Anybody been there?
It’s on a WW2 airfield apparently.
They have a number of artefacts/activities, including a Mosquito fighter/bomber and the main attraction a Lancaster Bomber which you can have a ride in while taxi ing down the runaway.
I thought,.I’ll have some of that, it’s right up my strasse.
Then I saw the prices !
I know there will be a large upkeep financially to keep it right…but that is a weeks wage to a lot of people.
Surely a more modest price would draw in more interest,.and not put as many people off…like me.
There is also an option to view it and get photos for £75 , but it ain’t clear if that includes actually getting in the plane.
I will ring to find out, …Just wondered if anybody on here has experienced it and can clarify?
Cheers.
If it’s the one I think it could be the owner has been trying to restore it to flying condition for a long time which would make 3 in the world.The CAA seem to have applied some difficult and expensive obstacles so I guess that it’s part of a plan to raise funds to that aim.
As for an interior tour you need to have the agility of its teenage/early 20’s crew members in the day to negotiate the cramped and obstacle strewn fuselage.They weren’t built for crew comfort.Also reputedly they were one of the worst for crew to escape from in an emergency.It was just built without compromise to carry a massive bomb load compared to its counter parts.
I’d want it to take off for that price! or include a free bar.
Must admit would be a good experience to see it with the engines running though
Saw the Vulcan Bomber at the TT about 10 years back, that sounded mega.
Carryfast:
If it’s the one I think it could be the owner has been trying to restore it to flying condition for a long time which would make 3 in the world.The CAA seem to have applied some difficult and expensive obstacles so I guess that it’s part of a plan to raise funds to that aim.
As for an interior tour you need to have the agility of its teenage/early 20’s crew members in the day to negotiate the cramped and obstacle strewn fuselage.They weren’t built for crew comfort.Also reputedly they were one of the worst for crew to escape from in an emergency.It was just built without compromise to carry a massive bomb load compared to its counter parts.
Yeh I think the original owners were brothers of a Lancaster pilot who was killed.
You would think there would be Lottery funding, like there was in renovating HMS Cavalier at Chatham. (saw that at S.Shields before they renovated it, took my Dad who served on similar era ships in 50s, great day out)
I once tipped on an ex airfield,.can’t for the life of me think where.
In the control tower which I walked across to (■■■■ eerie btw ) was a shrine.I may be wrong but I think it may have been for the same guy who was stationed there…but I may be way off here.
I ain’t completely rubber ducked YET Carryfast,. I’d be fine climbing in there, I’d make sure of it…love to have a look in one,.and also in a B17 Fortress.,.as I said right up my street.
md1987:
I’d want it to take off for that price! or include a free bar.
Must admit would be a good experience to see it with the engines running though
Saw the Vulcan Bomber at the TT about 10 years back, that sounded mega.
Yeah I saw a Vulcan fly over Widermere think it was it’s last display.
I also remember as a little kid seeing one flying over me so low that it cast a shadow it was some sight and so noisy., it was approaching the sea,.I watched it fly low over there, must have been some practice excercise or summet at the time.
Yeah been a few times. Brilliant day out. Not done the taxi rides as a passenger but it’s a spectacular sight when they fire the lanc up and taxi it up and down. Good museum.
I know the taxi rides are expensive but I suppose it’s a niche market offering rides in a Lancaster [emoji28]
Must be a fair experience.
They don’t fire the lanc up every day so check the calendar before you travel.
You can get reasonably close to it when it starts up so you can really feel those Merlins.
md1987:
I’d want it to take off for that price! [emoji38] or include a free bar.
Must admit would be a good experience to see it with the engines running though
Saw the Vulcan Bomber at the TT about 10 years back, that sounded mega.
That Vulcan Was impressive. I was stood outside port jack chippy at end of Douglas prom / onchan watching that. Amazing.
Restored Vulcan at Sunderland Transport Museum, Nissan factory in the background.
In 1977 when Nissan (ex RAF Usworth) was still an operating (private) airfield, I was shifting muck on a building site in Washington New Town about two miles from the end of the runway when a Vulcan landed, pretty awesome sight.
In the nineties I had a tour of a DC3 that had taken an active part in the Berlin airlift. It was owned by two Canadians, one of whom had been the pilot of the same plane during the airlift, they had landed at Newcastle to refuel enroute to a display down south somewhere.
Following on from CF’s link of the tour of the Lancaster, here’s the same guy in a B17 Flying Fortress.
I fully get that it was 40s tech, but both planes interiors are so basic, and look really primitive,.wasn’t exoecting hi tech, but you know what I mean…
Brave blokes, all the crews of both planes, to go up in them under constant danger both by day and night respectively.
On the same subject the US military cemetery at Madingley is worth a visit.
I also went to the ex US air base off the A1 at Glatton one day a while ago.(there is an adjacent church with a memorial there also) after reading the book ‘Flak Dodger’ about a Fortress crew based there…recommended if you are in to all that.
tyneside:
Restored Vulcan at Sunderland Transport Museum, Nissan factory in the background.
In 1977 when Nissan (ex RAF Usworth) was still an operating (private) airfield, I was shifting muck on a building site in Washington New Town about two miles from the end of the runway when a Vulcan landed, pretty awesome sight.
In the nineties I had a tour of a DC3 that had taken an active part in the Berlin airlift. It was owned by two Canadians, one of whom had been the pilot of the same plane during the airlift, they had landed at Newcastle to refuel enroute to a display down south somewhere.
Tyneside
I used to talk to a guy in a pub in Devon,.a Scouser…(think.Maoster was in there with me one night talking to him in fact)
He was ex RAF,.he had the job at the end of the Falklands conflict (last time Vulcans were in service afaik) of decommissioning and removing various parts from all the Vulcans that were up and down the country (and abroad) in museums and at airfield displays etc.
He reckons he did them all in his job, which lasted a while and got him around many different places including Canada I think he said.
The rest were scrapped obviously.
Very briefly the story behind The Lincs museum is that it was set up, at the former East Kirkby airfield, as a continuing memorial by his younger brothers to Christopher Panton, who was killed age 19 in the disasterous 30/31 March 1944 raid upon Nuremberg, in which more RAF aircrew died than in the whole of the Battle of Britain. Some 96 aircraft were shot down.
cav551:
Very briefly the story behind The Lincs museum is that it was set up, at the former East Kirkby airfield, as a continuing memorial by his younger brothers to Christopher Panton, who was killed age 19 in the disasterous 30/31 March 1944 raid upon Nuremberg, in which more RAF aircrew died than in the whole of the Battle of Britain. Some 96 aircraft were shot down.
I’ve often wondered about the lack of provision and effectiveness of Brit air defences by comparison considering the damage that the Germans managed to inflict with far lesser kit.There was an AA gun at the end of my parents’ road ’ protecting’ the Hawker factory which they said scared the locals more than the enemy.
There’s also a very interesting story about the Mosquito being used very effectively but sparsely in the night ■■■■■■ fighter role for our bombers in typically British cost saving style.
The Lancasters are cool, but due to seeing 633 Squadron at an impressionable age, the DH Mosquito has always been my aviation love.
Sadly there are no airworthy Mossies in the UK, but these guys have been fundraising for several years and are having one built from scratch using original blueprints that were fortuitously discovered after being discarded, and almost lost forever.
EDIT: There’s a few RAF memorials dotted around East Yorkshire, this one was on one of my routes so was an ideal place to have a contemplative 45 minute break. tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractio … gland.html
Zac_A:
The Lancasters are cool, but due to seeing 633 Squadron at an impressionable age, the DH Mosquito has always been my aviation love.
Sadly there are no airworthy Mossies in the UK, but these guys have been fundraising for several years and are having one built from scratch using original blueprints that were fortuitously discovered after being discarded, and almost lost forever.
EDIT: There’s a few RAF memorials dotted around East Yorkshire, this one was on one of my routes so was an ideal place to have a contemplative 45 minute break. tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractio … gland.html
This memorial is near home. Every year on the nearest Sunday a memorial service is held in the local church after a short remembrance ceremony at the site. There is usually a Spitfire or Hurricane flypast.
Zac_A:
The Lancasters are cool, but due to seeing 633 Squadron at an impressionable age, the DH Mosquito has always been my aviation love.
Sadly there are no airworthy Mossies in the UK, but these guys have been fundraising for several years and are having one built from scratch using original blueprints that were fortuitously discovered after being discarded, and almost lost forever.
From memory this one was owned by British Aerospace and tragically for both plane and crew it crashed some time after this show which I was very fortunate to attend and it more than lived up to its reputation.
It’s even possible that it’s actually my video which was very similar and possibly posted second hand by our former BA pilot and aircraft enthusiast councillor and friend after I’d given him a copy of it.
I’ve never understood why they allowed the USAAF to be decimated on unescorted daylight raids when the wooden wonder had the range to reach Berlin let alone Schweinfurt long before the Mustang arrived.
As a matter of interest it could also carry a similar bombload as the B17 in bomber spec.
or include a free bar.
