jimboscr · #8 10-07-2011, 08:43 PM

There is a second RAF museum at Cosford. This contains the aircraft that won't fit at Hendon. It includes transport and experimental aircraft. There is also the other 2 "V" bombers (Vulcan and Victor)

As has already been stated, the shuttleworth collection is VERY worthwhile seeing. Nearly everything in it flys. It has a lot of pre-war aircraft (WW1) and as you wander through the hangers there is a distinct aroma of aviation fuel and oil. The aeroplanes are alive not just static display.

Duxford is an old Battle of Britain airfield (which, if I rember correctly was later taken over by the 8th Airforce) which has a magnificent collection. It is one of the braches of the Imperial War Museum, which is also a great thing to see and it is right in London.

You have to pay to get into Duxford and the shuttleworth collection. The rest
(Hendon, Cosford and the Imperial War Museum are free)

I try and visit at least 1 of them every time I go to the UK.

Cheers

Jim

Andy_RR · #9 10-08-2011, 04:19 AM

I highly recommend organising your trip to the UK around a Shuttleworth/Old Warden Evening Air Display. If the weather is good to you there are few better ways to spend an evening.

Of course, sadly winter's coming for all you poor northern hemisphere folk!

Bob Axsom · #10 10-08-2011, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Albery

...

Nice to see Alex Henshaw's Mew Gull too, which set the record for London to Cape Town and back which held for over 70 years and recently beaten by Steve Noujaim in his RV-7.

I read the book a couple of years ago and it is truely awesome! When I saw the photo I had to go get my copy of the book to check the registration number. Sure enough G-AEXF.

Bob Axsom