Are the public being short-changed at Duxford

I must admit the last couple of times I’ve visited Duxford I’ve left feeling a little disappointed that everything is crammed in and that some exhibits are out of view, however it won’t be forever and I would think it unlikely that I will be back at Duxford until the new hanger is open anyway so I will reserve judgement until then.

I agree – love the place but its not great when you are taking non-aviation types round if the flux is constant….

keep up good work tho

TTFN

TT

cheers Robbo 🙂

what actually is happening at duxford? was thinkin of going this year

ps… I’d go just for the smell in the TFC hangar! 😉

Got a feeling that could have been someone’s chicken madras from Saturday night. :diablo:

Joking aside, fully agree with Zwitter’s points. Duxford is a proactive, innovative and working museum, on a working airfield. I visit half a dozen times a year, and every time I explore every nook and cranny to see what’s new, what’s been fixed, how much progress this has made, how close to completion that is.

Do I feel short changed at Duxford? No way!

Jonathan F (and Ashley and all the other guys and girls on here who work / volunteer at DX) – don’t change a thing, keep on doing what you do, the way you do it. It’s fabulous. 🙂

I must admit the last couple of times I’ve visited Duxford I’ve left feeling a little disappointed that everything is crammed in and that some exhibits are out of view, however it won’t be forever and I would think it unlikely that I will be back at Duxford until the new hanger is open anyway so I will reserve judgement until then.

Well I for one like the AAM, so there :).

Back to the subject in hand, it is the Imperial War Museum, not the Imperial Aircraft Museum, and as such they can put what ever exibits they like there. I quite enjoy the mix anyway. We are lucky to have such a fantastic place, so stop complaining! Sorry, but all this complaining really ******* me off.

Jonathan

Went again yesterday for the umpteen millionth time – enjoyed it as much as ever, always something new to see, i.e. concorde/vulcan outside, new mossie colours, TSR2 ‘naked’! Alain de Cadanet’s MkXVI spit, a chippy doing aerobatics when the sun came out…

I didn’t feel short changed at all.

Sure Hangar1 was empty – but it’s a temporary situation and the work will result in something truly spectacular…

More power to you Duxford – you can have my £12 any time 🙂

ps… I’d go just for the smell in the TFC hangar! 😉

Wasn’t there a time when Duxford was just the IWMs place and there was no flying? A place for IWM things, not just IWM wing-ed things – Nermal

Belfast is fine where it is! The sub & boats could be found a spot nearby to join it. How about sticking the tanks either on the north side or at IWM North? The IWM took over DX to store there aviation collection & i think that is exactly what it should be used for as it’s an airfield. If IWM want to take on other stuff then they should get another site somewhere or loan the lot to Bovington.

I’m sorry, but I fail to see why the vehicle collection should be displaced to satisfy a whim. The Land Warfare Hall was built specifically to house a key component of the IWM collections and it shall remain as such. LWH is an overlooked resource in my opinion. IWM North is not set up to cater to that volume of objects, it has a different approach and set of priorities and I think as a museum might object to being transformed into the Imperial Tank Museum…

Hi Alexis,
It was the large object store – never the aircraft store. If you look at the state of play with the Science Museum’s store at Wroughton (limited once a month opening, crowded ‘store’ type setup, not a museum display, attempts to stop the airfield being used as a flying base) you’d appreciate how lucky we are with Duxford.

I agree it would be great as a OHB museum, I agree… 😉

Cheers

There’s more to the history of warfare than aircraft, as I’m sure you’re aware. Duxford is here to do more than just interpret the history of aviation. If you think you can fit 40 plus armoured vehicles into Lambeth Road (or perhaps HMS Belfast?!) then please do submit your plan!

Belfast is fine where it is! The sub & boats could be found a spot nearby to join it. How about sticking the tanks either on the north side or at IWM North? The IWM took over DX to store there aviation collection & i think that is exactly what it should be used for as it’s an airfield. If IWM want to take on other stuff then they should get another site somewhere or loan the lot to Bovington.

Alexis – Duxford is a part of ‘The Imperial War Museum’

Not the Aviation Museum. So actually the civil aircraft are the items on a sticky wicket! 😀

Heh.

Well i’ve always been against having the sub & boats & those bloody tanks there. Getting rid of that lot would create alot more valuable space for aircraft.

There’s more to the history of warfare than aircraft, as I’m sure you’re aware. Duxford is here to do more than just interpret the history of aviation. If you think you can fit 40 plus armoured vehicles into Lambeth Road (or perhaps HMS Belfast?!) then please do submit your plan!

Let me know when it’s safe to visit again. 🙂

In the meantime, may I suggest you go to the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in Flixton, Bungay?
A nice unpretentious place with a lot of heart. And just a few steps from a public house.
And since admission and parking are free, you won’t have any complaints about “value for money”.

And you get to see the other IWM Falklands veteran Harrier ZA175! Speaking of which, I feel an object condition check coming on….

Well i’ve always been against having the sub & boats & those bloody tanks there. Getting rid of that lot would create alot more valuable space for aircraft.

Let me know when it’s safe to visit again. 🙂

In the meantime, may I suggest you go to the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in Flixton, Bungay?
A nice unpretentious place with a lot of heart. And just a few steps from a public house.
And since admission and parking are free, you won’t have any complaints about “value for money”.

Hi

You big bullies leave poor Ozplane alone – he’s entitled to his opinion – lots of people disagree with aspects of Duxford – like the rather Bizare unsympathetic architecture being deployed there in the major building projects etc – This doesn’t mean we don’t like the place – it should be construed as constructive feedback and taken positively – anyway nobody is going to listen to us anyway.

Regards
John P

I appreciate that the Superhangar has to be empty for the building work for the AirSpace development but with that and 50% of the T2 closed to the public it’s put pressure on the rest of the available space with the result that a lot of stuff is jammed in pretty closely. I also think it’s rather perverse for the newly restored CF-100 and Buccaneer (and the Hunter for that matter) to be in the back of Hangar 5, while things like the Blenheim/Firefly “kits” are taking up space in hangar 3 when they would seem to be a better fit in the Restoration hangar. Perhaps it would be a good idea to move the sub and the lifeboat outside while the building work is going on to gain some space. After all, boats don’t normally live in hangars.

Hmm. You are right.
So lets storm the barracades and tear the place down…
After all, its the only language they understand.:rolleyes:

Flood

I would suggest people should appreciate what they’ve got, the finest aviation facility in the world. Don’t moan that aircraft are crammed in here and there, it is much better that way than to have no exhibits in there at all or to have everything outdoors in the winter. In my experience the Duxford team does a fantastic job, there is nothing else comparable in Britain or in this country and I would love the opportunity to see the collection again, no matter how disrupted it may be temporarily.

The maritime exhibits may not be aircraft, but they are IWM museum objects and have just as much right to be indoors as anything else. In addition, aircraft have wheels and can be towed; can you think of an easy way to move either of those objects? As has been pointed out, the Blenheim and Fireflies are not IWM and therefore have no place in H5.

With those facts in mind, what would you suggest?