Fly-in museums

[Genghis the Engineer]

I know about Duxford and Old Warden. I'm aware of the small museum at Sywell, and the slightly larger one at Dunkeswell.

But where else can you fly into an aircraft museum in the UK?

G

[Fuji Abound]

Manston - spitfire museum within walking distance

Headcorn - various WW2 memorabilia

Sandown - there use to be a small museum there - not sure if it is still operational

Gatwick - I think there is something with the ATZ. Grass strip with an annual fly in - not been there myself.

Filton - Concord - but not sure that qualifies

[Whirlybird]

Sleap has a small museum.

I believe Wellesbourne has...something - maybe just the odd aircraft or two though, not sure.

Bruntingthorpe doesn't call itself a museum, but has some amazing aircraft, and is great fun to fly into.

I think helicopters can fly into the Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare, but I don't think there's room for anything needing a runway, not sure.

I think there are more; I'll let you know if I remember any.

[EastMids]

Lots... A few that come immediately to mind:

Caernarfon - is there still a small museum there?
Carlisle - aviation museum including a Vulcan, Phantom, Lightning etc.
RAF Cosford (in the week?) - RAF Museum
Coventry - Midland Air Museum
East Fortune - is the strip still available?
East Midlands - Aeropark including Vulcan, Canberra, Varsity, etc, wrong side of the airport for flying to though (taxi ride round the perimeter)
Kemble - there's an aircraft museum in one of the hangars, but I'm not sure how often its open
Norwich - City of Norwich Aviation Museum on airport
Wickenby - has a small aviation museum but no aircraft
Breighton - arguably as much of a museum as Old Warden, although smaller?

I bet there's more...

Andy

[Papa Charlie]

Compton Abbas has a "Flying Aces” Movie Aircraft Collection museum.

[squawking 7700]

Winthorpe for Newark Air Museum - not sure for how much longer that you'd be able to fly in though as the gliding club (Newark & Notts) are moving soon
(rumour has it 11th June is their last day).


7700

[unfazed]

Elvington near York is a very historic airfield with a good museum

Airfield has been preserved with original buildings etc (bit of a feeling of being time warped to the past). Home of the famous Dambusters I think

Well worth a visit (airfield marked as disused but still used in practice with PPR):)

[pulse1]

Jet Heritage at Bournemouth but the landing fee makes it an expensive option.

[dwshimoda]

To echo Pulse, if you can afford the eye-watering landing fee at Bournemouth, the museum is amazing value at only £5 for an adult.

Most of the aircraft are just on open dispaly so you can wander through, sit on the flight deck, etc. Really found this place to be an absolute gem - can't wait to go back!

[LowNSlow]

Doesn't Wellesbourne have a taxiable Vulcan? Always a friendly reception there as well as a small museum. Nice to sit on the sun deck watching the R22s, R44s doing run-on landings on the grass while assorted SEP's do circuits on the tarmac. Excellent website too with the current weather online http://www.wellesbourneairfield.com/weatherflash.htm

Anorak mode ON:

unfazed Elvington was originally home to No.77 Sqn with first Whitleys and then Halifaxes. They were replaced by two Free French Halifax squadrons No. 346 (Guyenne) and No.347 (Tunisie). No, 617 Sqn, the Dambusters, was based at Scampton.

Anorak mode OFF

[proctor]

I know it's up North, but Carlisle's got a small museum and a few aeroplanes (a Vulcan, a Canberra). I went a couple of years back and they were so excited to actually have a visitor that we were treated like royalty (we being simple northern folk)!

[Microfright]

I stumbled across this.
I know that not all these are based at airfields but it contains a few that do.

http://www.google.com/Top/Reference/Museums/Transportation/Aviation/Europe/United_Kingdom/

[dwshimoda]

Low N Slow,

went to Wellesbourne on Sunday. Was originally a bit annoyed when I called for weather info, though the answer machine directed m online.

WOW!

Don't know if any other airfields do this, but what a fantastic resource - you get to see the same weather as the (very friendly) chappy in the tower. Now that's technology for you!

If you haven't followed the link above in Low N Slow's post - try it.

DW

[muffin]

East Kirkby
Shipdham
Seething
Framlingham
Rougham

all have strips

[Kolibear]

According to the (2005) Flight Guide, it is possible to fly into RNAS Yeovilton, but only during their operational hours - Mon to Fri.

I've not heard of anyone trying it, but allegedly, the Services are supposed to be coming more GA-friendly by allowing access to military bases.

[yakker]

Don't just fly into East Kirkby as some do. It annoys the farmer who owns the airfield, and he has in the past put large oil drums on the runway. The airfield is also used by other people, markets and motorcycle training come to mind.

Ring the museum and they will make the arrangements with the farmer, and will pick you up from the airfield as well.

[PTR 175]

Weyborne for the Muckleborough collection in Norfolk.

This one is a bit of a long shot. The science museum has a standby collection that is sometime open to the public at Wroughton in Wilts, just south of Swindon. Wroughton was a big airfield so parts of it maybe available.

[RufusRob]

dwshimoda

Sorry, but can't go along with that. If you can afford to fly you can afford the landing fees..... and the museum entrance costs. People like you shouldn't be allowed to visit there (remember Duxford?)

[NorthSouth]

if you can afford the eye-watering landing fee at BournemouthHow much? Do tell. Worse than the £120 I paid at Glasgow last October? No. Thought not.
NS

[dwshimoda]

Rufus Rob,

You're talking crap, and all because you tried to rip Duxford off, and thought people on this board would think how clever you were!

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=220780

If you can afford to fly you can afford the landing fees.....

Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't. I actualy drove to the museum at Bournemouth as I was in the area. The difference in landing fees, to my mind, is best put into flying hours, improving my skills, and making me safer, not lining the pockets of an airport authority.

For my 172 it's just under £35 to touch down at Bournemouth, before the mandatory handling fee is added on. Duxford is about £12. It was also pointed out by Pulse1 that Bournemouth is expensive for GA.

Grow up and act like the (responsible) pilot you should be.

NorthSouth - there's a slight difference in movements between Glasgow and Bournemouth - Glasgow being a fairly major interntional, Bournemouth wanting to be a major international, but with less than 10 movements during the two hours I was at the museum.

(edited to say "of which only one was a 737 - the rest was R22's / R44's and a Cessna 172")

By the way, this thread is about museums, not landing fee's (even though it was brought up in passing) let's return to the original topic and not suffer from thread drift.

[NorthSouth]

For my 172 it's just under £35 to touch down at Bournemouth, before the mandatory handling fee is added onMandatory handling at Bournemouth? Outrageous. But there are plenty GA operators there. They must surely have enough clout to negotiate with the airport management about such things. The extra money they get from mandatory handling must surely be more than scrubbed out by the reduction in visiting GA movements. How much was the handling fee and did you get anything for it e.g. fuel or a wee shortbread biscuit?

By the way, this thread is about museums, not landing fee's (even though it was brought up in passing) let's return to the original topic and not suffer from thread drift.Oops. Hellish the way people don't do what they're told. NS;)

[ChampChump]

Gatwick's is Vallance Byways (I haven't checked the spelling so apologise to all if that's wrong). Whiskey Kilo Wanderer, where are you when needed?
It's a memorable trip especially in something small...hopefully WKW will supply the detail as it's his tale to tell, by rights....:cool:

[RufusRob]

Touched a nerve or what? :)

Museums.......Coventry isn't bad but Cosford is a great place to fly into during op'g hours.

[Whiskey Kilo Wanderer]

ZZzzzz.. Eh? Someone Call?
Ah Yes, Valance Byways. It’s in Lockyears and is well worth a visit, particularly for those of us who don’t keep company with the ‘Heavies’ unless really badly lost. Gatwick (Director on 126.825Mhz) are amenable to letting folk in, although a transponder is required. The phone number for the ATC Watch Manager at Gatwick seemed to be a State Secret last time I tried, but it’s possible to get through eventually on the number given on the website.
Last time I was there, in company with CC, there was a three-axis microlight living under the tail of the Shackleton. Probably the ultimate T Hanger.
As mentioned above, it’s well worth a visit and Peter Vallance deserves our support for keeping the museum open in the face of local opposition. Quite why the locals should have objected to aeroplanes sitting silently on the ground doing no harm to anyone, when the Gatwick 08R threshold was just one field further south, beggars belief:confused: .
Safe Flying,
Richard W.

[BRL]

Hmm, how about a fly-in/bash/meet there? Got the weather for it.......

[Whiskey Kilo Wanderer]

Sounds like a good idea.

I'm off to Stauning (EKVJ) tomorrow, should be back Sunday pm / early evening. They do have quite a nice museum at Stauning, but it's a bit of a slog.

Safe Flying,

Richard W.