Last Friday the National Museum of the Royal Navy issued an invitation to tender for a £650k project to overhaul the Aircraft Carrier experience at the FAAM Yeovilton.
The prime audience is 8-14 year olds (see below). However, I started wondering what sights, sounds, smells, and stories a less innocent and more robust audience might receive if it was the unvarnished truth put together by PPRuNers (irrespective of uniform colour or Navy).
I will start with a bland suggestion: the black hole of Calcutta come IT History Museum storeroom that was the ops room of Lusty in her final years. Or perhaps the chippies in action during her Norwegian (mis)adventure.
1. Creative Response for ITT ‘Carrier Experience’
We want the upgraded experience to amaze and inspire our visitors. We must provide an
extraordinary and enriching day out, leaving our visitors in awe of what they have experienced
and eager to return.
We need to surprise, amaze and awe inspire our visitors and provide a new offering that is
extremely marketable that brings the story of the Royal Navy to life, is attractive to a local
audience as well as visitors from further afield, and in particular appeals to children and young
people aged 8- 14 years old.
The new experience will immerse our visitors in the excitement and thrill of carrier flight and will
be a fun and engaging way to learn about the complexity of carrier operations. However, it should
not provide a detailed chronology or technical understanding; nor should it focus solely on Ark
Royal (as per the current design). Instead, the upgrade will refresh the arrival and the audio-visual
flight deck experience, to make the most of its scale = and our incredible aircraft. Visitors will then
find out about carrier operations and the vital work of the Royal Navy (FAA) through interactive
displays, ending in the experience chamber, bringing the story to its conclusion and teasing
visitors with a vision of the future.
This will create a compelling narrative showcasing the Fleet Air Arm’s ‘Air Power from the Sea’ in
past, present and future. It will connect the heyday of jet aviation to the operations and
deployment of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and F35 aircraft which will be the heart of the
Royal Navy from [2021] onwards. It will provide a fun, and unforgettable visitor experience,
inspiring for all, but especially targeted towards the enjoyment of children and young people.
If you really want to read the details they are here:
Tender Notice