Flixton

THAH’LL NAY LOOK BACK LAD…

I can only echo the posts above. Trust me, once you start helping conserve old aircraft you’ll not look back! And I can still say that and mean it despite our recent goings on in Yorkshire.

It’s true, Ive been doing it since ’93 and I’m still single and have never looked back, so it works……..! 😀

If you go I’ll see you there in the new year and show you around the V’s, in the meantime just talk to a member of staff and you can get to meet the Chairman Ian Hancock and others and you’ll find that all sorts of jobs will need to be done so you’ll gradually increase what you can do from the basic chores to more specialised areas that you can be taught in, or that you might have a hankering for.

Latest exhibiit is a beautifully restored 1961 MV Agusta 150cc Rapido Sport motorbike which was picked up by van in Surrey after a drive from London in late November, with a power-nap thrown in just before delivery and a fairly swift turnaround back to the smoke.

Transiting her earlier through the Dartford Tunnel and up the A12 along to the museum on a dark and cold Sunday 20th November, she looked splendid when placed in the Ken Wallis extension and will undoubtedly be a pleasant surprise for the many bikers and rallies which attend the museum during the course of the season.

The aviation tie in is that the Augusta company also have a helicopter division and in late November ‘Friends of 138 Sqn’ Valiant man Geoff Dann duly sent in one of his special cartoons showing an unusual combination proposal for the next C Fest, where it is hoped it will be possible to take the repainted trailer and revamped cockpit.

Not sure I’d like to brake going downhill with that behind me…

Thunder Road. Please do go along and enquire ! Nobody will bite you, quite the opposite, I am sure they would love a willing volunteer and make you most welcome ! Ask questions, most of the staff at most museums realy enjoy someone asking of their knowledge and are always most pleased to pass it on ! I have been to Flixton several times, my hobby is photographing aircraft and all related things, often i arrive home with a full memory card, look through the results, and often wish i had found out more about a particular item ! so very often a return visit is needed !
I have looked at Flixton website and a contact email is :-

[email]nsam.flixton@tesco.net[/email]

I hope this helps and look forward to seeing you on my next visit, please keep us ‘old men’ on here informed of your progress !

A few photos from my last visit ….

Keith.

Thunder_Road – I hope you do get involved but a ‘cautionary’ word.

Don’t necessarily expect to be given a screwdriver, hammer, paintbrush, etc. and invited to work on an aeroplane straight away. I have no experience of Flixton but, I think, at your ‘average’ aircraft museum, there are a lot of non-aircraft jobs that need doing – cutting grass, litterpicking, cleaning, etc. – and, as a ‘new’ member these type of jobs may fall your way (sort of serving an apprenticeship). Also, with no knowledge of aircraft structures or engineering, great damage can be caused by over-enthusiasm.

Be patient, work hard and willingly and get to know/become friends with the other members – there is great camaraderie amongst aircraft preservationists.

Hope you enjoy.

Roger Smith.

Yeah I think I am going to volunteer there, I am going there hopefully on the 14th and will try and find someone to ask about it? Is it just a case of signing up and being given a date and a time? If that doesn’t work I will email the museum email listed on their address 😎

Roger, I think that actually relaxes me a lot! If they want someone to give 110% effort doing anything then I’m their man but I’m a little scared they will expect me to have some family history/engineering knowledge of planes 😛

Hi there,

Do you have any information on the Walbro Monoplane? I saw some pictures of this recently, and I was wondering if Flixton have any information about the histories of it’s aircraft in general?

Info here for the Walbro, it’s a repro.

I’m sure if you take a visit someone there will be able to help you otherwise it’s using Google.

Thunder_Road – I hope you do get involved but a ‘cautionary’ word.

Don’t necessarily expect to be given a screwdriver, hammer, paintbrush, etc. and invited to work on an aeroplane straight away. I have no experience of Flixton but, I think, at your ‘average’ aircraft museum, there are a lot of non-aircraft jobs that need doing – cutting grass, litterpicking, cleaning, etc. – and, as a ‘new’ member these type of jobs may fall your way (sort of serving an apprenticeship). Also, with no knowledge of aircraft structures or engineering, great damage can be caused by over-enthusiasm.

Be patient, work hard and willingly and get to know/become friends with the other members – there is great camaraderie amongst aircraft preservationists.

Hope you enjoy.

Roger Smith.

I can only echo the posts above. Trust me, once you start helping conserve old aircraft you’ll not look back! And I can still say that and mean it despite our recent goings on in Yorkshire.

Good to see the younger element getting involved. They are the future and should be encouraged.

Get down there and volunteer, Thunder. Let us know how you get on.

What they do need though if you are local is volunteers to help run the museum and restore the aircraft. Forget the facts and figures get stuck in!

Graham

I have always wondered whether any of the planes have active engines in them? and in theory could be powered up?

GGrrrrr……planes work with wood….aeroplanes fly in the air…….Sorry Thunder Road ,I’m just a grisly old f…t who’s been around aeroplanes too long

Sorry, I genuinely didn’t realise that would offend anyone! I don’t have much of an ‘aeroplane’ 😉 background (being 17) and my family don’t have any real interest in aeroplanes so thank you for pointing it out or I would have kept on saying that! 🙂

Thank you everyone who did point out where I could find the information I wanted, I’m a bit like a baby with a blindfold on a lot of what would seem common knowledge to you, so I really appreciate your patience with me.

GOKONE – Thank you so much for that, it really does bring a smile to my face thinking that my ‘local’ museum has a representative of all the three V’s! I personally would certainly be interested in any more information if it is available.