DUXFORD
AIR MUSEUM - IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
Flying Shows and Aircraft Displays in Cambridgeshire
The
air museum at Duxford is England’s largest display of aircraft,
one of the five branches of the British Imperial War Museum and most
popular for its air shows which take place on several weekends - the
spring air show in May, Flying Legends in July, the Duxford Air Show,
the largest over the first weekend of September and the Autumn Air Show,
the last in the flying season in October, and single day events, Spitfire
Day and American Day in August.
The airfield
at Duxford south of Cambridge, began as a World War I flight
training center. In the years leading to WWII, Duxford expanded into
a fighter squadron base and flight school.
Legendary British war ace Douglas Bader, who had lost his legs
in an earlier crash, was based at Duxford, leading his 12 Group “Big
Wing” in the Battle of Britain before being transferred to Tangmere in Sussex (see Tangmere Air Museum Battle of Britain). Bader was later shot down over
Germany and housed at several prisoner of war camps. The
German’s had such respect for Bader flying prowess, they allowed
the RAF to airdrop him an artificial leg after one of his was destroyed
when he was captured. They later took his leg prosthetics away again
so he couldn’t escape.
The RAF field at Duxford was used in the
filming of the 1960’s film version of “The
Battle of Britain”.
The movie production blew up hangers and some aircraft for the making
of the film, bits of history the Duxford Air Museum wishes where still
around. Later in the war, the airfield was handed over to American 8th
Air Force, and the 78th Fighter Group flying P47 Thunderbolts and P-51
Mustangs in air support of daylight bombing over Germany. In the 50’s
Duxford was determined to be too far inland to be an effective defense
base in the supersonic jet era and the operational RAF flight departed
Duxford’s runway in 1961.
The
Imperial War Air Museum at Duxford consists of a wide array of aircraft mostly in static display,
with most of the permanent
exhibits indoors, located in seven separate hangers, a few
of them in the historic war era section of the field and some larger
ones specially built for the museum. The AirSpace Hanger is a giant space housing a general
collection following the history of aviation from the earliest days to
the future, British and Commonwealth commercial and war aircraft, great
flying monsters like the 
mighty
Vulcan delta wing atomic age British bomber featured in the James Bond
"Thunderball" film, and the supersonic passenger Concorde you can walk
through. Hanger 4 houses the “Battle of Britain” exhibit
with the base’s
history as a Royal Air Force Defense station. Along with the British
Spitfires and Hurricanes, here you’ll find the actual BF109 Messerschmitt
German Fighter which crash landed in a Sussex farm field intact except
for his bent propellers, famously photographed and later toured around
Britain as war bond display.
At the far end of the field, the
American Air Museum, newly
built to house the collection of aircraft flown in WWII and later, including
an SR 71 Blackbird spy plane as well as a still
flight worthy restored B24 Liberator. There is also a land warfare hall
with tanks, artillery and land fighting vehicles, including the Normandy
Experience invasion display and the Royal Anglian and Cambridgeshire
Regimental Museums. Other hangers display aircraft being restored and
prepared for flying.
Visiting IWM Duxford Air Museum
During
regular open days on weekends when special events are not being held,
period aircraft
will fly over the field throughout the day, though
they curious always seem to fly while you’re in the middle of an
exhibit. Tank warfare demonstrations are occasional given by the land
warfare exhibit. Free guided tours are given on the weekends. The museum
displays are open daily – 10-6 in summer hours, March to October
and 10-4 during winter hours November to March. Admission is £16
for adults - £12.80 for Seniors and Students, children under 15
are free. A bargain if you have kids, a bit pricey if you don’t,
but parking is free.
Duxford
is an operating airport with private aviation aircraft able to land
for
fly-ins. Pleasure
Flights in historic aircraft are offered
from Duxford by Classic Wings on the weekends and during the week in
summer months. The Imperial War Museum at Duxford in located just next
to the M11 motorway on the A505 about 15 minutes from Stansted Airport.
There are three cafés on the airfield, and a shuttle tram to save
the long walk from one end of the field to the other. The souvenir
shop in the entrance building offers a wide selection of aviation models
and mementos. © Bargain
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IWM Duxford
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See Also:
IMPERIAL
WAR MUSEUM NORTH
CHURCHILL MUSEUM AND CABINET WAR ROOMS
HMS BELFAST LONDON WAR SHIP MUSEUM
MANCHESTER
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY
HACK
GREEN SECRET NUCLEAR BUNKER
