Science & Technology - Hendon RAF Museum
On
August 26th 2014, 35 members of the Science and Technology group gathered
at The Bell to meet the coach to take us down to the Hendon RAF museum. This
was established on the site of one of the first airfields round London. I can
remember, as a boy, going to an air show at Hendon. They started building in
the late 60’s and the Queen opened the museum in 1972. The rest of the site
became a large housing estate. Since
then other sites have opened to display a vast collection of historic aircraft,
Cosford being the most notable.
A good 3 hours is recommended for the visit although you would be pushed in this time when the new Great War section is completed in the Sopwith building, to be opened later this year. Going round the museum you can view aircraft suspended, on their own undercarriage, or on specially built stands. It is amazing how so many aircraft have been displayed. They range from an early Bleriot aircraft to the latest American stealth bomber. There is also a vast amount of material on the men who flew, designed or commanded these historic aircraft. George Lipscombe even found a photograph of a Sunderland Flying Boat circling over the naval frigate on which he was serving at the time. They were landing to take off a seaman with appendicitis. There are also many displays of engines. Notably for our group were many Napier engines, in particular the Napier Lion which we heard of in the talk in February.
There were 2 refreshment areas and although not Haute Cuisine they served a good range of cakes. One of them is in the main hall surrounded with helicopters.
We left at 3.30 with several members saying that they would be back for a second visit. However, I can’t help feeling that man spent hundreds of years learning to fly and now much of the technology is geared towards destruction.
A good 3 hours is recommended for the visit although you would be pushed in this time when the new Great War section is completed in the Sopwith building, to be opened later this year. Going round the museum you can view aircraft suspended, on their own undercarriage, or on specially built stands. It is amazing how so many aircraft have been displayed. They range from an early Bleriot aircraft to the latest American stealth bomber. There is also a vast amount of material on the men who flew, designed or commanded these historic aircraft. George Lipscombe even found a photograph of a Sunderland Flying Boat circling over the naval frigate on which he was serving at the time. They were landing to take off a seaman with appendicitis. There are also many displays of engines. Notably for our group were many Napier engines, in particular the Napier Lion which we heard of in the talk in February.
There were 2 refreshment areas and although not Haute Cuisine they served a good range of cakes. One of them is in the main hall surrounded with helicopters.
We left at 3.30 with several members saying that they would be back for a second visit. However, I can’t help feeling that man spent hundreds of years learning to fly and now much of the technology is geared towards destruction.