Wartime Aircraft Recovery Group Aviation Museum

Key Facts

During World War Two, Sleap was a Bomber Command training base. From January 1944 it was used to train glider pilots for the airborne assaults of D-Day and Arnhem. Through the co-operation of the Shropshire Aero Club, the Wartime Aircraft Recovery Group operates a museum on the site. This all-volunteer group investigates crash sites and recovers and displays artifacts as a memorial to pilots that gave their lives operating in the Shropshire area during World War II. The displays include a number of aero engines, and a reconstruction of an airfield Flight Office.

Sleap Aerodrome, south west of Wem, Shropshire. Wem is on the B5476 north of Shrewsbury, and Sleap can be reached from a ‘C’ road off the B5476. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open every Second and Fourth Sunday in the month from May to October. Other times by prior arrangement.

FREE

Amenities:

No information.

WARG, 2 Fields View, Lodmore Lane, Burleydam, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 4BD.

Ulster Folk and Transport Museum

Short Sealand G-AKLW nose (photo, Jeremy Briggs)

Key Facts

The Transport Museum comprises the most comprehensive transport collection in Ireland. It includes ‘The Flight Experience’, an interactive exhibition developed in partnership with Bombardier Aerospace featuring aviation and the aerospace industry. The activities of local pioneers Harry Ferguson and Lilian Bland are highlighted. Other transport displays include the Irish Railway Collection, road transport exhibits, a ‘Titanic’ exhibition and a recreation of an Ulster town of the early 1900s.
A Short Sealand is now undergoing restoration by the museum, and the nose section is now viewable from the display area. The Ferguson Monoplane reproduction has some original parts, including the pilot’s seat.

At Cultra Manor, near Holywood, on the A2 Bangor road, 7 miles north east from Belfast city centre, County Down. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open Monday to Saturday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, Sunday 11.00 am to 6.00 pm, July, August & September; Monday to Friday 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, Saturday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, Sunday 11.00 am to 6.00 pm, March – June; Monday to Friday 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, Saturday 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, Sunday 11.00 am to 5.00 pm, October to February excluding a three-day Christmas holiday.

For Transport Museum: See official website for details. Additional charges apply for Folk Museum.

Amenities:

Toilets, Parking, Cafe, Souvenir shop, Access for the disabled, education & conference centre.

Ferguson Monoplane cockpit. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)	Ferguson Monoplane side view. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)
McCandless M4 G-ATXX front view. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)	McCandless M4 rear view. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)

Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, 153 Bangor Road, Cultra, Holywood, County Down, BT18 0EU, Northern Ireland. Tel: 028 9042 8428, Fax: 028 9042 8728. Website: The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

Short SC.1 front view. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)	Short SC.1 side view. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)
SD360 nose front view. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)	SD360 nose rear view. (photo, Jeremy Briggs)

Ulster Aviation Society Heritage Centre

Key Facts

The museum is run by the UAS, which aims to preserve the province’s aeronautical past. A large number of artefacts and photographs are exhibited, in addition the aircraft listed below. The Museum was forced to close in late 2004 and is currently in the process of finding a new location. The aircraft have all been moved off-site and are currently in storage.

The museum has now vacated it’s previous location at Langford Lodge airfield and is currently in negotiations for a new site.

Temporarily closed.

Free.

Amenities:

Toilets, Parking.

Display cabinets (photo, Paul McMaster)	Sea Hawk FB.3 WN108 (photo, Paul McMaster)

Ulster Aviation Society, c/o Ray Burrows, 33 Old Mill Meadows, Dundonald, BT16 1WQ. Tel: 028 9445 4444. Website: Ulster Aviation Society

Buccaneer S.2B XV361 (photo, Maurice Auld)	Tucano G-BTUC (photo, Maurice Auld)
Wildcat V JV482 (photo, Raymond Burrows)	Vampire T.11 WZ549 (photo, Paul McMaster)

Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre

Key Facts

Located on the former RAF Woodhall Spa, wartime home of 617 ‘Dambusters’ and 627 Squadrons is this visitors centre. The history of the base and its units are portrayed by various displays and artefacts. Other displays show life in wartime Lincolnshire.

On the B1192 south-east of Woodhall Spa airfield on the opposite side of the road. Signposted. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open Sunday and Bank Holidays 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm, Easter to September; plus Wednesdays in July and August 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm.

By donation.

Amenities:

Toilets, Parking, Cafe, Souvenir shop, Access for the disabled.

** Not a replica!.

Thorpe Camp Preservation Group, Lancaster Farm, Tumby Woodside, Mareham-le-Fen, Boston, Lincs, PE22 7SP. Tel: 01526 342249, Fax: 01526 345249, e-mail: mjhodgson@lancfile.demon.co.uk, website: Thorpe Camp.

Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum

Spitfire IX ML427
(photo, Thinktank)

Key Facts

Thinktank is Birmingham’s unique and award-winning museum of science and discovery housed at Millennium Point.
This exciting science centre offers ten galleries of historical artefacts, modern interactives and futuristic facts. It’s an incredibly modern museum where visitors can explore everything from aircraft and steam engines to intestines and taste buds and even emotional robots.
Among the exhibits are a Supermarine Spitfire, built at the local Vickers Armstrong plant in Castle Bromwich in 1944, and a Hawker Hurricane built in 1943 by Hawker aircraft of Kingston & Langley, representing the 300 built by Austin of Longbridge, Birmingham during World War 2.

Also to be found here are countless examples of Birmingham’s engineering heritage, including motorcycles, cars and a working steam engine.

Within the Millennium Point centre, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open every day (except 24-26 December), 10am – 5pm (last entry 4.00 pm).

See official website for details.

Amenities:

Cafes, gift shop, secure car and coach park (charges apply). Disabled car parking bays. Toilets for wheelchair users. Baby changing facilities. Millennium Point is fully accessible for people with mobility difficulties. IMAX Theatre.

Hurricane IV ‘P3395′ (photo, Thinktank)	Spitfire (photo, Thinktank)

Thinktank – Birmingham Science Museum, Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG. Tel: 0121 202 2222, website: Thinktank, e-mail findout@thinktank.ac.

Spitfire IX close-up (photo, Thinktank)

Thameside Aviation Museum

Key Facts

Located in a Victorian Casemate Fortress dating from the 1860s is a varied collection of artefacts recovered from aviation archeology digs in the Essex area. The nose section of a former Egyptian Air Force MiG-21UM is also on show here.

At Coalhouse Fort, on an unclassified road, ‘brown signed’ from the A13, east of Tilbury, Essex. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open on the last Sunday of the month and Bank Holidays, 11.00 am to 5.00 pm, March to November.

See official website for details.

Amenities:

Parking.

Thameside Aviation Museum, The Coalhouse Fort, East Tilbury, Essex, RM18 8PB. Tel: 01375 844203, or 07860 134946. Website: Thameside Aviation Museum.

Tank Museum

Key Facts

What’s Here

Located at the home of the Royal Armoured Corps, the Tank Museum comprises a collection of some 350 tanks and other military vehicles of many nationalities in six display halls. A large amount of supporting display material records the history of armoured vehicles. A Hamilcar glider fuselage illustrates how armour and airborne forces supported each other in battle, while a Skeeter helicopter ‘hovers’ over the ground-based exhibits. There are regular ‘Firepower & Mobility’ displays during the summer season (July-September), when tanks and other AFVs can be seen in action.

At Bovington Camp, off the A352 near Wool, west of Wareham, Dorset. Well signposted. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open daily 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, except for Christmas week.

See official website for details.

Amenities:

Toilets, Parking, Cafe, Souvenir shop, Access for the disabled.

Tank Museum, Bovington Camp, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 6JG. Tel: 01929 462359, Fax: 01929 405360, e-mail:info@tankmuseum.co.uk, website:Tank Museum.

Tangmere Military Aviation Museum

Meteor F.8 ‘WA829′ (photo, Dan Lord)

Key Facts

The museum is located on the edge of the famous Battle of Britain fighter airfield. The indoor displays portray the history of Tangmere airfield, the RAF in general and the Battle of Britain. Two of the aircraft exhibits are world speed record breakers, both flying from Tangmere to make their record-breaking runs.

Directions

South of the A27, east of Chichester, West Sussex. Well signposted. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open daily 10.00 am to 5.30 pm, March to October; daily 10.00 am to 4.30 pm February and November. Closed December and January.

See official website for details.

Amenities:

Toilets, Parking, Cafe, Souvenir shop, Access for the disabled.

P.1067 Hunter WB888 (photo, Dan Lord)	Hunter front view (photo, Dan Lord)
Meteor IV EE549 (photo, Dan Lord)	Swift FR.5 WK281 (photo, Dan Lord)

Notes: The Fairey Gannet cockpit has moved to Hooton park.

Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Tangmere Airfield, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 2ES. Tel: 01243 790090. Website: Tangmere Museum

Spitfire FSM ‘BL924′ (photo, Dan Lord)	The Spitfire display (photo, Dan Lord)
Spitfire Prototype FSM ‘K5054′ (photo, Dan Lord)	Ferret armoured car (photo, Dan Lord)
WW2 support equipment (photo, Dan Lord)	Hurricane FSM L1679 (photo, Dan Lord)
T-33A 19252 (photo, Dan Lord)	Sea Vixen FAW.2 XJ580 (photo, Dan Lord)
Lightning F.53 ‘XR753′ (photo, Dan Lord)	Whirlwind HAR.7 XN299 (photo, Dan Lord)

Sywell Aviation Museum

Key Facts

Officially opened on 21st July 2001, the Sywell Aviation Museum aims to preserve the history of Sywell Aerodrome and Northamptonshire’s rich aviation heritage from the early days of aviation to the Second World War and beyond. There is a large collection of memorabilia photographs, artefacts, models and uniforms on display which charts the history of the area. Aviation Archaeology – the recovery of crashed aeroplanes – is a core aspect of the displays. One of the larger exhibits is a Bristol Hercules engine recovered from the wreck of the Vickers Wellington bomber which crashed tragically at Hardwick, now carefully cleaned and preserved. Other displays include the History of Sywell from 1928; Brooklands Aviation etc; RAF memorabilia; USAAF Display hall (concentrating on the USAAF at Chelveston); RAF/USAAF ordnance including a 1943 Mercury Bomb Tractor, period C Type Bomb Trolley and inert 1000 lb bomb, Norden Bomb sight, mock up B17 Cheek Position etc. The museum building comprises three linked together Second World War Nissen huts, previously located at the now closed RAF Bentwaters and moved by S.A.M. members.

At Sywell aerodrome, off the A43 north east of Northampton, just before the village of Sywell, Northamptonshire. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays 10.30 am to 4.30 pm, Easter to the end of September. All other times by prior appointment.

Entrance to the Museum is free (donations welcome).

Amenities:

Free Car Park; adjacent to Aviator hotel with overnight accomodation, WCs, Bar, restaurant; fixed wing, helicopter, microlight pleasure flights and aircraft hire; hangarage etc; Public airfield viewing area; Conference centre (Hangar One).

Note: The Auster and Grasshopper are currently in store, and the other types are held elsewhere until more display space is available.

Sywell Aviation Museum, Sywell, Northampton, NN6 0BN. Chairman, Richard Watts Tel: 01604 811582. Group Secretary, Ben Brown Tel: 0796 8061708. e-mail: Ben Brown Web: Sywell Aviation Museum

Second World War Aircraft Preservation Society

Key Facts

The SWWAPS occupies a small museum housed in a wartime building. Indoor displays and exhibits tell the story of Lasham Airfield, and show items recovered from aircraft crash sites. Gliding activity at the airfield can be viewed from the car park.

In the north-east corner of Lasham Airfield, 6 miles north of Alton, Hampshire. See this location on Microsoft Live Search Maps

Open Sundays and Bank Holidays 10.30 am to 5.00 pm (or dusk if first).

Free.

Amenities:

Parking, Souvenir shop.

Hunter F.51 E-423 (photo, Allan Barley)	Prentice T.1 VR192 (photo, Allan Barley)
Meteor F.8 WH291 (photo, Allan Barley)	Meteor NF.13 4X-FNA (photo, Allan Barley)

Second World War Aircraft Preservation Society, Lasham Airfield, Alton, Hampshire. Tel: 02392 389944.
SWWAPS, Bob Coles, 8 Barracane Drive, Crowthorne, Berks, RG45 7NU. Website: Second World War Aircraft Preservation Society.

F-104G 22+35 (photo, Allan Barley)	Sea Hawk FGA.6 WV798 (photo, Allan Barley)
Auster AOP.9 XK418 (photo, Allan Barley)	Wessex HAS.3 XM833 (photo, Allan Barley)