An interesting small aircraft museum.
My friend Roger, in U.K., has advised me that there is an interesting small aircraft museum located close to the M25 motorway at Colney, London. This museum is in expansion and has aircraft restoration programmes. The history of the British de Havilland aircraft company is well represented in this museum with many exhibits. The main attraction is probably the famous World War 2 Mosquito fighter-bomber. For more information view their website on this link. Below are a few photos that Roger took during his visit (click on the photos to enlarge and view gallery).
For those like me who are aviation addicts I recommend checking the web blog “Aces High” (click on this link). This Aussie blog author Deano travels around to air shows and aircraft museums reporting and taking amazing photos.
Of course Mike, the RAF Cosford Museum is an excellent example of perhaps just one of the finest and well-kept museums in the world and where money has been invested in keeping it such.
I still love to see these images of our historical aircraft and have had much to do with such types since I left the R.A.F.
My first real “hands-on” contact was with the Southend Historic Aircraft Museum (situated alongside the Southend (Rochford) Airport in Essex, from its’ inception in 1967-8 and with our original founder-member Bill Gent and Tony Obsborne (the latter gentleman having-had ulterior-motives & which were not then legal !!!).
At the beginning we had around six aircraft parked out in the open on the airport, which needed looking after and then after the new dedicated museum building was opened in 1972 – quickly several more aircraft (some very rare) were acquired bringing eventually the total number to around 20 exhibits, plus many aviation-artifacts acquired or on loan were also to be seen including a WW-2 German V2 engine etc.
It was well-nice to be able to show and explain to the public-visitors what our exhibits were about and especially with our Avro Lincoln, Blackburn Beverley and CASA 2.111(Heinkel-111) each being the ‘big boys of the fleet’, gave much work to be done by just our very small fleet of helpers.
http://saadonline.uk/a-brief-history-of-the-h-a-m (other web-pages can also be found by searching).
– tells much and I note that the photo of the Devon in which Air Marshall Sir Harry Burton attended and was accompanied by a small RAF delegation for the opening ceremony, all of whom flew in aboard the DeHavilland Devon VP981 — also has a direct connection to me as mentioned below…
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Coincidentally (after the museum closed) I spent many years from 1986 at Southend and later North Weald looking after and flying-in an identical aircraft as VP961/G-ALFM/currently & since as G-HBBC, which was the very first aircraft allocated to the then Queen’s Flight and for the personal use of HRH Prince Phillip -The Duke of Edinburgh).
http://www.planepictures.net/v3/show_en.php?id=575598
Although not entirely accurate, the following link gives an insight to this not-so-well-known vintage aircraft :-
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?131020-DH104-Devon-Dove-VP961-cn-04211-G-HBBC-Royal-Flight-amp-207-Squadron-1948-to-2014
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000406415.html
– shows G-ALFM based at North Weald in 1990 and on that occasion it can be seen that a quantity of oil on the ground under our aircraft was quite normal for this type, as the engines are inverted. I had the job of clearing-up the remains before towing her back to where normally parked and the oil drip-trays were kept…
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Unfortunately and largely due to political reasons and subsequently financial-reasons, by around 1980, the aircraft museum was forced to eventually close, with an auction sending the exhibits to other museums and other places in the U.K. and abroad. At least I have taken a very small part in working-on those that certainly in one or two cases at least – are now permanently kept in storage with the Science Museum-store in Wiltshire or are on display elsewhere – one of which I believe is flying in the U.S.A. The U.S. has the money to spend on preserving (and flying) such examples.
Terry
Great to read this information and of your involvement in many spheres of our interests.
Thanks Mike and as yourself , Roger and myself well-know each other and especially at our R.A.F. Reunion at North Weald back-in 2014 and how we were allowed to view very close-up and even inside
one aircraft as well as having tours of the hangers and Control Tower there, how much our memories are included in your previous blog:-
https://msinnott.net/2014/07/28/escapade-to-north-weald/
Terry
It’s always great to history preserved [the good, the bad and the ugly of it all]. I agree with you, Deano’s site is outstanding for us history and aviation buffs!!
Even though I only live half an hour away, I missed Wings Over Illawarra this last weekend, but I see Deano has it well covered. There is another small aircraft museum in the UK at Manston that I enjoyed for its Spitfires. Taking the liberty of including a link here https://garrulousgwendoline.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/hurricane-and-spitfire-museum-manston-kent-england/
I have a preference for RAF Cosford museum since I did my training there and used to see some of the aircraft in my classroom hangar before the public museum was built.