Miscellaneous Newark Air Museum News 2014

[NAM Updater]

I thought I’d create a new miscellaneous Newark Air Museum Thread to use for short updates and news snippets from eastern Nottinghamshire.

As with the previous thread as the year progresses details of museum events will be updated in here!

This will include such things as the Indoor Aeroboot / Aerojumble on 1 March 2014; Tribute to the V-Force event on 17 &18 May 2014; and Cockpit-Fest 2014 & Aeroboot on 14 & 15 June 2014; etc.

Many thanks to those people who have visited the museum in 2013 and we hope to see you again this year and a Happy New Year to you all.

Whilst the museum is closed today (1 January) we’re back open at 10am tomorrow, Thursday 2 January 2014!

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Anyone visiting the Carole Nash Classic Winter Bike Show this weekend on the Showground, why not pay the museum a visit as well?

Our opening times are detailed in here!

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In recent weeks the Ashton fuselage has been worked on to make it mobile more details in here; with a couple of photos also in the Restoration & Behind the Scenes album!

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An appeal has been posted on the NAM news page seeking details of some missing items from the Avro Ashton.

In addition some photographs of the Ashton have been added in here!

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On Sunday the museum received its latest VAQAS assessment visit and it’s good to report that it passed – further details in here and well done to all of the staff and volunteers!

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If you are planning to visit the museum on Thursday 16th January 2014 please be aware that there may be some temporary interruptions to the water supply on the museum site.

This is due to a water leak on the main site stopcock valve, which was discovered earlier today and is due to be repaired tomorrow. The water supply will need to be switched off when the leak is repaired.

We will be open as normal, but we apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused to your visit.

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A few fresh updates have been added in here during the last week or so.

The latest of these is an appeal for information about a Lightning crew ladder that is used on T5, XS417 at the museum.

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At the museum earlier today the Ashton fuselage was moved into a new display position, some photos can be found in here!

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For anyone who might be interested a couple of video clips showing the Ashton fuselage being moved yesterday have been put onto You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeMe3ubGNtY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSI5qcAmbig

[blakey]

Nice video and nice to see you'd had a tractor upgrade

[NAM Updater]

We have indeed upgraded 'the wheels', the MF went to pastures new in East Anglia in 2012.

The photograph is rather poignant as we also 'lost' the gentleman on the left of that photograph - David Leggatt MBE, who passed away a couple of years ago now.

He was our Restoration Co-Ordinator and he retired after sorting out the Viggen move from Cranwell. I'm sure that he would have cast an approving eye over yesterday's move.

[blakey]

Oh bless him
Looks like he was co-ordinating the move of the Sea Harrier also

[NAM Updater]

You let me down Lee - with a prompt like that I was at least expecting the Viggen touchdown photo!!

Dave did a tremendous amount of work to help NAM get to where it is today and prior to us he had a distinguished RAF career as well.

[blakey]

After Waddingtons airshow last year, a Viggen touching down in Lincolnshire is not such a unique catch anymore

[blakey]

Sorry, is there any info on your Website re Davids days in the airforce and association with NAM

[NAM Updater]

As far as I'm aware you photo of our Viggen touchdown is unique!

Unfortunately there's nothing on the website about David, but if you PM me a current email address I'll send you a newsletter in which his career is briefly covered. I also wrote a Canberra article a couple of years ago for Aircraft (Illustrated) and that also featured a short piece about David, who's first RAF posting was to RAF Binbrook and he witnessed the Canberra's arrival. He then went on to be part of the engineering team for some the types record breaking flights!

[blakey]

Thank you, pm sent

[NAM Updater]

I hope that the Dispersal PDF file came through OK and that you enjoyed catching up on Dave's RAF career.

[blakey]

Yes thank you

Wow what a career and all those different types of aircraft he worked on and after nearly 40 years he still had time to put in 20 years at NAM

Do you still have a Community Program or do you just rely on volunteer memberships these days

ps and the article regarding XM594 displaying in Canada awesome photos

[NAM Updater]

Morning Lee,

Yes it was an impressive service career and the newsletter didn’t really cover his work in Lincolnshire helping to modify the Black Buck Vulcans – that would have been a newsletter in its own right!

We no longer have a Community Programme at NAM this was something that stopped many years ago and we then took on David ourselves, which was a major decision, but one that I personally never regretted help making.

As mentioned on another forum, NAM is a members based organisation and people that become museum members (details how to apply in here) are encouraged to ‘volunteer’ by helping at the museum in a variety of ways e.g. open cockpits, guide visitor groups, work on airframes etc.

We’ve still not resolved the mystery surrounding the roundel mod to XM594 at the Abbotsford Airshow, despite asking the various contacts at the Tribute to the V-Force event; and we’ll be asking again in May!

My favourite photo in that Dispersal was the one that featured the Avro engineers’ posed in front of the Vulcan in the ‘delta shape’ – classic PR, which is to be admired even today!