Tne BERKSHIRE MUSEUM OF AVIATION, Reading.
Jun 14, 2024 8:48:45 GMT 1
northbynorthwest, ian531, and 5 more like this
Post by viscount on Jun 14, 2024 8:48:45 GMT 1
Museum of Berkshire Aviation, Woodley (near Reading)
Like the Solway, Dumfries and Solent Sky an aviation museum set up primarily to relate the aviation heritage of the County it is in. What a 'gem' the Berkshire Museum of Aviation is! A small hangar in what is now a woodland setting, on the former Woodley airfield. The small car park was unfortunately filled with cars belonging to dog walkers, however Museum staff quickly provided me with space in their compound. A great deal to look at in a packed hangar.
Some interesting aircraft and displays. Two 'one-offs' of interest and the sole surviving Miles Martinet. Chatty and well informed volunteers. An excellent discovery, a real 'find' of a museum and well worth the extra miles to visit.
Museum of Berkshire Aviation, Reading, Wednesday 29th May, early afternoon.
G-ALMN EoN Primary (also BGA.589/AQZ)
G-APWA HPR-7 Dart Herald 100 BEA 'red square' scheme
G-MIOO Miles Student 2 once G-APLK, XS941 & G-35-4
- Goodwin-Kent GK3 BAPC.573 - an unfinshed homebuild racer
465' EoN 460 actually BGA.1288/BWG
TF-SHC Miles Martinet TT.1
"L6906" Miles Magister 1 once G-AKKY & T9841
WG883/773 F. Gannet T.5 RN
XJ389 F. Jet Gyrodyne once G-AJJP
"XP849" W. Scout AH.1 ETPS colours (is mostly XP895)
also BAPC.233 Broburn Wanderlust (which I probably walked past without identifying it, whatever it is!)
Just two exhibits are outside. This the first production HPR-7 Dart Herald G-APWA delivered to BEA in 1961 was constructed at Woodley.
The other exterior exhibit is Fairey Gannet T.5 XG883/773 with faded paintwork but looking clean
The only complete survivor of the Miles Martinet/Blackburn Skua/Roc family of aircraft for the Royal Navy, recovered as a wreck from Iceland.
The Miles M.100 was designed and built in 1957 as a proposal for a jet trainer for the Royal Air Force. As G-APLK the aircraft had a chequered career as a test aircraft, including proposals for use as a counter insurgency aircraft.
The Jet Gyrodyne of 1951 is another development prototype, testing a rotorcraft fitted with an additional forward propulsion engine
Magister I, L6906 in early WWII yellow overall training colours
Scout AH.1, painted as XP849 in ETPS colours
EoN Primary glider as G-ALMN, also identified as BGA.589
EoN 460 glider, identified as '465', also BGA.1288
The Double Mamba powerplant developed for the Fairey Gannet.
Unfinished, unregistered, homebuilt - the Goodwin-Kent GK3 racer, also a shelf for cardboard box storage!
General overview of the inside display space from the back looking towards to entrance (left-hand side).
General overview of the inside display space from the back looking towards to entrance (right-hand side).
