Where In 1984, the Museum of Army Flying moved to the edge of the most famous Battle of Britain airfield in Middle Wallop, near Andover in Hampshire. The location of the museum is integral to the authenticity of visitor experience: it sits beside the Army Air Corps Centre and several second world war buildings still stand in their original form.
What By taking its visitors on an imaginative journey, beginning with the inception of Royal Engineer military ballooning and continuing through to the Army Air Corps that exist today, the museum tells the story of the flying division of the British army, which is different from the Royal Air Force. The museum comprises two large aircraft halls, a learning centre, a 1940s house display, a play park and conference facilities.
Opened The collection was started in 1946 at RAF Andover, but was later moved to Middle Wallop and first opened to the public in 1974 as part of the military base. The collection grew to such an extent that by 1984 it moved to its own, purpose-built hangar on the edge of the airfield.
Collection More than 40 aircraft are on display, ranging from a first world war biplane to a HueyCobra attack helicopter. These encompass the five main branches of army aviation from 1879 to the present day: the Royal Engineers (1879-1912), the Royal Flying Corps (1912-18), the Air Observation Post Squadrons (1941-57), the Glider Pilot Regiment (1942-57) and the Army Air Corps (1957-present). The collection also contains uniforms, medals, equipment and other smaller items that “tell inspiring stories about the people involved in army aviation”, says Susan Lindsay, the curator of the museum. This is complemented by an archive for research and enquiries.
Highlights “The Sopwith Pup, which is a single-seat fighter introduced in 1916, and a Lynx helicopter, which broke the world speed record in 1972 by achieving 199.92 miles per hour in a 100km closed circuit,” says Lindsay. She also cites the restored fuselage of a 110ft Hamilcar glider, which was used by the Allies for transporting supplies.
Help at hand The museum is run by six full-time and 30 part- time staff, as well as volunteers.
Budget The venue is supported by the defence ministry but relies mainly on entrance fees and corporate activities.
Sticky moment “The constant challenge of working with large items on show,” says Lindsay. “They require a lot of space to display and are difficult to move. We have to overcome the perception that we are a specialist museum with limited appeal.”
Visitors 25,000-30,000 a year.
Survival tip “Providing good customer service is critical,” says Lindsay.
Future plans “We would like to update our displays to make them interactive, create a new archive and reading room, and improve our collections stores,” says Lindsay. “We are also planning a memorial wall to commemorate those who lost their lives in the service of army aviation.”
www.armyflying.com
What By taking its visitors on an imaginative journey, beginning with the inception of Royal Engineer military ballooning and continuing through to the Army Air Corps that exist today, the museum tells the story of the flying division of the British army, which is different from the Royal Air Force. The museum comprises two large aircraft halls, a learning centre, a 1940s house display, a play park and conference facilities.
Opened The collection was started in 1946 at RAF Andover, but was later moved to Middle Wallop and first opened to the public in 1974 as part of the military base. The collection grew to such an extent that by 1984 it moved to its own, purpose-built hangar on the edge of the airfield.
Collection More than 40 aircraft are on display, ranging from a first world war biplane to a HueyCobra attack helicopter. These encompass the five main branches of army aviation from 1879 to the present day: the Royal Engineers (1879-1912), the Royal Flying Corps (1912-18), the Air Observation Post Squadrons (1941-57), the Glider Pilot Regiment (1942-57) and the Army Air Corps (1957-present). The collection also contains uniforms, medals, equipment and other smaller items that “tell inspiring stories about the people involved in army aviation”, says Susan Lindsay, the curator of the museum. This is complemented by an archive for research and enquiries.
Highlights “The Sopwith Pup, which is a single-seat fighter introduced in 1916, and a Lynx helicopter, which broke the world speed record in 1972 by achieving 199.92 miles per hour in a 100km closed circuit,” says Lindsay. She also cites the restored fuselage of a 110ft Hamilcar glider, which was used by the Allies for transporting supplies.
Help at hand The museum is run by six full-time and 30 part- time staff, as well as volunteers.
Budget The venue is supported by the defence ministry but relies mainly on entrance fees and corporate activities.
Sticky moment “The constant challenge of working with large items on show,” says Lindsay. “They require a lot of space to display and are difficult to move. We have to overcome the perception that we are a specialist museum with limited appeal.”
Visitors 25,000-30,000 a year.
Survival tip “Providing good customer service is critical,” says Lindsay.
Future plans “We would like to update our displays to make them interactive, create a new archive and reading room, and improve our collections stores,” says Lindsay. “We are also planning a memorial wall to commemorate those who lost their lives in the service of army aviation.”
www.armyflying.com
