Fantasy RAF Museum "BoB Museum/RAF100" Hangar – What Would You Do?

My goof on the F-35 outline, but it would need one in there to bring the story up to date. To be fair, all modern jets look the same to me! It would probably have to be GRP as I don’t think the RAF can afford a spare one.

It would be nice to see the whole collection relocated to a new site and start again, preferably a site with runways.

Very nice suggestion, Stephen.
Given its small size, you crammed a nice selection in.
Just a correction: #24 image is an F-22, not F-35.

Consider also: Hanging some aircraft
And
Where put viewing platforms?

Still, the idea of moving out of Hendon may be a sad reality.
RAFM did not seem to consider what the future be like. Duxford (finally saw in 2014) is vastly superior in just about every conceivable way.
Cosford is OK, but I felt not as welcoming (shrugs)

…. Actually, seeing the models idea.
Hendon could be a great research site and miniature world.
Design it for children education, adult research (massive library), and a smattering of aircraft for up close viewing and some hands on.
For example a Cessna 172 that people can sit in and touch.
With children in mind, it would be far easier for schools to have tours in with less worry about damage to historic artifacts.

I’d be up for that if someone else will fund it! and it wouldn’t take up any floor space!!

Very good. I would add to the display a 1/48 scale model of every aircraft type ever to have operated with the RAF.

Thanks! I would have only charged the museum a fraction of what I bet they did pay for the design and layout.

They should’ve just come to you Stephen! I think your layout is smashing!

Having had a little while to ponder my own question, here’s my chosen layout to celebrate 100 years of the RAF. Aircraft chosen are those at the smaller end of the scale, so transport command would have to be represented elsewhere in Hendon, unless you squeeze the Dakota nose in to tick that box. Information, pictures, artifacts and those flashy screen things could be located around the hall, but not to cause significant obstruction to viewing the aircraft. I’ve tried to position them all to give reasonable views from different angles. It would have lots of low energy LED lighting in the ceiling ( where it belongs, not on the floor! ).

Entering in the area that was the blast pens, we start with the BE2 and WW1 era, to represent the RFC beginnings of the RAF. To the right is the F-35 so show a comparison between the start and present day. The FE2b and the SE5a are there to show the development of aircraft into day and night fighters and bombers during WW1, prior to the RAF’s formation.

The Snipe, Hart and Gladiator are there to represent the inter-war years, leading from the immediate post Great War period, leading up to just before modernisation and the introduction of stressed skin aircraft.

The Battle and Blenheim are for the modernisation period and the early days of WW2. The Tiger Moth is to tell the training of crews leading into WW2.

Around the end of the hall is the Hurricane and then Spitfire, showing the Battle of Britain period and the new era of high performance monoplanes entering service at the start of the war. The Mosquito B35, while a late mark of aircraft, is there for the bomber and ground attack/ground support part of the RAF’s history ( the Bomber Command Hall can tell the full bomber story ).

The Sunderland is for Coastal Command and the protection of the Atlantic Convoys. While it has been turned in my fantasy display, it remains on the hangar centre line due to its tall fin. ( I’ve tried to stay practical and realistic with the aircraft layout ).

The P-47 and P-40 are for the RAF’s Far East and Desert stories and bring the WW2 part of the exhibition to a close.

The Meteor brings in the jet age of the late 1940’s and as we move forwards in time, what better example of 1950’s design could we have than the hawker Hunter? Near by is exhibit 18, the Westland Whirlwind helicopter to tell the story of the RAF Rescue and represent rotary flight.

Fast jet training of the 1960’s is represented by the Jet Provost and next to it, from the Cold War, the EE Lightning.

As technology develops, we move into the 1970’s and 1980’s with the Harrier and the Victor K2 cockpit to show the role the last of the V bombers played until so recently. The Tornado comes next bring us from the 1980’s up into the new millenium. Space is limited, and while I’m generally against it, you could dangle a Eurofighter Typhoon from the roof to cover the 2000’s period. ( Hanging could apply to earlier eras if really necessary, but I’d rather not go for the 1970’s bedroom ceiling effect in a museum ). Lastly is the Lockheed Martin F-35 to bring the story to the present day.

I know there’s so much more to the RAF’s story than I’ve included, but judging by the pictures of what is actually in the old BoB hall now, I think I’ve probably covered the RAF’s history far better than the Hendon management – but I’m probably slightly biased 😉

Personally I would use it to portray the RAF from 1918-40. We have the WW1 exhibition so lets have the interwar period and the BofB? I would move over DH9a, Bulldog, Wallace, Hart’s, Gladiator, Tiger Moth, Lysander and Anson (fully assembled) to join the Sunderland. The other end would be ‘BofB lite’ with Mk1 Spit, Hurricane, Bolingbroke, BF109, JU87, He111, CR42 and JU88 . I think that might just fit in, if I had room I would bring back the vimy.

Interesting thought there Stephen. Pie in the sky of course but given the price of London real estate…. 🙂

TT

I thought the former RAF Bicester was a missed opportunity for the RAF museum to relocate the Hendon collection. Airshows, outdoor photoshoot events, fly-ins. It could have had a magical atmosphere. It could have brought life to what is a very dead/static museum.

Short of time and have to leave for work but rather than using just the BoB hall, wouldn’t it be better to use the entire site, with all the exhibits that were on site plus others for the upper galleries, to tell the history of the RAF, much as it did prior to the change, though I accept that the whole site is ‘tired’ and in need of a bit of a revamp.

Failing that and at the risk of sounding like a scratched record, close and sell Hendon and move everything to Cosford!

None of the replies so far are actually answering my post, which was what you would do in the old BoB hall to mark the 100th Anniversary.

Create a RAF Museum Battle of Britain experience at RAF Kenley. And yes I do mean using the airfield for warbirds flights.

relocate all the aircraft to ARCo and get them flying haha