Just a short drive south from us is the RAF Museum Midlands which is a visit I like to make occasionally to look at new acquisitions. Today I wanted to see the Hawker Hind trainer.
This was the RAF light bomber which entered service in 1929. It was mainly powered by a Rolls Royce kestrel engine with a rams horn exhaust manifold. It was also produced as an army co-operation aircraft as the Hawker Audax and had a tropical kit adaptation for use in India. This example is a Hart trainer, which was stripped of military equipment and fitted with a reduced sweep upper wing to improve its flight characteristics.
This type was also produced for South Africa as the Hawker Hartebeest, and Boulton and Paul manufactured the aircraft as a single seat fighter, The Hawker Demon.
The Hart can be seen behind this Hawker Hurricane, the Hurricane was the mainstay fighter aircraft in the Battle of Britain.
The Boulton and Paul Defiant was a very effective night fighter. The engine panels have been put back onto this aircraft since I last saw it.
In the top league of effective warplanes is the first operational vertical take off jet, the Hawker Harrier. This is a GR3 made in 1982 and decommissioned in 1991.
Inside the Cold War hanger are some significant aircraft of the period, The Avro York in the foreground may well have been one of the aircraft that my father worked on. The 3 RAF V-Bombers (Valiant, Vulcan and Victor) are also represented in this hangar.
The cold War hangar is a custom designed special building for the exhibits on display and it can be seen as an aviation landmark for miles around, reflecting the sunlight.
On our visit there was a military shooting event, as can be seen in front of the hangar - Cameras this time.
The PBN Catalina has been stripped back for maintenance. The fabric removed from the trailing edges of the wing reveals the metal structure.
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