Newark Air Museum (a few pics)

[dr_gn]

The teachers at school had a little break from work on Friday, so I took the boy to Newark Air Museum. I've not been since about 1990. We spent an enjoyable few hours wandering around what amounts to an aircraft scrapyard on the outside (with the exception of the Lightning, the outdoor exhibits are in a shocking state). I understand the difficulties of preserving airframes under these conditions, but even so it's a depressing sight to see. Inside it's like a 'mini Duxford'; a fairly random collection of nicely preserved exhibits and complete aircraft. There's even the remains of one of the upper turrets from that old PH favourite RB-29 "Over Exposed", and a small display dedicated to this aircraft.

Staff were really friendly and helpful, and the museum shop was very well stocked with all the kind of stuff I love: models, books, and more models. We duly bought some tat, and hopefully made a contribution to keeping the museum alive. We also paid 50p to go in the Varsity and have a poke around - very nice it was too.

If you're passing, it's well worth a visit:

[perdu]

Thanks for these doc

I expect it is difficult for them to know where to place their money when it's preservation budget time, have you seen the odds and ends of Bloodhound missiles and launchers behind the top hangar at Cosford? Paint flaking and aloominum corrosion/oxidation all over the shop.

But when they need one for a display it will get sorted in double quick time no doubt.

I will be saving the Lightning pics for later reference, amongst others.

[dr_gn]

perdu said:

Thanks for these doc

I expect it is difficult for them to know where to place their money when it's preservation budget time, have you seen the odds and ends of Bloodhound missiles and launchers behind the top hangar at Cosford? Paint flaking and aloominum corrosion/oxidation all over the shop.

But when they need one for a display it will get sorted in double quick time no doubt.

I will be saving the Lightning pics for later reference, amongst others.

Ta Perdu.

There were a few remnants of Bloodhound missiles behind that Mig 23 as it happens. Even at Duxford there are the rotting remains of airframes around the car park field, but at least they are not the main exhibits. I guess once you've seen one knackered Shackleton or Meteor, you've seen them all, so there's not much point funding their preservation when there are much better examples in indoor storage or even airworthy or close to it?

Still a depressing sight though, and I wish I had a load of disposable cash to donate and some time to help with restoration work. Maybe one day the latter might happen who knows?

[IanMorewood]

We visited 18months ago and where equally shocked at the state of some of the outdoor stuff quite how they decided what should be indoors I don't know, the Sea Vixen for example that's tucked behind the hanger next to the Meteor night fighter I would have thought was worth more to a UK museum than the SAAB Viggen that has a prime spot in hanger two?

[dr_gn]

IanMorewood said:

We visited 18months ago and where equally shocked at the state of some of the outdoor stuff quite how they decided what should be indoors I don't know, the Sea Vixen for example that's tucked behind the hanger next to the Meteor night fighter I would have thought was worth more to a UK museum than the SAAB Viggen that has a prime spot in hanger two?

Isn't the Viggen the only example in the UK? There are a few Vixens about, and one airworthy over here.

Easy to say this from afar, but it looked to me like they could have got a couple of the smaller aircraft inside at the expense of some of the random lumps of metal they have around, or even suspended some of the smaller ehibits from the roof. The Mig 23 and 27 were looking particularly vulnerable, but not as far gone as some.