Marc's Public Blog - Flying


All | Aquariums | Arduino | Btrfs | Cars | Cats | Clubbing | Computers | Diving | Dreamstate | Edc | Electronics | Exercising | Festivals | Flying | Halloween | Hbot | Hiking | Linux | Linuxha | Monuments | Museums | Oshkosh | Outings | Public | Rc | Sciencemuseums | Solar | Tfsf | Trips

This is a collection of my blog entries and experiences with flying, and learning to fly. Something I had been wanting to do for quite a while.
You can find all the pictures I've taken here, and read below for my experience.
Specifically, I have a page for my Trips to Oshkosh, the mecca for pilots

>>> Back to post index <<<

2021/09/02 Imperial War Museum in Duxford
π 2021-09-02 01:01 in England2021, Flying, Nflying
Lots of flight museums in the UK, I'm glad I got to see the main ones:
  • London Science Museum's Airplane Section
  • RAF Museum North of London
  • RAF Museum in Cosford (30mn from Birmingham and Stafford)
  • Imperial War Museum in Duxford (this one)
  • Flight Over Cambridge From IWM Duxford (while there, I rented a plane for a short flight)
  • There are multiple Imperial War Museums in the UK, and Duxford is likely the biggest plane museum in the country, 7 hangars and next to an active runway used to demonstrations and flights you can rent/pay for. I was there for opening time (took an uber from cambridge as it's not convenient to go by public transport):

    first impression: it's big
    first impression: it's big

    I had a tour booked to get a private tour of a spitfire and sit in the cockpit. I didn't know that for just 60 times more money, I could have flown in one for 30mn. A bargain :)




    this was the actual aircraft, recovered on the beach in normandy
    this was the actual aircraft, recovered on the beach in normandy


    I then went to sit in it
    I then went to sit in it








    After my tour, I went to visit the hangars:










    auto gyro
    auto gyro









    I went back to hangar #1 to see the concorde that closes earlier:






    They had one of the 6 concorde prototypes in the world. I had seen severals, but prototypes are always special, so it was worth seeing:







    it never had passengers, it was a test airplane for multiple systems including anti-icing and engine management
    it never had passengers, it was a test airplane for multiple systems including anti-icing and engine management

    the seats in the passenger versions, were much smaller
    the seats in the passenger versions, were much smaller


    lots of test equipment
    lots of test equipment

    cockpit was off limits
    cockpit was off limits

    the numbers were references to see how much icing happened
    the numbers were references to see how much icing happened














    harrier engines are awesome
    harrier engines are awesome



    Next, I went to the restoration hangar, lots of planes being worked on:












    Next was a small control room that re-enacted the only real air attack from Germany that was stopped:



    Further down was a very nice hangar filled with US planes. Not as interesting to me since I had seem them all many times in the US, but still worth the walk through:









    Last, but not least, was land warfare, this was a war museum, not just a plane museum:






    And that was it for the visit, I finished just 30mn before closing time.
    Also, while I was there, I got to

  • fly myself to cambridge for some nice pictures
  • and see many other cool planes fly during the day








  • Those planes did inspire me to do my own flight Over Cambridge From IWM Duxford.

    Getting back home was also not easy, no ubers at all, and taxis were a 45mn wait. I got lucky and shared a cab with a woman who had already called a cab herself and was also going to the train station in cambridge.

    See more images for Imperial War Museum in Duxford

    More pages: October 2024 November 2023 October 2023 April 2023 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 May 2021 November 2020 August 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 March 2019 January 2019 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 April 2017 January 2017 December 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 June 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 January 2012 November 2011 August 2011 July 2011 April 2011 March 2011 November 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 May 2010 March 2010 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 March 2009 November 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 December 2007 October 2007 September 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 December 2004 September 2004 August 2004 May 2004 March 1999

    >>> Back to post index <<<

    Contact Email