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Visit to the RAF Museum

Where?

Is that the museum at Duxford? If so, it has really changed a lot since I was there in the mid 1980s. I was stationed in England for a couple of years and went to Duxford several times, including a few of the fly days. It was quite interesting to see the only remaining flyable Avro Vulcan flying. Big, huge, noisy airplane, itty, bitty bomb bay.
 
RAF museum

yep, I was told they added 2 building in the last 10 years. It has about 4 diffirent building.

Alex
 
Glad you enjoyed your visit to Hendon. The Shuttleworth collection at Old Warden and the IWC collection at Duxford are not much further away and well worth a visit too (Duxford has a whole hangar dedicated to the 8th Air Force).

Two of the Hendon exhibits were actually built by a former colleague of mine from Rolls-Royce, Don Cashmore. He was a prolific and meticulous homebuilder especially in his retirement.

He built the Sopwith Tabloid as a replica of '168' the Schneider Trophy winner. I believe it actually counts as a genuine Sopwith as he visited Tom Sopwith in Tom's Hampshire mansion and was granted a Sopwith serial number for its construction. The aircraft flew about 60 hours including one forced landing, but came to an end flying-wise when another pilot had a heavy landing at the RR Hucknall aerodrome.

The other one of his at Hendon was the Bristol M1 monoplane which had a few flights powered by a Warner Scarab, but due to its lack of directional control on the ground, was retired to the museum rather than risk damage (another replica does fly now at Old Warden).

He also built a replica of the Hawker Cygnet, which was Sidney Camm's first design before he went on to produce the Hurricane. That flies at Old Warden powered by a HAPI half VW which is a close substitute for the original 30HP Cherub engine.

Nice to see Alex Henshaw's Mew Gull too, which set the record for London to Cape Town and back which held for over 70 years and recently beaten by Steve Noujaim in his RV-7.
 
RAF Cosford

There is a second RAF museum at Cosford. This contains the aircraft that won't fit at Hendon. It includes transport and experimental aircraft. There is also the other 2 "V" bombers (Vulcan and Victor)

As has already been stated, the shuttleworth collection is VERY worthwhile seeing. Nearly everything in it flys. It has a lot of pre-war aircraft (WW1) and as you wander through the hangers there is a distinct aroma of aviation fuel and oil. The aeroplanes are alive not just static display.

Duxford is an old Battle of Britain airfield (which, if I rember correctly was later taken over by the 8th Airforce) which has a magnificent collection. It is one of the braches of the Imperial War Museum, which is also a great thing to see and it is right in London.

You have to pay to get into Duxford and the shuttleworth collection. The rest
(Hendon, Cosford and the Imperial War Museum are free)

I try and visit at least 1 of them every time I go to the UK.

Cheers

Jim
 
I highly recommend organising your trip to the UK around a Shuttleworth/Old Warden Evening Air Display. If the weather is good to you there are few better ways to spend an evening.

Of course, sadly winter's coming for all you poor northern hemisphere folk! :p
 
Flight of the Mew Gull by Alex Henshaw

...

Nice to see Alex Henshaw's Mew Gull too, which set the record for London to Cape Town and back which held for over 70 years and recently beaten by Steve Noujaim in his RV-7.

I read the book a couple of years ago and it is truely awesome! When I saw the photo I had to go get my copy of the book to check the registration number. Sure enough G-AEXF.

Bob Axsom
 
Well, that makes 2 of them ... this one was near Northampton (at Sywell) in early September. Alongside Steve Noujaim's RV-7 G-IIXF, a year after Steve's feat and 70 years after Alex Henshaw's.
Pete
 
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I must admit it aroused my suspicions too.

A quick bit of investigation reveals the truth:

July 2005 Construction of full-sized static replica of this aircraft, in its modified Cape-Flight condition, underway by Hawker Restorations (Tony Ditheridge/AJD Engineering), Sudbury, Suffolk to represent the aircraft as it was for the 1939 Cape Flight. Fitted with reconditioned D.H Gipsy Six series II engine, built to the correct drawings and virtual flying standard and using the rebuilt original G-AEXF as a pattern. Basic spruce structure fuselage completed first with wings also completed by August 2005. Project funded by the late Alex Henshaw and managed by the RAF Museum, where the replica is displayed, at Hendon. Photos of wings and fuselage under construction, November 2005; Flypast January 2006 p.4; Other photos - Aeroplane April 2008 p.39. Further detailed work on fuselage undertaken at the Northill home of Chris Morris from early 2007. Fitting out of the cockpit was completed by April 2008.
Incorporates some original components from G-AEXF, including cockpit instruments such as the original P.4A compass, tyres and the oil tank.
7 Apr 2008 Delivered to RAFM Hendon and assembled over the following three days. Photo at official handover ceremony, 17 April 2008 ? Flypast June 2008 p.15; Aeroplane June 2008 p.7.
1 May 2008 Suspended from roof of Milestones building.
The original, and much rebuilt, Henshaw Mew Gull G-AEXF survives, still airworthy, with the Real Aeroplane Company at Breighton Aerodrome, East Yorkshire. This is the only survivor of the six examples of the type built.
 
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