A very enjoyable visit to Wattisham today, many thanks to the very friendly, and knowledgeable, team on duty today ! This small museum is dedicated to the airfield, it’s history and those based there, rather than just the aircraft involved, although the aircraft feature strongly in the Hardened Aircraft Shelter tour ! As this is an active airfield, there is a small security process to follow before entry is allowed ! Having passed that, you follow a path to the museum, which is small but very well stocked !! You then have the opportunity to visit the HAS, being escorted by a museum member around the large airfield to where the aircraft are being worked upon and stored.
Below are a few of the many photos from todays visit … should you wish to see something specific etc please ask as I tend to have photos of the most obscure subjects ???
Keith.
Gate Guardian.
Curved Crankshaft ?
Mmmm ? … So many within so few years ?
And then I walked outside …. and went back 30 years ?
By: Scott Marlee - 14th January 2011 at 00:40
Keith its a gazelle mate, registration is XZ346 iirc, i believe its on the actual airfield side rather than the museum
By: keithnewsome - 13th January 2011 at 20:31
Scott. The only ‘gate guard’ I remember is the Scout ? photo at the top of this post ? Maybe I missed something ??? what is the aircraft you mention ??
Lightningspirit. Thanks for asking 🙂 a few more of the Lightning nose for you !!
Keith.
By: Scott Marlee - 13th January 2011 at 02:31
keith, excellent photos as always 🙂
dont suppose you got any of the actual gate guard for the airfield itself did you? its one of the ones i was on the restoration team for
By: Lightningspirit - 13th January 2011 at 01:21
Ah it’s quite obviously not then! :p
I’m very certain it is! I remember seeing this in an article regarding its move to Wattisham. I can only remember it having the original nose cone removed and a conical “Mig 21” style cone pushed inside the nose to make it look like a soviet fighter. There was a photo in either Flypast or Aeroplane ages ago.
Any more pics of the Lightning nose?
Martin
By: BIGVERN1966 - 12th January 2011 at 01:20
Assume you mean the gate guard at RAF Neatishead. It was scrapped because the base closed.
That Phantom was XV420 if memory serves and it went to Neatishead because it had been the CO of 56 Sqn’s aircraft…who then became the CO of Neatishead. It was scrapped because the part of the site is was on was going to be sold off (Neatishead is still an RAF base, just its a bit smaller than it was 5 years ago), and the Conract with the US Goverment when we got them didn’t allow us to pass them on to third parties (This was forgotten until the US reminded us when we did sell/give away some in the early 1990s).
By: David Burke - 4th June 2010 at 11:07
The Mysteres are a Spadeadam -enter both of those words into search and I am sure you will find them.
By: Fouga23 - 4th June 2010 at 11:05
Any pictures of these mysteres?
By: Big Barf - 4th June 2010 at 10:14
just wondering.. will any of the dassault Mysteres be saved from luffenham, as maybe another exhibit at wattisham ??
i worry they will end there days the same as the T-33.. . does anyone go to north luffenham regular, or recently. ??
There are no Mysteres or T33 at Luffenham ! There are some at Spadeadam, but not Luffenham. Given that the Hunter is now at wattisham, should just leave a Harrier GR3, Phantom and a battered whirlwind, as the only aircraft on site.
Regards
Big Barf
By: merkle - 4th June 2010 at 00:15
sorry David …:o , yes correct.. its all oop north to me .. please excuse my ignorance . :o:)
By: David Burke - 4th June 2010 at 00:09
Merkle – the museum is dedicated to the history of Wattisham – a Mystere doesn’t figure within the museum remit. The Mystere’s your thinking about are at Spadeadam.
By: merkle - 3rd June 2010 at 23:48
just wondering.. will any of the dassault Mysteres be saved from luffenham, as maybe another exhibit at wattisham ??
i worry they will end there days the same as the T-33.. . does anyone go to north luffenham regular, or recently. ??
By: Mpacha - 3rd June 2010 at 21:48
http://wattishamairfieldmuseum.art.officelive.com/default.aspx
By: Arabella-Cox - 3rd June 2010 at 21:25
Wattisham Museum contact
Does anyone have a contact e-mail address for the Wattisham Museum or one of the people who run it please?
Anon.
By: bloodnok - 2nd June 2010 at 18:41
.Another factor I need to address is who exactly would be restoring and maintaining one. It really is a case of having the people first rather than the aircraft.
The profile of the museum is quite low on camp, perhaps get some posters asking for volunteers made up and get them stuck up on noticeboards.
There are a lot of ex wattisham, ex RAF blokes working in the DSU, and a whole wealth of skills available.
By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd June 2010 at 14:48
see if db can get a bloodhound out of north luffenham then as there are still 3 there plus a control cabin, especially as wattisham had it’s own bloodhounds
By: pagen01 - 2nd June 2010 at 13:18
It would be great to see a Phantom there, especially in the dark sea grey/dark green over light grey camo scheme that they first appeared in.
When I was a young enthusiast Wattisham was Phantom city!
By: keithnewsome - 1st June 2010 at 22:58
There is some realy good discussion going on here, isn’t that what these forums are for ? most refreshing ! meanwhile a few more of many photos ….
Keith.
Drivers view from the Hunter ?
One of many very nice photo posters within the museum !
And a Phantom part ! in bright light ! sorry !
By: David Burke - 1st June 2010 at 22:45
There are a number of possibilities regards Phantoms. As Stacey24b so rightly said the Manston machine is seriously over weight for a Chinook lift and when you start talking removing engines etc to get it somewhere near your talking people and cost.
I should point out that none of the Phantoms outside (excluding museum examples) are really surviving that well! Having looked at a few -exfolliation is a problem so it’s really a case of looking at the best of the bunch .Another factor I need to address is who exactly would be restoring and maintaining one. It really is a case of having the people first rather than the aircraft.
By: Joe Petroni - 1st June 2010 at 22:13
The previous gategaurd at wattisham went to that radar place and then was just cut up after all the effort to get it there as the new CO didn’t like it apparently
Assume you mean the gate guard at RAF Neatishead. It was scrapped because the base closed.
By: Arabella-Cox - 1st June 2010 at 21:28
The difficulty as i discussed with someone before is the width of the aircraft without having to cut the spars, unless another chinnok move can be arranged but then you’d have toi get a team together to strip out the weight, then there’s who would pay. The previous gategaurd at wattisham went to that radar place and then was just cut up after all the effort to get it there as the new CO didn’t like it apparently
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May 31, 2010 at 10:30 pm