Manston's twin Museums Visit, Sept. 2024.

Airframes · Oct 7, 2024

The final photo selection from the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum shows Karl's session in the Spitfire Mk.XVI simulator.

As can be seen in the photos, the Spitfire isn't quite as authentic as the Lancaster, but it is a reasonably accurate, wooden mock up, with a modern, digital electronic instrument panel. However, the flight controls, throttle, landing gear lever etc were genuine and, from what I could see from standing outside, it certainly provided a realistic "feel".

The 30 minute session followed a take off from Manston, with a flight north to the river Thames, following the river to London City Airport, where a "touch and go" was completed, before climbing to a higher altitude and transiting to the south coast, with aerobatics over the English Channel.
This was followed by a return to Manston, and let down, approach and landing.
Again, even standing outside the cockpit, I got a sense of motion and "action" when viewing the wrap-around simulator screens, and I was able to recognise various landmarks along the routes flown and enjoyed just watching, and I know that Karl enjoyed the "flight", and did very well overall.

The pics show Karl getting familiar with the cockpit layout, a view of the "electronic" instrument panel, take off from Manston, approach and finals into London City Airport, a general airborne view, and finals into Manston, with the final shot showing a happy Wg.Cmd "Splasher" Rochford, alongside the real Spitfire Mk.XVI, with his Certificate proving he didn't crash (much !).
(note that the pics show some distortion of the actual view from the cockpit, due to the angle they were taken from outside).

Coming next, the RAF Manston History Museum ..................

Airframes · Oct 7, 2024

Thanks for those great pics Andy.
The pic I saw at the museum certainly looked like the "overpaint" might have been fresh Dk Green and/or Ocean Grey, but these "new" pics really provide stronger evidence that the band very well may have been black after all.
Definitely a new one for me.

Crimea_River · Oct 7, 2024

Did I hear someone say "Bumpsy Daisy"?

Wurger · Oct 8, 2024

Airframes · Oct 8, 2024

Well Andy, there may have been a couple of "You can teach....." moments !!

And now ...........

The RAF Manston History Museum.

As can be seen in the aerial view in the first post in this thread, the second museum is situated just across the car park, and only a short walk (or scooter ride) away.
However, we seemed to go around in circles trying to find the entrance, so took Karl's car around the road to the dedicated car park on the former perimeter track, only to find that we ended up in the same place on the footpath to the Museum !
Having asked someone, we eventually found the entrance, hidden at the side of the conservatory building (see white arrow in the first pic).
There is an entry fee at this Museum, but for the two of us it was only a total of £11, so very reasonable indeed.

Although a fairly small Museum, there is a lot packed in here, covering the history of the airfield, it's role during the BoB, WW2 and beyond, with full aircraft, cockpits (open to the public on dedicated days), many interesting artefacts, pictures and models.
To be honest, we didn't really do it justice, and could have done with more time to view everything in detail. The Museums are both open daily from 10.00 hrs to 16.00hrs, and we'd already spent some considerable time at the first Museum and, as we still had a three hour drive back to the Tin Tent in Norfolk, we left at around 15.00 hrs, hoping to avoid the major traffic delays at peak period at the M25 and Dartford tunnel. In retrospect, perhaps we should have travelled down earlier the previous day, and "done" this Museum first, but we'll know next time, if we visit again !

Anyway, on to the first batch of pics, with the first two showing the Museum exterior (entrance arrowed !), and the post-war control tower from the airfield perimeter track.
The aircraft pics are as follows:-

Jet Provost T.4.
Polish Air Force "Iskra".
Lightning F.6 in RAF 5 Sqn colours.
Buccaneer S2b rescued from the fire training ground..
Jaguar GR3 (upgraded to GR3A) XZ106. Served in the first Gulf War and Bosnia, and displayed in 41 Sqn colours as used during deployment to Norway.
Tornado GR1T cockpit section.
Nimrod MR2 forward fuselage and fin. This was the last Nimrod to fly, arriving at Manston from Lossiemouth, when it was used for evacuation and fire training, before being rescued for the Museum when the Fire Training School closed.

More to come tomorrow.

rochie · Oct 8, 2024

Good stuff Dogsbody, it was a great day out.

The Lancaster was very impressive indeed.

Steve really did know his stuff and was a great help with my "flying" :lol:

Gnomey · Oct 9, 2024

Great shots Terry!

Airframes · Oct 9, 2024

Thanks, Karl and Hugh.

Continuing with more from the RAF Manston History Museum, and some of the cockpits and aircraft on display inside.

Pic 1. Cockpit and fin from Hunter F.6a, XG226, in the colours of "The Blue Diamonds", the 92 Sqn display team. There's a chance I might have seen this aircraft back in the late 1950's, when it served with 66 Sqn at Acklington in Northumberland, before moving to 92 Sqn at Middleton St. George, and Thornaby, in the then County Durham, all three airfields being close to where I was raised.
Pic 2. Canberra B.15 nose of 9 Sqn. Originally built as a B.6, the aircraft saw service with 9 Sqn during the Suez crisis.
Pic 3. Nose section of Victor K.2, XL190, which served during the first Gulf war.
Pics 4 & 5. Forward fuselage of Buccaneer S2B, XV352. Flew 12 operations in the 1991 Gulf war, wearing the desert "pink" colour scheme, and named "Tamdu".
Pic 6. Buccaneer front ejection seat.
Pic 7. Pitts 12S. First time I've seen this variant, being more familiar with the S2 series. Looks to be a beast of an aeroplane !
Pic 8. Canadair T-133 Silver Star, painted to represent a T-33, serial number 51-17415 of 512th FIS when based at Manston in the 1950s.
Pics 9 & 10. Taylorcraft Auster Mk.5, under restoration.

More tomorrow ...................

Sabrejet · Oct 9, 2024

Airframes said:
Pic 8. Canadair T-133 Silver Star, painted to represent a T-33, serial number 51-17415 of 512th FIS when based at Manston in the 1950s.

Sadly that T-33 is painted in a 512th FIS Bentwaters colour scheme. Many years ago I tried to advise and also had a chance to get them an F-86F on loan but the guy in charge at the time seemed to know better. The F-86F discussion didn't go any further and the T-33 is still in its Bentwaters colour scheme, and painted pale grey. They never did get the Sabre that "guy in charge" said he knew how to obtain.

I do hear that there is a new team now, so maybe there's hope to get things put right.

Airframes · Oct 9, 2024

Thanks for that info.
Although I only worked on the info supplied on the Museum's site, I had a feeling something didn't look right, as I was sure I'd seen a similar colour scheme for somewhere other than Manston, but couldn't remember where !

Airframes · Oct 10, 2024

More of the aircraft on display.

Pics 1 & 2. Westland Wessex HU5, a former Royal Navy aircraft, painted to represent a HC2 of 22 Sqn, Manston, used in the SAR role.
Pic 3. Nieuport 17 replica, built for the movie "Flyboys", it now carries the markings of Capt. Albert Ball.
Pic 4. Sopwith 11/2 Strutter replica, again from the "Flyboys" movie, and will eventually be painted to represent a RNAS example operating from Manston in 1915.
Pics 5 & 6. AW Meteor TT20, serial WD646. Originally built as a NF.11 in 1951, it was converted to target tug in 1959. It now wears the markings of a NF.11 serving with 85 Sqn at West Malling.
Pic 7. Typical 1950's RAF flight clothing.
Pic 8. One of two Link trainers on display.
Pic 9. DH Chipmunk T.10, formerly serving with the Army Air Corps at Middle Wallop, it now wears the markings of No.1 AEF (Air Experience Flight), RAF Manston, when used to provide flights for Air Training Corps cadets.
Pic 10. Another view of the Pitts 12S.

Still some bits and pieces to come, sometime tomorrow.

Gnomey · Oct 11, 2024

Lovely shots Terry!

Airframes · Oct 11, 2024

Thanks Hugh.

To conclude this tour of the Manston Museums, here are the final selection of odds and ends, starting with a few of the models on display.
Apologies for the poor quality, but there was lots of reflection and diffusion through the glass cases.

Pics 1 - 3. A 1/32nd scale Lancaster, and two views representing the Fire Training School, in 1/72nd scale.
Pics 4 & 5. Some of the vehicles outside, with a pair of FIAT Campagnola military cars and a British Scorpion CVRT.
Pics 1 to 9. Incredible 1/15th scale models, built from Lego !!
Pic 10. Interesting 1/48th scale diorama showing some of the USAF use of Manston.
Pics 11 & 12. Manston's involvement with the "bouncing bomb", represented by a 1/72nd scale diorama of the trials at nearby Reculver, and the remains of an original "Upkeep" mine, used in the trials, recovered from the sea off Reculver beach.

That's all for now, and I hope you've enjoyed this brief look at these two interesting museums. If I'm able to get "out and about" over the next few months before summer, I'll post more stuff in my "Tin Tent" thread.
Thanks for looking.