Hangar 1

On the 17th of June Boscombe Down Aviation Collection commemorated the 35 anniversary of the end of the Falklands War. Admiral Sir Michael Layard who served as the Naval Captain on the Atlantic Conveyor in the South Atlantic led the tributes alongside Lieutenant Commander David Morgan who flew Sea Harriers from HMS Hermes during the conflict. It was a chance for the collection and all who attended to remember those served and those who lost their lives.

The latest complete restoration for the collection is our T21 Sedburgh glider. The one obtained by the collection came from the museum at Hootton Park and has itself an interesting history. Slingsby Sedbergh T21b No 1355 Reg 9G-ABD was built in November 1962. The aircraft was exported to Ghana to form the nucleus of an air training scheme in the country. Employed to oversee the operation was the famous WWII female German Test Pilot Hanna Reitsch. It seems certain that in that capacity she would have flown 9G-ABD.   In January 1977 a Lloyds Surveyor of Shipping who purchased the air frame from the Accra Gliding Club found it in a derelict condition.  Subsequently, the aircraft was imported back into the UK and after restoration went on to fly more than 1000 hours with 10,718 launches. In 1992 new owners acquired the aircraft installing a two-stroke 330cc Fuji Robin Microlight engine and re-naming her ‘Spruce Goose’. It is believed that engine failure may have been the cause of the crash that wrecked 9G-ABD.  The collection finally obtained the remains at the end of 2014 and the work has nearly been completed by volunteer Colin Green, whose restoration has included an entire reconstruction of the cockpit section, both wings have been completely restored, the main spars had to undergo repair and the aircraft has been completely re-skinned. The T21 is now finally completed and displayed in the collection’s North Hangar at Old Sarum.

There is nothing quite like the experience of actually getting inside a fast jet cockpit. Most museums tape off exhibits allowing for the usual set of photographs from a distance, but that isn’t the style of Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, the whole ethos is to experience and get up close to to the real thing. All the buttons, levers and dials really do place you ‘there,’ in the moment, where pilots have been, careering down the runway at Boscombe Down for take off, or breaking through the sound barrier during various flight tests.

The sense of mission is still very much ingrained in every part of each cockpit, even years after these jets last flew the atmosphere is still electric inside, the smell of the metal, leather, mechanics set alongside the sweat and tears of so many pilots who operated them.

One of the most enjoyable things to do at the collection is to climb into any of the jets and realise how small the working area is; in these small spaces travelling at many hundreds of miles an hour pilots would test these machines to their absolute limits over the Wiltshire skies.

The team here at BDAC have been busy preparing XK699 for visitors. Up until recently people coming to the collection have not actually been allowed to step into the nose section of this historic flight but it is now possible. The front section of the aircraft was saved by the volunteers back in November 2013 and work started on making one of the new ‘gate guards’ for the collection a fascinating experience with a rare chance to get behind the controls of a Comet! 

The BDAC Model Show, 21st August, 2016

The collection held it’s first model show on 21st August, 2016. We had exhibitors from all over the country including:

IPMS Air Cadets IPMS Salisbury IPMS Gloucester Earley Risers IPMS Farnborough Cotswold Scale Modellers Julian Scammell Martin Hale Cold War Sig Castle Road Modellers South West Figures IPMS Poole Vikings Poole Scale Modellers IPMS Southampton Tank Museum Volunteers IPMS Wallingford IPMS UK Ron Packwood Mark Roberts Aerobilia Richard Franks Valiant Publishing Collectakit Kits Kits Steve Walker The Crafty Girls Chris & Vic Rowse

The Boscombe Down Aviation continues to build on its collection of historic aircraft with the addition of a Scout helicopter. AH1 XP899, was designed and built by Westland Helicopters and based for the duration of its operational career at Middle Wallop Airfield.

The addition of the Scout reaffirms BDAC’s strong links with the helicopters that are so much part of the history of MOD Boscombe Down and the Wessex region.

The team aim to completely restore this exhibit and in-line with the philosophy of the museum open this up to visitors who will be able to experience a ‘pilot’s view’. It is also planned to carry out work that should enable wheelchair users to access the aircraft.

For more information on Scout XP899 or any further details about the museum please contact Sqn Ldr John Sharpe on 01722 323636.

Photograph of the Scout AH1 XP899 attached to this release.

Helicopter

museum

Three retired test pilots renewed old acquaintances last night at the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection Museum at Old Sarum in Wiltshire.

The occasion was a talk on Air Display Supervision at International Air Shows givenby Gp Capt Roger Beazley, including a behind the scenes look the shows safety and management and how challenges are faced by those involved.

The photograph shows W/Cdr Clive Rustin (far left) and W/Cdr Tim Mason (centre)with Roger Beazley.

Photography by Gerry Smyth.

Aerobilia ’15 was great success with an excellent variety of stalls and lots people coming through the door. There were stalls featuring all manner of different aero-memorabilia from aircraft parts (including a F4 Phantom Radar) and many other incredible things. Everyone who made it along had a great time and we look forward to hosting another Aerobilia event next year.

The Boscombe Down Aviation Collection are pleased to announce the latest addition to the fleet at Old Sarum -  a T21 Sedburgh glider.

A T21 glider (similar to how the exhibit will look when restored). Photographer not known.

The Project Director Squadron Leader John Sharpe explained why the glider was relevant to the Collection.   He said that the last RAF flying unit at Old Sarum, No 622 (Volunteer) Gliding School operated T21s and during the 50s and early 60s the Empire Test Pilots School at Boscombe Down had a T21 on its fleet.

The one obtained by the Collection came from the museum at Hootton Park and has itself an interesting history.   Slingsby Sedbergh T21b No 1355 Reg 9G-ABD was built in November 1962.   The aircraft was exported to Ghana to form the nucleus of an air training scheme in the country.   Employed to oversee the operation was the famous WWII female German Test Pilot Hanna Reitsch.   It seems certain that in that capacity she would have flown 9G-ABD.  

Boscombe Down Aviation Collection Expands

Boscombe Down Aviation Collection (BDAC) are proud to announce the expansion of the museum to incorporate Old Sarum Airfield Hangar 1 North. The collection, which houses a number of nationally significant exhibits, has occupied Hangar 1 South since July 2012 and tells the story of flight and flight testing at Boscombe Down.

This is a very exciting development for the Collection and sees the museum now occupy a second hangar. This enables the preservation of yet more historic exhibits, which the public can experience and enjoy.

In addition a number of flying vintage aircraft operating from Old Sarum are now housed with the collection and can be viewed as part of the BDAC experience.

Project Director Sqn Ldr John Sharpe said,

‘The opportunity to expand the collection has come sooner in our existence than actually we expected, however with the support of our Landlord Mr. John Jervoise of Herriard Estates and also Old Sarum Airfield Management, we’re now able to double the footprint of the collection and therefore hopefully enhance the visitor experience when they come to visit the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection’.

BDAC continues to offer visitors a unique opportunity to climb into aircraft and cockpits to get the rare ‘hands on’ experience, which is central to the Collection philosophy.

BDAC marked the centenary of the start of the First World War on the 4th August 1914 by unveiling an art installation in their hangar this Sunday, the 3rd August at 4 pm. BDAC received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £3,700 in April this year, to mount an exhibition to commemorate the conflict and install the art work in the hangar. 

On Sunday 3rd August Boscombe Down Aviation Collection revealed the First World War Centenary Commemoration  to WW1. The installation in Hangar 1, by artist Jennifer Stokes, is inspired by the replica First World War bi-plane which BDAC has in its collection. The 5.3m x 2.3m art installation is made of fabric, wood and wire, which reflects the materials of early aircraft and has upon it images representing the view that the BE2B pilot might have had of the ground. It will be suspended from the rafters in the hangar in remembrance of the pilots of the Royal Flying Corps and all those, men and women, military and civilian, who supported them. 

The full scale replica bi-plane, the Royal Aircraft Factory BE2B, was made by BDAC members to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of Boscombe Down in 2007. The BE2B was the first aircraft to land on Boscombe Down airfield in November 1917. 

Old Sarum airfield, where the collection is now housed, also opened in 1917 when the War Office requisitioned farmland near Ford village as a training base for the Royal Flying Corps for basic flying and fighter training. The first units arrived in August 1914. During that year, four hangars with the Belfast type of roof truss, were constructed on the site. The hangars, one of which now contains the BDAC exhibits, still remain at Old Sarum and are some of the very few WWI hangars of this type remaining in the country. 

Heritage Lottery Fund awards £3,700 to Boscombe Down Aviation Collection’s WW1 Commemoration Exhibition with leading work from Artist Jennifer Stokes

Today, Boscombe Down Aviation Collection along with Artist Jennifer Stokes have received £3,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the commemorative project to mark the centenary of World War One. 

The Link Trainer is one of those fascinating objects, when I first heard that they had aircraft simulators during the Second World War I was astounded, the very notion of an aircraft sim seems very modern in an almost computer like way.  I had visions of a beautifully designed Spitfire-like structure, so as to give you a true ‘feel’ for an aircraft.

Well, not exactly Spitfire like, but in a very 1940s utilitarian kind of way the Link Trainer is an extremely beautiful object.  It seems hard to believe now that some of the Battle of Britain airmen were being asked to fly combat sorties, after only a few hours in the air and many hours in a Link simulator. How could such a strange looking object enable you to get to grips with some of the most technical aircraft of the day, and prepare you for battle.

I wanted to find out more, so last Sunday I took a visit to Boscombe Down Aviation Collection to have a flight in the Link Trainer.  Aided by guide and restorer Colin Green who has brought this wonderful machine back to almost new condition, I stepped with slight trepidation into the ‘cockpit’.  This 1952 model is a slightly more complex edition, with a few more dials and controls than the pilots of WW2 would have experienced, yet the principle was going to be the same.  Colin asked as I sat down in the seat ‘Have you ever flown before’, ‘No, only played on simulators on the computer I replied’!  I have to admit, running through my mind were questions like, how would I perform? What was the experience going to be like? Above all, I didn't want to look like a complete fool, as we now had a small audience of fellow guides and visitors looking on!  When Colin started the Link Trainer up, his main concern was that I understood that only very small adjustments were what was needed to keep the ‘plain’ in the sky as it were.

A few moments in and I can only describe the sensation as being very real, whilst I have not flown as a pilot the feeling of being in control is tangible. To start with I was doing exactly what Colin had warned me not to do, making large movements on the controls, causing the Trainer to lurch from one side to the other and spinning around too!  This is actually quite a disorientating experience, as you watch the controls to try and make sense of what to do to compensate and bring the ‘plane’ back to a position of flying on the horizon.  After a few more minutes and feeling a little more at ease, interpreting the controls and adjusting the simulated trajectory I could now see why these trainers were so valuable all those years ago.  The Link Trainer provides a very specific feel, one that enables you to gauge a feeling for flying and the very limited amount of movements needed to ‘right’, or indeed ‘wrong’ a flight course.  If you have never flown, I can honestly say this is a wonderful experience, not only from the point of view that is really does give you a sense of piloting a plane, but it is also an incredible piece of British history, I con now understand a little more about what it must have felt like back in the 1940s to have been ‘trained’ to fly.

A big thanks to Colin Green and the team for their time and help training me up, surely now I’m ready to take my licence aren’t I?

While the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection houses many fascinating aircraft and articles arguably one of the key exhibits is that of the Sea Harrier XZ 457.

An incredible jet which played a vital role in the Falklands and subsequently is of national interest. 

A big thanks to everyone who came along to the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection Coffee Morning at the United Reformed Church on Fisherton Street. In particular Steph and Pauline who organised and helped the team raise over £150 for the museum. A great morning with lots of amazing cakes!