Category: Museums / Organizations

Posted on by

Museum’s New Full-Scale Cockpit Simulator to Help Visitors Experience Flight in a Spitfire

The Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum in Kent has confirmed the installation of a functioning, full-scale Spitfire cockpit simulator that is slated to begin operation this year.

The simulator, which is situated directly beside the collection’s Spitfire Mk XVI(LF) TB752 (pictured above), will reportedly allow visitors to to try their hand at conducting a complete flight while also getting an idea of what it was like for pilots who flew the iconic warbird during WW2. Utilizing authentic controls and a large format display screen, the simulator is said to recreate engine torque effects as well as landing challenges presented by the Spitfire’s narrow undercarriage. The red-out and grey-out effects of excess G-forces are also said to be represented.

The £15,000 fundraising goal for the simulator was met with assistance from local charities, businesses and visitors and it is hoped that it will help continue the museum’s mission to engage, educate and inspire the local community while also securing funds that can be reinvested in the museum.

It is not yet known how much it will cost visitors to use the simulator, although bookings will reportedly begin on launch day, April 1, which coincides with the centenary of the RAF.

Click below to check out additional photos.

Continue reading Museum’s New Full-Scale Cockpit Simulator to Help Visitors Experience Flight in a Spitfire

Posted on by

Memphis Belle Restoration Progress Captured in New 360 Degree Images

The USAF Museum in Dayton is in the final stages of restoring the iconic B-17F “Memphis Belle” and has recently released two 360 degree images capturing the progress.

As previously reported, the machine is scheduled to make its public debut in the museum’s WW2 gallery on May 17, 2018, where it will reportedly be surrounded by interactive displays, rare archival film footage and many personal artifacts which have never before been on display at the museum.

The Memphis Belle (S/N 41-24485) became the first the first U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions and return to the U.S., where it flew across the country to promote war bonds and boost morale. Further attention was directed toward the aircraft when it became the focus of a 1944 William Wyler documentary and later a 1990 feature film.

Click below to check out the new images.

Continue reading Memphis Belle Restoration Progress Captured in New 360 Degree Images

Posted on by

Kermit Weeks Details Restoration of CAC Boomerang Damaged During WW2

Shortly after completing a video series detailing his trip to Vintage V-12s, Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks is back with a new installment of “Kermie Cam” that sees him in Australia checking up on his CAC Boomerang project.

The aircraft (S/N A46-174) was originally built by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and delivered to the RAAF in January 1944, serving with 4 Squadron. In May of that year, the machine suffered a ground loop at Cape Gloucester Airfield in Papua New Guinea (pictured above) and was deemed too far gone to repair, resulting in its remains being abandoned at Nadzab.

In the 1970s, Charles Darby visited the site and discovered remnants of roughly 30 aircraft, including the center section of A46-174, which was salvaged. In the 1980s Kermit Weeks acquired the machine and placed it on display prior to beginning restoration. In 2015, the aircraft arrived at Matt Denning’s shop at Caboolture Airport, Queensland, where work is now underway.

Kermit’s visit to the site will be presented in four parts, all of which will appear here as they become available. Click below to check out the series as well as an additional photo of the aircraft following its accident.

Continue reading Kermit Weeks Details Restoration of CAC Boomerang Damaged During WW2

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 5): The 1910 Wright Transitional Flyer

Copy of 26sept15 028

The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright Flyer reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E. Scott Rawlings, we are sharing a collection of images detailing many of these machines, which are currently available for sale or lease.

Part 1 of this series examined the team’s 1902 Wright Glider, while part 2, part 3 and part 4 featured their outstanding replica of the 1909 Military Flyer. This week we examine the team’s reproduction of the 1910 “transitional” Flyer that employed a forward canard and aft elevator.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 5): The 1910 Wright Transitional Flyer

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 4): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer (Concluded)

P1050243

The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright aircraft reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E. Scott Rawlings, we are sharing a collection of images detailing many of these machines, which are currently available for sale or lease.

Part 1 of this series examined the team’s 1902 Wright Glider, while part 2 and part 3 featured their outstanding replica of the 1909 Military Flyer. This week we conclude our look at the 1909 machine’s construction and offer two videos providing an overview of the replica and a demonstration of its engine.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 4): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer (Concluded)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 3): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer (Continued)

1909sc-1

The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright aircraft reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices. The image seen above, showing a period photograph blended with a Wright Experience reproduction, is said to illustrate the team’s mission statement.

The pedigree of our research is the few existing artifacts that exist in museums, period photographs and the few surviving aircraft that were “restored” in the past to prevailing standards at the time. There are no blueprints for Wright aircraft. Using period photographs and CAD we have been able to recreate for reproduction most of the Wright aircraft. This effort incorporates the orientation of each piece of hardware to match the period photos, the correct fabric, the correct dimensions and original method of construction with new materials the same as the original materials. Never has there been an attempt to modify, improve or change in any way what exists in the photos.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E.Scott Rawlings, we are sharing a collection of images detailing many of their machines, which are currently available for sale.

Part 1 of this series examined the team’s 1902 Wright Glider, while part 2 featured their outstanding replica of the 1909 Military Flyer. This week we will continue our look at the 1909 machine, focusing on its construction and the painstaking efforts the team has made to create the most historically accurate aircraft possible.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 3): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer (Continued)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 2): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer [Feature]

P1120337

The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright aircraft reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E.Scott Rawlings, we are sharing a collection of images detailing many of these machines, which are currently available for sale.

In part 1 of this series, we examined the team’s reproduction of the 1902 Wright Glider. This week we look at the 1909 Wright Military Flyer – the first aircraft accepted by the United States Army Signal Corps.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 2): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer [Feature]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 1): The 1902 Wright Glider [Feature]

1

The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright aircraft reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E.Scott Rawlings, we will be sharing a collection of images detailing many of these machines, which are currently available for sale.

We begin with the 1902 Wright Glider, the most successful of the Wrights’ gliding machines that performed over 1,000 flights and served as the world’s first fully controllable aircraft, forming the basis of their 1906 patent.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 1): The 1902 Wright Glider [Feature]