The Nottinghamshire attraction will be focusing on two Avro airframes (among several others) and will also repaint their Hunter T7 into a Blue Diamonds scheme

During 2023 volunteers at Newark Air Museum logged in excess of 18300 hours of working on a host of projects around the museum’s 16-acre site in north-eastern Nottinghamshire. In 2024 the museum trustees hope to harness similar levels of dedication and support to continue with restoration work and associated repainting projects. Newark Air Museum’s Howard Heeley reports:

‘High on the priority list will be continued work on Avro Shackleton WR977 to carry on from the work on the aircraft’s nose section that was completed in autumn 2023. Some preparatory work has already taken place on the upper fuselage surfaces in the mid and rear sections of the aircraft.

On the sister Avro airframe, Vulcan XM594, some additional structural repairs and maintenance repairs will continue, with the aim of keeping the airframe in a good overall condition, both externally and internally. As the better weather arrives work will recommence on the repainting of the MiG-23, whilst structural repairs will continue on the nose section of Chinook ZA717, and progress will continue with the rebuild of the Auster AOP9.

A number of new repainting projects are also scheduled to start. This will include the application of distinctive 92 Squadron markings to our Hunter T7. Currently it is marked as XX467; however it entered RAF service as XL605 and was part of the Blue Diamonds Display Team, so it will wear these markings. Jaguar T2 XX829 will be repainted in a grey/green camouflage scheme, which the airframe wore during its early service with 54 Squadron. Both airframes have recently been cleaned in preparation for their repainting.’

Look out for more updates from Newark Air Museum in FlyPast magazine later this year. With thanks to Howard Heeley