RAF Museum, Hendon

A day out to the RAF Museum at Hendon.  Well worth a trip and one for me with so many family connections.

The main blip is a P51 Mustang with a Flying Fortress in the background. They were based at RAF Duxford when my Mum was stationed there in the Ops Room.   In the foreground is a sculpture in memory of the POWs who were forced to march from their camps.

Following that is a Grasshopper glider.  We had one at School for the cadet force.  You had two groups of people holding an elasticated rope in a V attached to the front of the glider, which they pulled taut while you were seated in the glider which was attached to a spike in the ground.  Then you shouted "Run!" They started to run and you then released the cord attached to the spike.  You could get up to about 50ft!  On one occasion the cadet piloting it made rather a sticky landing on the cricket pitch.  Not popular.

The next blip is a Chipmunk in which I had air experience flying as a cadet and my Father used during his last five years in the RAF to fly from RAF base to RAF base.

The next yellow plane is a Harvard - an advanced trainer of the type that my Father flew in Southern Rhodesia during his advanced flying training.  Having shipped him all the way out there, they then shipped him back because of the loss of pilots during the Battle of Britain.  He did say that flying over the countryside out there was wonderful

The next is a Spitfire - the aeroplane that he flew for most of the War.

Finally a couple of jets

A great day out and easily accessible with great staff and good catering.