England 7-Mar-10 - IWM Duxford

Imperial War Museum Duxford.

Well worth a visit, but make sure you have plenty of time - at least all day or several days if you are really are keen on  airplanes. Duxford has plenty to see, not only the static displays in the main display hangers, but there are several  large older hangars where maintenance, overhaul and restoration work is going on. The techs working on the planes are friendly and only too pleased and proud to talk about their pet planes. And of course, we can't forget, he American Air Museum.

Sunday the 7th March, I got up early for a long anticipated visit to the Duxford aircraft museum. I looked out the window - frost - went out to car and it was minus 4 degrees C. A bit cold for a old chap only recently arrived from summer in the South Pacific. Back inside and reading until 10 a.m. when the temperature had risen to zero but the sun was out and not a cloud in the sky. So off to the aircraft museum.

The first hangar was huge with a gallery walkway allowing you to look down at the aircraft on the floor and up to those suspended from the ceiling. Here the walkway can be seen in the background just above the Lancaster. Also there is   a Vulcan, Sunderland, Lancastrian, Mosquito, Lysander, and few more.

Here looking straight at a Mosquito suspended from the roof. As are the Canberra bomber and helicopter. At the bottom of picture can be seen panels documenting the planes in front of you. All very well done.

In other hangars I found teams working on various aircraft. Here a team of enthusiasts and preparing a Fortress for the coming summer flying season. this plane was interestingly named Sally B on one side and Memphis Belle on the other.

And in another hangar these three guys had a problem doing something to a nut. Evidently they could only just just get their hand in to reached the nut, or what ever, and each time I passed them another one was having a go.

The next hangar I found this group working on a rebuild of this Bristol MKIV type 149 G-BPIV

"Spirit of Britain". Interesting story - it crashed in 1987 just 4 weeks after a 12 year rebuild. the second rebuild took 5 years.The plane flew many times until in 2003 it crashed again. Hence this rebuild. After talking with the restorers I was allowed to cross the rope boundary and have a look inside. 

On the left is the gunner's seat taken from the entrance hatch in the bottom of the rear fuselage.

And here a Heinkel He 111 'kitst'

Yet another hangar with a variety of aircraft of all shapes and forms.

A gyro that was dagged by a U-boat.

An auto-gyro,

 and one for the Indiana Jones fans
- a Junkers Ju52/3m.

Then off to the American Air Museum. A building specially designed to fit around the wingspan of the terrifying Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber. On the way passed several outside exhibits such as the German V1 rocket and launching ramp.

And as the IWM site says This outstanding example of contemporary British architecture ..   .. houses the largest collection of American warbirds on display outside the United States, including a vintage B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, P-47 Thunderbolt, and aircraft from the Cold War era such as a B-52 Stratofortress, SR-71 Blackbird and F-4 Phantom, with many suspended from the ceiling as if in flight.

And when you walk in, onto a elevated gallery, you look right in the the cockpit if the Boeing B52 bomber.

While some as spend our time photographing aircraft some have a far simpler way.........

As my trip proceeds, I will be visiting the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at Coningsby to see the Lancaster, Hurricanes and Spitfires. Later I will travel to The Shuttleworth Collection to see the pre-WWII planes and drive pass (and photograph) the R100 and R101 airship hangars just out of Bedford. 

But more later......

England 5-Mar-10 - Greensted Church -Oldest Wooden Church in the World

At Greensted, on the Blake Hall/Greensted Road, turn left into Church Lane to see  oldest wooden church in the world.
After visiting here go onto Chipping Onga, have cup of coffee then off the Kelvedon Hatch to see the 'Secret Nuclear Bunker'.

I saw the church one sunny March day. 

Yes it was sunny, but at 10.30 a.m. when I took these pictures the temperature was just 4 degrees C.
map

The central section of the church made of wood, oak palisade walls, dates back to 11 th century, 

the Chancel or brick section dates 16th century, 

while the bell tower, a recent addition dates to the late 17th cenury. 

The main entrance door. 

Note the recessed path way, making the entrance level below the surrounding ground.

When you enter you again step down to the church floor. 

In this picture the oak palisade sides can be seen.

Inside the looking back towards the door to the bell tower.

Here we see the wooden walls, beams and pews.

A closer view of the roof beams and walls. 

Outside, again, having a closer look at the oak palislade walls.

The stain glass window over the alter.

The stain glass window in the tower.

England 5-Mar-10 - Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker

After passing through Chipping Onga and turning left onto a winding narrow road I reached a car park and what appeared to be a rural bungalow. However this concrete imitation building housed some store rooms and a set of metals stairs down one level to a long sloping tunnel that lead to bottom floor of three story underground complex. This was the Kelvedon HatchSecret Nuclear Bunker that for 6 or 7 British pounds I could explore with the aid of self-guided audio tour.

So into the 'bungalow', no one about but a sign saying to pay at the end of the tour and that I must pick up an audio guide at the bottom of the stairs before entering the complex.
Down the stairs, get my guide and into the tunnel, but first take some photos, then spotted the sign no pictures unless  a  'licence to photograph' has been purchased. Being a mean sod I put my camera away so sorry no more pictures.  I found out a couple days later in my hurry to comply I had lost my spare camera battery and believe it was somewhere in this tunnel. So Kelvedon Hatch people the battery you found is for a Cannon IXUS 80 IS camera.

The lower level contains, air conditioning and power generation plants (all duplicated), fuel, water, and sewage storage. the upper levels contain civilian control room, scientist centre, BBC studio, military operation centre, dormitory, sick bay and canteen. Also in one corner I saw a great heap of early Geiger counters, all very large an obviously built before the advent of the transistor.

The complex built in 1952 using 40,000 tons of concrete, goes down to 100 feet below the Essex countryside, consists of three stories capable of housing up to 600 government personnel.

Well worth a visit and while in the area  so is the  church at Greensted. This is the oldest wooden church in the world.

Next time I will be visiting the Imperial War Museum at Duxford.

England 4-Mar-10 - de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre

In March this year I went to England primarily to see some of the early diaries associated with Scott's Last Expedition in the archives of the Scott Polar Research Institute, but while there I took the opportunity to visits several aircraft museums and other places of interest.

I arrived at Heathrow on 4 March and the next day headed up to the de Havilland Museum just off the M25 near London Colney.

Although the museum hadn't opened for the summer I was lucky to have a private tour thanks to John Stride.

This museum is a must for enthusiasts of the Mosquitofighter/bomber, wooded plane construction or the de Havilland stable of aircraft.

The photos included are - the original Mosquito designated W4050, a machine in progress of being restored, the 4000 pound bomb used by some of these 'small' bombers/fighters and a 6 pound anti-tank gun modified for mounting in the plane.

The plane being restored allowed me to see how the Mosquito was construction and the marrying of the wood construction with metal equipment such as engines, landing gear and armaments.

The 4000 pound bomb highlights the specs of the Mosquito B Mk XVI- 4000 pound bomb load, 1500 mile range, 415 mph max speed, 37,000 ft service ceiling - a quite a remarkable airplane for the 1940s.

Now the 6 pounder - 27 Mosquitos were fitted with these modified QF-6 anti-tank guns fitted with an auto-loader to allow for semi or fully automatic fire. Although I was told that they could only fire two shots in quick succession because of the slowing of the plane. This gun was mounted with two 303 siting machine guns. The gun weighed 1580 pounds and was used against shipping and U-boats, but was soon replaced by rockets.

Other places visited were Kelvedon Hatch secret nuclear bunker, Duxford Imperial War Museum, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, The Shuttleworth Collection and paused to photgraph the R100 and R101 airship hangars but more of that later.