Newark Air Museum

 On a recent visit to Newark Air Museum, we stopped by to see what had changed in  the last few years. In front of the main hanger is a finely restored Buccaneer jet bomber in Royal Navy trim.

 At the side of the hangar is a lightning F6 Nose section.  This aircraft was with 11 squadron at RAF Binbrook in 1974/5 where I saw it in operational condition. I also flew in the lightning flight simulator which was based on an ICL 1400 mainframe computer with a large projected screen scenery and a mounted Lightning cockpit mock up on hydraulic rams.  A tricky aircraft to fly.

 Also in the hangar is an early flight simulator with its route plotter attached.  No moving scenery with this one.  Instrument flying was the thing here.

 The DHC-1 chipmunk was a Canadian built trainer, used from the 1950s to the late 1970s.  This one is in 1974 colours - not one that I have flown in.

 This picture was taken in 1973 at RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire.  These chipmunks sport an earlier colour scheme with dayglow orange bars on silver grey.  These aircraft I have flown in.

Another interesting aircraft is this Vickers Varsity navigation trainer. It was known as the Pig in the RAF for many reasons......I can remember sitting in the radio ops seat on a short flight in one of there noisy beasts, counting the missing rivets in a bulkhead panel.  The whole aircraft rattled like a money box in flight.  Its landing approach was ridiculously steep when you were unfamiliar with the type, making it a hair raising landing every time.