Newark Air Museum again

[Ralf Roggeveen]

Hi Everybody! No, I missed MH370, but have been doing a lot of other stuff in the last year so apologies for not looking in here for a while. Some of you (Ferry, Willy) have seen me still alive in Youface, or whatever it's called. Sim-Outhouse is a brilliant site with a really friendly community, very much appreciated, happy to be back.

ANYWAY: Went (back) to Newark Air Museum last Saturday where we had the first Aeroboot Sale of the year and I had a stall with some aviation books & kits; had to sit in a freezing hangar all morning, but sold a few and will return for the summer weekend. I was also a big spender, getting the Revell Sopwith Triplane (£3) and a 1915 book, With the German Armies in the West by Sven Hedin (£5).

Had time for a little look round afterwards, thought of you chaps and took a few shots for you...



We will go back out there later. In Hangar 1, have to revisit the Chippie in its Raspberry Ripple livery which little Ralf used to learn in back in the '70s:



Whenever the instructor peered down at his instruments (most of the time, take note) I decided he'd had a heart attack (they were Old Pilots, not Bold ones) and wondered how I'd ever get back.

They have a good collection of homemade Suicide Kits which, though you wouldn't wanna try to fly 'em, would win the Mystery Aircraft thread every time...



Can you read the sign? A Clutton for punishment? I'm happy of an evening making my little Revell Sopwith. No doubt Fred is a close relative of the better-known:





Yes, the Flying Flea or 'Poo de Ciel' as its French inventor so accurately named it. No, mustn't laugh; they were very brave. Stupid, but brave.

It is only letting me post 4 images at a time, but more to come...

[Ralf Roggeveen]

Let's have a look at four more:



Another view of the Flea above



Something I spent many hours going round & round & getting nowhere in as an Air Cadet. The school actually had one (possibly as a reward from the Raff for having educated Douglas Bader and Guy Gibson?), though it had long ago lost its 'canopy', 'wings' and 'tail'. It was connected up to a big OS map and you sort of navigated yourself over it while someone else shouted out how you were doing... Years later (i.e. quite recently) I asked the school if they still had it, but sadly, long since gone. (And I don't think this one at Newark is the one from St Edward's.)



Taylorcraft which you wouldn't mind going in, though it looks a tad underpowered.



This would win the Mystery Helicopter prize every time. Let's see if Lefty can get it. Clue: To be found at the very end of the alphabet...

[lefty]

Ahh, but Ralf, Lefty's been to Newark too.......(never seen a photo of this one in flight, which makes me wonder.......)

[lefty]

Looking further in my archive, found the answer to my own query !

[Ralf Roggeveen]

Well done, Lefty! If you know the location the unique Zurowski is, of course, possible to track down. Many Poles still live in the Newark area and the main Polish War Cemetery (where General Sikorski himself was first laid to rest) is in Newark.

Going outside:



This is Newark's very own MiG Alley. I think both of them are ex-Warsaw Pact rather than Soviet. (Putin seems to keep his Aviation Museum flying as ancient Russian aircraft are constantly coming over and pestering us at the moment.)



This Foxbat was given by the relieved Poles last time they managed to get rid of their unwelcome guests from the next-door country. We gave them back General Sikorski's remains when Poland was finally free again.



Nice Jaguar they've got there.



Unfortunately being out-of-doors all the time is even worse for aeroplanes than it is for cars, and of course airfields tend to be in exposed places that are particularly open to the elements...

[Ferry_vO]

Good to hear from you again, Ralf! The photos in the first post don't show up for me though..

And the second MiG ("458") is not a Foxbat but a Flogger, a MiG-23, the fighter version of the ground-attack MiG-27 ("71", also called the Flogger..) above.

;-)

[Ralf Roggeveen]

You are the expert, Ferry. I thought the MiGs were a 27 and a 23, but not very good on Soviets after about 1970 (maybe a little better on Eastern European civil aircraft).



Hope that first picture comes out above now. A more detailed look down in that corner to follow.



This Heron is one of the few large civil aircraft (in fact the only one with more than one engine) at Newark.



Lovely Lightning there. In one of the hangars someone has made nice models of every type of Lightning in different Squadron colours.



Interesting blue bombs lurking under the Jag.

[Ralf Roggeveen]

The sunlight was so bright that it was difficult to make everything out.



Canberra from a distance.



Then there's this Meteor. For fairly obvious reasons air museums tend to have late versions of once common, now rare, aeroplanes, often with 'funny' testing devices like extended nose cones.



Their other Canberra (I think: one of them is a PR. 7 according to my now ancient Wrecks & Relics)



Lockheed T-33, trainer version of the Shooting Star.

[lefty]

A couple from my visit three years ago - the very rare Ashton fuselage - (are they just letting it rot?) and a Monospar in mid-renovation - what stage is that at now, Ralf ?