Time for another SAM Sidequest!

Today we visited the superb Langham Dome Museum in North Norfolk- a great place to visit-you can even shoot down a Heinkel!

The Dome Trainer is of particular interest to us as Sywell Aerodrome had one (though sadly no evidence remains today) and we were pleased to see we were on Langham’s list!

For more info on the Sywell dome see below and don’t forget to pop in to see our friends at Langham! 🙂

www.facebook.com/100064697383180/posts/1165509962282239/?app=fbl

Time for the latest JetsTeam report!

Compared to the work this week by our friends at Aerospace Bristol with their Bristol Freighter and Solway Aviation Museum and their Blackburn Beverley, our little Jetstream seems small beer!

That said, the top of Jenny's fin is still nearly 20 feet off the ground and as such we needed a little help to reach her uppermost extremities as her repaint continues….

Huge thanks then to Mark Beckett and the good folk at Nationwide Platforms for their very kind loan of a cherry picker🫡👍

This has made things a whole lot easier and safer and the results speak for themselves….Thanks very much folks! If you're in the market for some powered access solutions please support Nationwide Platforms as they have us and give them a bell! 🙂

www.nationwideplatforms.co.uk

Photos courtesy CSP Colbert and Andy Shemans

Can we help this mystery WAAF return home?

Regular visitors will know that at the museum we have a small second hand book shop populated by donated books which we sell to help raise funds to keep the Museum going.

Recently a lady returned to the Museum and brought in this photograph which she found inside one of the books she bought from us. It is dated 27th February 1943 but that is all the information we have.

Someone obviously tucked it inside a book for safe keeping and then forgot about it… do you recognise the lady in the photo? It would be lovely if we could return the photo to her family.

Many thanks SAM🙂

*****update! Her family has now been found*****🙂

Team Jetstream Appeal - please can you help?

Hi all the team are looking for the following screws and fuses to continue our work restoring our 1969 Handley Page Jetstream G-RAVL- if you can help please let us know …we are looking for…

2BA -120 degree countersunk screws- steel or stainless 1/2” or 5/8” (ie not less than 20mm) with a shank not more than 5mm - we need LOTS🙂

Fuses

1 amp = Belling Lee 059-0109 L69. Dimensions = 6mm x 32mm

5 amp = Belling Lee 059-0112 L693 Dimensions = 6mm x 32mm

15 amp = Brush 059-0147
Dimensions = 11mm x 32mm

Many thanks😊

Another week another JetsTeam update! The boys have been hard at it for 3 days this week starting at 0700 to avoid the heat and dust.

The rearmost section of her starboard side (aka her bum) has been flatted reprimed and painted in white and the port fuselage too so the white is about 80% done with the upper fin and rudder still to do. The tailplanes and elevators were primed and painted on the ground before being fitted but as we are hiring a cherry picker from our friends at Nationwide Platforms
(www.nationwideplatforms.co.uk) we will rub them back and give them another coat of white as well, harmonising everything nicely.

With the white nearly done it will be time to turn to the dark blue wings and undersurfaces which Chief Sander and Painter Colbert says should be much more straightforward than the white!

Speaking of dust, the driver of the HGV which gave it the beans across the car park raising a dust storm whilst we were painting should be extremely grateful we don’t have an RPG capability. Thanks for that mate 🤦‍♂️

Huge well done to the JetsTeam!

Pics courtesy CSP Colbert and Dave Parker

Well it’s about time we had an update from the JetsTeam on the restoration of Jenny the Jetstream!

The lads have been starting very early this week to avoid the heat- spraying outside is never easy but the guys under the command of Boss Man Rob have been doing amazingly well. A rub down of the first primer coat, a reprime then rub down and tac rag before some glossy white was added to her fuselage.

One moth was determined to make its mark however but should be easy to find being now, gloss white.

In fact we ran Rob’s single syllable exhortations through Google translate (he was difficult to understand through his face mask) and loosely speaking he commented:

‘oh bother, little chap. I’m going to write your family a very strongly worded letter due to your shenanigans which have been rather problematic and have caused me to become somewhat vexed’🤬

Or something like that. 🤔

Don’t forget to give them a wave. Also we have been asked to point out they like ice cream. A LOT. So if you’re feeling generous… 🙂

Photos courtesy CSP Colbert

MUSEUM CLOSED TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE

Please note due to the high temperatures we will not be open tomorrow.

The Museum is a series of semicircular metal buildings with no air conditioning and whilst we briefly considered rebranding as the ‘see what it’s like to be inside a Rolls-Royce Avon engine in full reheat experience’* we have decided in the interests of staff and visitor safety not to open. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. 🌞

*not ruled this out for the future though.

The Museum repaint is now complete and we think the building looks really smart especially with the new flag poles! The JetsTeam have got the first section of white paint on the tricky top part of the Jetstream with more work ongoing next week.

Also someone left a Dakota near the Museum, no one was about so we’ve nicked it 😈

Have a great weekend and don’t forget we’re open 1030/1630hrs Saturdays and Sundays and 1200-1600 Tuesdays and Wednesdays 🙂🫡

Hi folks - just a reminder that from today the Museum is open on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons between 1200-1600hrs (in addition to our weekend and bank holiday opening hours of 1030-1630hrs) until the end of September - hope to see you soon!