Duxford Air Museum

[Gorby 11,600]

I've always wanted to go to Duxford. Circumstances have conspired to prevent me – the last time we decided to go was 2020. Absolutely determined this time and to my surprise Mrs Gorby was happy to go as well.

Airspace Hangar

 

Concord prototype

               

 

Flying Aircraft Hangar

The restoration hangar was closed for...erm...restoration, so some of the 'work in progress' aircraft where in the 'flying' hangar.

 

Air and Sea Hangar

 

Battle of Britain/Coldwar Hangar

 No, I don't know why some of these are in this hangar.

 

Damnit a bloody Spitfart snuck into this pic.

 

American Air Museum

Incidentally, The photos aren't the best because some of the aircraft are so close together it was difficult to get a good pic. This is doubly so in the American hangar which isn't surprising when you try and fit a SR-71, B-52, B-29, B-17, U-2, Liberator, F-111, Dakota, Mitchell and few others into one hangar. It's also very light at one end and very dark at the back which confused the hell out of my camera.

 

One with me cuddling up to my favourite hairyplane. 

It looks like the U2 doesn't have long left. 

The B-52 is showing its age, it's got wrinkles. Apparently they all do.

 

On one side of the hangar was surrounded by glass panels with all the American aircraft based in Britain which didn't come home. Many panels, with over 7,000 engraved silhouettes.

 

The museum was getting ready for a flying day the following day so they'd let a few out to stretch their wings.

 

We had a long weekend in Cambridge and get this, when I asked Mrs Gorby what her highlight was she said Duxford! I nearly crashed the car. 

 

There will be a separate post for the Duxford 'Land Warfare' museum.

Edited May 9 by Gorby

[skwonk 6,431]

Nice phots. haven't been there for years.  Are the drip trays still underneath the Blackbird? Last time I was there I was flying a Tiggie

[Paul Brown 5,792]

It never disappoints. We had a couple of visits (flying days) last year and earlier this year went for the (@grunhertz look away) Spitfire exhibition. My son is so keen that he's now a card carrying member and it helps that we're only a relatively short drive away. 

[dixieflyer 2,414]

I was just mentioning to the family last night that getting to go to Duxford was on my bucket list if I ever got to visit the UK. 

[Gorby 11,600]

5 hours ago, skwonk said:

Are the drip trays still underneath the Blackbird?

Didn't notice.

When you gaze at your love, you look at her face not her undercarriage.  

 

 

Edited May 9 by Gorby

[Gorby 11,600]

1 hour ago, dixieflyer said:

I was just mentioning to the family last night that getting to go to Duxford was on my bucket list if I ever got to visit the UK. 

Without doubt it's the best air museum in the UK. I'd go back tomorrow if it was closer and cheaper. I loved seeing many of the aircraft but it's the first time I've seen most of the American stuff, so the American hanger was what I most wanted to see. I would have taken many more photos but I was concerned that the camera battery would die before I got there. Also, for some of the aircraft there's nowhere to stand to get a decent pic.

Mrs Gorby was astounded by the size of some of the aircraft in the first hangars...then we saw the B-52. “How the hell did that get off the ground!” she said?

[Long 712]

3 hours ago, Gorby said:

Damnit a bloody Spitfart snuck into this pic.

I think that's the plastic one so it doesn't count

[dixieflyer 2,414]

9 minutes ago, Gorby said:

Without doubt it's the best air museum in the UK. I'd go back tomorrow if it was closer and cheaper. I loved seeing many of the aircraft but it's the first time I've seen most of the American stuff, so the American hanger was what I most wanted to see. I would have taken many more photos but I was concerned that the camera battery would die before I got there. Also, for some of the aircraft there's nowhere to stand to get a decent pic.

Mrs Gorby was astounded by the size of some of the aircraft in the first hangars...then we saw the B-52. “How the hell did that get off the ground!” she said?

Long ago and far away, before the dark times, in the days of the old Republic, I flew into Mobile. Alabama on a flight for work for my bank. There was a B-52 parked next to the taxi way, and we had to taxi around it to get to our hangar. It seemed to take forever. Maybe you should show Mrs. Gorby one of those YouTube videos featuring a B-52 scramble?  I only wish I could have seen one of those in person.

In looking at your pics, the old museum worker/docent/volunteer in me looks at the a/c and my first thought is "how in the h**l do they move an a/c out or how do they get one in?"  It's a crazy, huge, complicated puzzle. That museum guy in me looks at it and knows that the decision to get as much as possible in there was the majority vote on the board, and the photography camp was shot down when those decisions were made. Then again, I learned decades ago that museums are always short on two things: space and money.

My other UK aviation bucket list is to visit the Shuttleworth Collection on a summer day and enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds with Mrs. D and watch WWI a/c gambol about the sky and grass landing field there. 

[skwonk 6,431]

40 minutes ago, Gorby said:

Didn't notice.

When you gaze at your love, you look at her face not her undercarriage.  

Not as an ex matelot you don't 😉

[Long 712]

11 minutes ago, dixieflyer said:

how do they get one in?

If I'm remembering correctly, they built the hangar around the B-52, and some of the other planes were disassembled to get them in later.

[Paul Brown 5,792]

13 minutes ago, Long said:

If I'm remembering correctly, they built the hangar around the B-52, and some of the other planes were disassembled to get them in later.

The glazed facade was erected after the B-52 was rolled in. I think several of the larger exhibits were in place before the work was completed.

[Gorby 11,600]

34 minutes ago, dixieflyer said:

"how in the h**l do they move an a/c out or how do they get one in?"  It's a crazy, huge, complicated puzzle.

That was something we talked about and wondered if scale models were used to see how to fit it all in there. The B-52 is in a position which suggests that it could have been towed in forwards, as could some of the other stuff. They must have put the B-29 in sideways somehow.

[Paul Brown 5,792]

Things are moved around from time to time, but I think the position of the B-52 is fixed. The current arrangement is different from what it was in the noughties. 

[Muttley 2,182]

1 hour ago, Long said:

I think that's the plastic one so it doesn't count

it's N3200 the Dunkerque dig up/Guy Martin rebuild (don't get me started on "originality"!)

[Muttley 2,182]

35 minutes ago, Paul Brown said:

Things are moved around from time to time, but I think the position of the B-52 is fixed. The current arrangement is different from what it was in the noughties. 

in 2015 they bought everything out so they could work on the AAM structure. I have a few photos of the B52 and B29 sitting outside. It's good to have a shuffle around of things. The F15 that now hangs used to be outside

[Hutch6390 941]

Great pics, @Gorby - it's a great place.  I could spend a few days there, easily.  The "flying" Canberra looks very predatory, I think (must build one one day).

1 hour ago, Muttley said:

The F15 that now hangs used to be outside

In 2011 the now Mrs 6390 and I went there for the Spitfire's 75th birthday airshow - and it absolutely chucked it down!  Here is yours truly taking shelter beneath said F-15 eating some very soggy burger-van grub - 

I bet those nice people at Raytheon never thought of that use for one of their products! (Not my most flattering photo, either )

And here's another F-15 at the same show -

No, not a missile strike, just some very opportune condensation!

 

[Gorby 11,600]

16 hours ago, Hutch6390 said:

And here's another F-15 at the same show -

That's a great photo.

[Miggers 6,311]

I've always wanted to go .

Bit of useless,Maggie G-AFBS and Oxbox V3388 came from the Strathallan Collection,they were both flyers.

G-AFBS was the subject originally on the Frog Maggie's decal sheet,her service serial is BB661 and she is

actually a 1937 built Hawk III Trainer.

Steven Grey's Beaufighter,I see they're having some progress with it but the major stumbling block was finding

a nice pair of Big Bristols to power it and the fact that Mr Grey himself couldn't get insurance on hisself to fly it.

Having seen a Blackbird in it's natural(Mildenhall late 80's),I can say that it is a very,very,very impressive 

speed machine.

How did that BUFF get to Dux?,they flew it in!!!!!.There used to be a clip of it landing on YooToob some time back.

Ain't that Concorde tiny inside eh,I went inside 002 at VL last year.

6'+tall pilots must've hated the fact that they couldn't get in the drivers' seats.

Those two Staggerwings are absolutely lovely,nice to see "Miss Pick-Up" trundling past-she's booked to display

at Cosford this year too.

The very last Airspeed Ambassador too,still a very elegant aeroplane.

Grand stuff Gorbs.

[Long 712]

53 minutes ago, Miggers said:

How did that BUFF get to Dux?,they flew it in!!!!!.There used to be a clip of it landing on YooToob some time back.

 

[Miggers 6,311]

16 minutes ago, Long said:

 

That's the one Longy,cheers matey.

[dixieflyer 2,414]

I love me some BUFF! Strange to think of it and the C-130 serving on now for well over 60 years. 

[Paul Brown 5,792]

2 hours ago, dixieflyer said:

I love me some BUFF! Strange to think of it and the C-130 serving on now for well over 60 years. 

If it ain't broke there's no need to fix it. I was watching a TV programme about bush operations and one of the pilots said that if his Gooney Bird were to break the company would try and find another C-47/DC-3 to replace it, because it's still the best tool for the job.

[dixieflyer 2,414]

@Paul Brown, no kidding!  To me, at least, that a/c design is one of those magic moments in engineering that just can't be improved upon.  And to think that design is close to 90 years old. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a nation on the planet that hasn't used it in their military or their civil aviation industry.