It’s been a long while in the making, but what started as an idea amongst a half a dozen like minded people in 2017 with a desire to celebrate and educate about the wide and varied aviation and aerospace history and heritage of the Isle of Wight, the Wight Aviation Museum, is now ready for its Grand Opening on Saturday 9th April and Sunday 10th April 2022.
Over the last five years, an empty hangar has been transformed, through the efforts of a dedicated team of volunteers, into a viable and interesting museum!
Hear the stories of real people
Not only will there be displays of aviation and heritage artefacts in the museum, but also importantly we will be telling the stories of real people.
Including as Robert Lorraine, who was a famous actor and aviator, reputedly, the first person to land an aircraft on the Isle of Wight.
Also Mary Ellis, the well known Second World War pilot flying Spitfires and many other types of aircraft with the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) and who became Commandant Manager of Sandown Airport for many years.
A wide range of display
The displays at the museum include: The Early Years of Wight Aviation and The Princess Flying Boat (considered to be the largest flying boat ever built, and built by the Island’s famous aviation designers and builders Saunders Roe in Cowes).
As well as The Anatomy of a Spitfire, looking at the design and construction of Britain’s most iconic WW2 fighter plane, including a fuselage frame from a 1940s plane alongside the matching half of frame 11 constructed for us by Airframe Assemblies who are based at Sandown Airport.
There is a large scale model of a Spitfire, to be seen fittingly above the Mary Ellis display, along with an even larger scale model of a P51 Mustang aircraft, similar to the flight of Mustangs shot down over Puckpool in February 1945, suspended above the Crash Sites of WW2 display.
Virtual flights
The museum also offers the opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in a virtual flight around the Island!
One of our larger displays is the fuselage of a Scottish Aviation Beagle Bulldog, which has been creatively converted into a very realistic virtual reality flight simulator which, using the aircraft’s control column, rudder pedals and throttle, allows the visitors the thrill of a virtual flight around the Island.
Black Arrow R3 Rocket
Outside, in the Rocket Garden is the museum’s largest exhibit, a full size replica of the Black Arrow R3 Rocket, which was designed, built and tested at Highdown (near the Needles) on the Isle of Wight.
It successfully launched the Prospero satellite into a low earth orbit in October 1971 from Woomera, Australia.
A full size replica of the Prospero satellite can be seen in the Black Arrow Rocket and Space display in the museum.
Where and when
At our Grand Opening on 9th and 10th April, the museum will be open to visitors from 11am and entrance will be by donation, with an expected donation of £4 per person.
For more information visit our Website.
You can find us at Wight Aviation Museum, Sandown Airport, Scotchells Brook Lane, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 OJP
News shared by Brian on behalf of Wight Aviation Museum. Ed
