Not a recovery of epic proportions, but when we fetched the Vampire from Sibson upto Firbeck it was transported on the back of 3 car trailers:D 😀 .

To my mind some a/c museums seem to have lost the plot…..no names,no pack drill but they seem more intent on being a “theme park”. When you walk in you have the feeling the museum is being managed by people whose previous employment was with Eurodisney or Alton Towers. Leave a/c museums to people whose PASSION is planes……..!!!

The best museums are those that concentrate in the prime function of an a/c museum……….showing off a/c. Provide good “story boards” packed with information.

Could go on but will leave it there for the minute………..

Planemike

I agree that some museums have lost the plot, but to keep going you have look beyond those passionate about the museum’s theme.

The purpose of a museum is in its name i.e. to muse over & amuse the visitors mind, thus being a source of inspiration. This day & age with our fast pace of life, technophiles wanting the next gizmo (mostly in the teens – 30 year+ age group) & little spare time is what most museums are up against.

For us entheusiasts, by all means stick to the primary function, but because by population standards we are so few in number it makes it hard for this type of policy to attract those people who’s interest is vauge at best.

Adding a bit of other themes is hardly going to upset the apple cart-perversely, many visitors to Waddington airshow are just as happy going on the funfair as aircraft fantics are standing on the flightline.

Equally perverse there are people out there who are interested in aviation but do not go to aircraft museums ” because they don’t fly & just sit there collecting dust”- I am not saying that to knock them- the thrill of watching an aircraft being put through its paces performing a routine in the environment it was designed for is hard to beat- even I can accept that point of veiw. however to be able to walk upto those same aircraft, touch them,or even get to sit in the cockpit can be just as thrilling.

At the end of the day what you give is what you get- by giving where possible, something for everyone & have them leaving inspired can often get them coming back for more.

Ahhh! the VC10- fond & not so fond memories of standing head & torso with my feet astride the baggage loaders conveyer belt, dragging sqaddies Bl***y bergans up between my legs & chucking them down the hold to some newboy mover to stack & get buried under- great in summer, but in winter when the wind was in the wrong direction-(think of brass monkeys & welding tackle- I think you get the picture:D ) even thinking about it brings a tear to my eye.

As a member of a museum myself, I have read this thread & see some very good points & advice which all museums should take the effort to digest & take on board.

The UK probably has the highest proportion of aviation related museums (around 70) for the size of the country than anywhere else. This can be both good & bad, the high numbers giving a good choice of venues, set against limited funds to restore & display what we have. The majority of these museums do work hard to maintain & adapt the whole site to encourage visitors.

So to me what makes a museum is a good,well displayed collection, but more importantly:-

The visitors- even Duxford would mean nothing, for all its collection, if Joe public never passed through the gates.

Advertisement:- Its OK to see adverts in Flypast, other magazines, Wrecks & relics & entheusiast’s journals, but again these aren’t aimed at ordinary folk. Although it is useful we tend to be(but also need to be less) reliant on “word of mouth”.

From a museum point of view, it is a constant, uphill struggle to acheive these- exacerbated by red-tape, H&S issues & other regulations which have to be adhered to.

B****r me your right, Looking at the paint scheme (light blue/grey with a black fin)& tailplane shadow hints that it may be a former 74 sqn F.4J- though I could be wrong!!!!!!:)

For those trying to find it it is on the northernmost of two large dispersals roughly due north of the runway.

There is some loverly photo’s but I think you might have to split it into ground based & airbourne photo’s- just to give those of us who don’tformate with Spitfires a chance.:)

Nice to see the good feedback, I will pass it on when I go this weekend. In the meantime there is an open cockpit day March 30th plus Trevor (” Mr Airfix”) Snowden makes a welcome return May 10th.