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Which aviation museums should I see in England?


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I'll be going across the pond to England in a few weeks and I might be able to squeeze in a museum or two, depending on scheduling and location. I'll be spending about a week in London, then taking a bus tour north through Scotland and then west through Ireland. The chances of being close to a military and/or aviation museum might not work out on this particular trip, but it would be nice to know what's over there to see, just in case!

Thanks for any leads (& websites) that you can provide.

Cheers,

Chuck

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I'd have a look at the Imperial (we have an Empire??!) War Museum at Duxford in Cambridgeshire:

My link

Also the RAF Museum at Hendon -Middlesex, just a couple of miles out of London:

My link 2

The latter is said to have got a bit run down lately, but I haven't been able to visit there myself for three years or so. They have some fine exhibits, though.

Welcomes to our Motherland; hope you has a good times!

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The biggies in/around London are;

- RAF Museum (Hendon)

- Imperial War Museum

- Science Museum

Outside of London, there big ones are Duxford (Cambridge), the Fleet Air Arm museum (Yeovil) and RAF Cosford (near Telford). But there are loads of smaller museums as well, such as Newark Air Museum (near Nottingham).

Check out the UK Aviation Museums Guide website.

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Vince pretty well covered the high spots. RAF Hendon will give you a good fill of the core British aircraft, especially Battle of Britain stuff. Its the only place I know where you can see a Valiant and a Short Sunderland flying boat on display (not to mention a BP Defiant in the BoB exhibit wing). RAF Cosford's collection has a nice sprinkling of the exotic stuff that both served operationally and were used in testing (TSR-2 and the BAC Lightning test bed airframes being the biggest draw). Cosford is closer to Birmingham than London though, so it can be a bit of a chore getting up there if you don't have a car or train fare.

Duxford has a nice collection on display, which can vary somewhat depending on if some planes are out flying the airshow circuit. They have a permanent collection of static aircraft as well, especially in the wing of the museum dedicated to American hardware. One nice benefit of Duxford is if you visit when it is off flying season, chances are good you will see a flying warbird in a partially dis-assembled state undergoing an annual checkup, so you can REALLY see how things fit together. Duxford also has a nice collection of exotics, such as the second TSR-2 left (was being "completed" when I saw it in 2004), the second British Concorde prototype and quite a few other unique birds.

Personally though, probably the biggest and most unique highlight of the museums in the UK I visited was the RN aircraft museum at Yeovilton. It can be tough to get to as it practically requires a trip by car to get there from London (takes about 1 hour, 30 minutes), but you are rewarded with some exciting aircraft displays with a unique Royal Navy slant. When I was there, they had one whole wing of the museum cordoned off which had to be entered a certain way. When you got in there, it was set up like a British carrier of the 1960s with post-war British turbo-prop and jet aircraft on the deck, including a Phantom FG-1 on the catapult. You can also see a Concorde prototype, Sea Harriers, Seafires and the like. Granted that was 11 years ago, so I have no idea how things are the same or different today.

As for other museums, another one I recommend, which isn't aircraft related is the RN submarine museum at Gosport, located near Portsmouth. I ended up there as my attempt to get to another museum ended up in failure and I am glad I stayed as it provided a unique perspective into British submarine operations from the Holland 1 all the way up to the diesel and nuke boats of the cold war years.

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Duxford has a nice collection on display, which can vary somewhat depending on if some planes are out flying the airshow circuit. They have a permanent collection of static aircraft as well, especially in the wing of the museum dedicated to American hardware.

Note that the American Aviation Museum at Duxford is closed for refurbishment.

You can see the photos of it being dismantled in this thread - scroll down about halfway for the photo.

Otherwise, Duxford is a great 'working' museum to visit.

Ken

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Note that the American Aviation Museum at Duxford is closed for refurbishment.

No WAY!!! I was planning my first trip there next month (hoping to get up close to the SR-71). Bummer! :bandhead2: But thanks for the info -I guess! :rolleyes:

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If you get through Glasgow, check out the Riverside Museum (formerly the Transport Museum). Not aviation related, but one of my favourite places to visit as a kid.

LINKY

In relation to Edgar's post below. If you feel like a bit of a hike, there is the wreckage of a B-29 in Succoth glen not to far from Glasgow.

Linky 2

Edited by rustywelder
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If you can find a copy of "Wrecks & Relics," volume 24, it lists every old airframe in the U.K., most preserved, most accessible, but some not. It was published last year, so not 100% up-to-date, but should help.

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I think all- or at least most- of the exhibits from the AAM section will still be on display, just scattered around a bit.

Not sure about the B-52. I don't know where else it would fit.

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Last summer we went to Ireland, 14 years after our previous visit (our honeymoon, actually). The first time, we stumbled upon a small, dusty museum in Foynes. It's dedicated to the flying boat service between Ireland and the US. Last year we passed through the area and decided to see if it still existed. And it does! It's still small and dedicated only to the flying boats that flew from Foynes, but it got a major update. Is it worth a major detour? Only if you live and breath flying boats. But if you're in the neighbourhood, it's certainly worth dropping by. And they have a 1/1 model of a B314 (minus the wings).

Here's the website. If what they say on their website is true, it's also your only option to see an aircraft museum in Ireland.

Also in Ireland, near Clifden, is the memorial for the Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown. They landed(they could walk away from it, so it's considered a landing I presume?) near Marconi's first high power transatlantic long wave wireless telegraphy station.

In London, there's RAF Hendon. Now that's a place you could happily spend a day. We were there 2 years ago. The only problem was we had only a few hours to spare. I'll definitely go back there to see the rest.

Edited by huntermountain
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There is also the Irish Air Corps museum located inside of the facility that is Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, base of the Irish Air Corps. However, visits are by appointment only. It is always worth asking though, as the worst that can happen is they'll say no. Again a small collection (we have a small air arm!)

Details here;

http://www.militaryheritage.ie/research-guide/internet-research/business-directory/1092/irish-aer-corps-museum-heritage-project/

I also second the mention of Foynes. A small but interesting place for sure. Not certain if you would feel the trip out from Dublin to Limerick/Clare would be worth it (the distance may be small on the map compared to travelling in the US but our road network is only now entering the 20th century). If however you are in the vicinity do go there. As you are in the area then take a trip up to Shannon and look over the fence, you never know what you might see there; The AN-225 was here last Sunday. And after that drive into Shannon town and visit the Atlantic Airventure centre. It's a quasi-museum/flight sim/engineering setup that has a trials Buccaneer, a Sea Venom, Lightning and Jaguar cockpit sections, several private aircraft hulks and a B737-800 simulator.

http://atlanticairventure.com/

And give us a buzz when you are here, buy me a pint.

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Wow, thanks guys! I'll archive all this and compare it to my travel schedule and hopefully be able to visit a few.

Again, thank you,

Chuck

I have it on pretty good authority that Scotland and Ireland DO indeed exist.

HTH.

Yeah, bad wording alright, but isn't that line of thinking why Scotland recently had a separation referendum? :P

Edited by chuck540z3
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