Sywell Aviation Museum
74 years at Sywell! Our resident Miles Messenger G-AKIN has been based at the Aerodrome constantly since 1952.
We think, after Richard Shuttleworth’s DH60 Moth G-EBWD which has been based at Old Warden since 1932, she has the record for second longest continuous resident in the U.K.
Happy anniversary India November ❤️
Sywell Aviation Museum
Auction alert! Coming soon!
Thanks to our friends at Models For Sale the Museum will soon be offering another rare model kit for sale by auction on our Facebook page to help raise funds for the Museum.
This year it will be the amazing Hasegawa 1/8 Sopwith Camel kit from their Museum Series. An incredible multimedia kit the model builds up to have over a metre wingspan!
To be able to bid please ‘follow’ this page and look out for the auction post coming soon.
Www.modelsforsale.com
Sywell Aviation Museum
Huge thanks to all those who attended the Sywell Aviation Museum Silver Jubilee Grand Opening today… 25 years! Where has that gone!?
Special thanks to the amazing May Blossom, DJ Kelv for keeping the tunes coming, The Bods, Lilham Aviation and the Suffolk Spitfire teams, Tony and Pam with the cockpits… all traders, exhibitors, vehicle owners, re-enactors and friends for making it happen. Remember it was all free and people very kindly gave up their time (and paid some hefty fuel bills) to support us…..what a huge variety of kit from a cool Foden DROPS which was huge to - for the first time ever- a simply wonderful Steam Lorry! Ahh the smell… thanks so much to you all….
Also to our volunteers who worked so hard leading up to the event and during it- we have a great team !
Above all thanks to you the visitors- we are now open for 2026 each weekend and bank holiday between 1030-1630hrs until the end of September.
We hope you had a good time!
Have a very Happy Easter 🐣
Sywell Aviation Museum
All systems go for the Grand Opening! These two lovely ladies are joining us from our friends at Lilham Aviation and the Suffolk Spitfire!❤️
Sywell Aviation Museum
THE RIGHT CROWD AND NO CROWDING* – THE DE HAVILLAND DH.77 DOWNTON
This recently donated photograph shows the unique de Havilland DH.77 Downton at Sywell Aerodrome around 1932.
Alarmed at the prospect of having to share the new fangled sport of flying with working classes, our betters conceded that the hoy polloi simply wouldn’t go away so Stag Lane devised this contraption. This gave the masses an idea of how an aeroplane worked without a pilot having to converse with and/or smell the chattering classes.
When a chap has pink gins to drink and crumpet to chase, answering the queries of urchins eg - ‘gor blimey guv, t’aint perishing natural doing flying and such like, I’m sure’ etc is pretty tiresome.
Also it costs money to fly, and money to buy soap. The aeronauts were of the opinion that the working classes were unlikely to be able to afford both.
Consequently, if you weren’t the right sort (or a lady) – you weren’t allowed in the Club House, especially if you dropped your ‘h’s and had dinner instead of lunch, got confused by the order of cutlery and didn’t remove your cap and look downwards if being spoken to by someone your senior.
By repute a limited production run of the Downton is to commence later in the year.
Pilots, looking down on people since 1903.
(*the genuine slogan of the Brooklands Racing Circuit at where this photo was really taken in May 1931)
Sywell Aviation Museum
Modern technology meets mid-century engineering!
Regular followers will know that two years ago we received a replica DH Rapide cockpit from Mike Davey who built it for display outside the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Speke Airport. When it was removed he saved the cockpit and later kindly donated it to us.
Museum Trustee Roger Batten then restored it into the colours of G-AJHO, the Rapide operated by Brooklands Aviation at Sywell. Markings were supplied by our pals at Sprint Graphics .
This time last year our good friends at the Airworld Museum at Caernarfon generously donated an original Rapide instrument panel, yoke and pedals (the latter restored by honorary member Nick Arnold) . The former has been under restoration by Trustee Damien Burke who has 3D printed new dials and switches (and added original ones) to complete the panel. We will examine fitting it into the cockpit (hence it being ‘flat’ at the rear and not using original instruments due to the way the replica cockpit is built) failing which it will be displayed adjacent to it.
We are so lucky to have volunteers with such skills!
Sywell Aviation Museum
Busy busy busy! With the Museum opening next weekend it’s all hands to the pump!
The JetSteam are back at work finishing off preparation and corrosion control on our Handley Page Jetstream ‘Jenny’ G-RAVL ready for her full repaint this year. Meantimes our Hawker Hunter ‘Heidi’ WN904 has been uncovered and her intake blanks added. She will have her undersides repainted this year too.
Our Anderson Shelter now has a new back wall made from a series of sheets (note the makers stamps) and will have a projection screen as well as two new bunk beds.
The new Tiger Moth aileron showing the stages of ‘doping’ has now been hung up and looks great!
Outside the two props either side of the entrance are being replaced by flagpoles. The frontage has been scraped with a mini digger to get rid of growth and to level the surface.
Finally lights have been added into our DH Rapide cockpit ‘G-AJHO’ for our younger visitors.
Well done to all our volunteers for their hard work🙂
Sywell Aviation Museum
Huge thanks to all those who attended today’s Brass Monkey Book and Model Sale and to the traders who braved a foggy and cold start to support us!
Special thanks though to those who kindly donated items to us to help raise funds- we don’t charge an entry fee but rely on donations to survive- this means a huge amount to us, thank you!
Honorary mention to local legend Joe Doherty who attended the sale in his Wartime road-roller!
Also special shout out to Vince at Models for Sale for donating a very rare 1/8 Hasegawa Sopwith Camel which we will auction on this page soon- don’t tell him but he really is a top bloke!
Thank you all and see you at Easter!
Sywell Aviation Museum is with ID Card Centre Ltd.
Huge thanks as ever to our friends at The ID Card Centre, Northampton for the smart new badges they have recently sent us🙂
Long term supporters of the Museum they are ideal for all your identification, access control, ID cards, lanyards needs- thanks again folks! 🫡
www.idcardcentre.co.uk
Sywell Aviation Museum
A SPRING ROBIN AT SYWELL
Centre-Est Aéronautique was formed by Pierre Robin and Jean Délémontez, the principal designer of Jodel aircraft, in October 1957. It began manufacturing aircraft at Darois, near Dijon, France.
Their first aircraft was was based on the D10, a four-seater designed by Édouard Joly and Délémontez at Jodel, that was shelved when work on the Jodel D11 became more urgent. In collaboration with Robin it became the 'Jodel Robin'. It later became the DR100 model (Jodel's models all had D followed by a number). Robin and Délémontez continued to upgrade the design between 1957 and 1972.
The DR100 range was succeeded by the DR200 range. Production continued in November 1970 under the name Avions Pierre Robin.
The Robin HR200 had a different designer, Chris Heintz, and is of metal construction unlike the wooden DR series. It is a light aerobatic aircraft aimed at flight training. The Robin R2000 series was developed from the HR200 and is produced as the Alpha 2000 by Alpha Aviation in Hamilton, New Zealand, since 2004.
Avions Pierre Robin was acquired by Apex Aircraft of France in 1988. Aircraft continued to be manufactured at Darois under the names Avions Robin and Robin Aviation.
Apex Aircraft went into liquidation in 2008. CEAPR, based in the same premises at Darois and responsible for making the components for Apex Aircraft acquired the type certificates and aircraft manufacturing resumed in May 2011 under the name Robin Aircraft. It now produces the DR401 aircraft and CAP 10C NG, an updated version of the Mudry CAP 10. The first aircraft was delivered in 2021.
Pierre Robin HR200/100 G-BCCP (S/No 35) was one of several sold new to Brooklands Aviation in April 1974 before being transferred to Northamptonshire School of Flying Ltd on 24th July 1978. She is seen here under NSF ownership around 1979-1981 at Sywell Aerodrome.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) on 9th April 1989 when she ran off the runway whilst attempting to abort its take off run from Sywell. The AAIB report reads
"The aircraft was lined up for take off on Runway 21 at Sywell; the surface wind was at 160 degrees at 8 knots. The student pilot applied full power, but within approximately 100 metres from the start of the take off, roll the aircraft was heading left of the runway centreline, As the speed increased, the student pilot failed to correct the deviation to the left, and he decided to abandon the takeoff.
The aircraft departed the left side of the runway, where the nose wheel dug into the ploughed earth adjacent to the runway, causing the aircraft to somersault and come to rest inverted. The pilot, who was wearing a full harness, sustained only minor injuries, and as able to escape through the side of the broken canopy."
Photo courtesy Ian Pursey.