FAST Museum at Farnborough

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Farnborough sits at the centre of the history of aviation in the UK. From the first powered flight in the country, through the development of key aircraft in the First World War, through the research into aviation that took place in what was originally called the Royal Aircraft Establishment and then evolved through various names. (Oh yes, it also has a large trade airshow every two years.) Eventually the establishment was closed down as facilities got consolidated.

While there had been a museum on site, that collection got redistributed. However, a bunch of volunteers came together to create the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST). This museum is on one edge of what was once the airfield campus. They have many exhibits that document the varied work that was undertaken at Farnborough as well as the nearby Pyestock gas turbine research facility. Apparently, they have way more stuff than they can display so things get rotated in and out of the public space.

Some of the specific exhibits are worthy of their own posts so you will see more of this place in the future. I went one damp Saturday to take a look around. This was not optimal for the planes outside because the light was not great and most of the airframes had covers on their canopies. That didn’t stop me, though. There is a two seat Lightning sitting alongside the gate which is always a good start.

Within the museum grounds are some top types. The recent retirement of the Puma made me happy to see their example which was not built by Westland but was actually from Aerospatiale and provided to Westland to use as a pattern before it became a testbed at Farnborough. The raspberry ripple paint looks good on it.

There are a couple of Hunters including one that had been used for research into night flying using low light TV and infra-red sensors. A Gnat is there which is always fine. A Scout and a Lynx are part of the collection and a two seat Harrier T4 was a particular pleasure. There are also cockpits from other type including a Canberra and a Trident. The museum is free to visit although they do welcome voluntary contributions. If you are in the area, it is worth a visit. More to come…

A Surviving Shot Tower

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I had an overnight in Chester as part of a work trip to the region. The hotel I was staying in was just outside the centre of the city and alongside the canal. A short distance away was a shot tower and I figured I had to take a look. Shot towers were used to make shot – who’d have thought? In order to get “perfect” spheres for the shot, the molten metal was pushed through fine mesh at the top of the tower, and the drops of metal would fall. They would form a sphere as they free fell and would also cool as they fell through the air. They would have solidified by the time they reached the bottom, and you would have your shot.

Production techniques evolved over time and towers like this became redundant. Fortunately, this one has not been demolished and now it looks over the new apartment developments along the canal. The inside is illuminated and, while there is a window looking in, there is not much to be seen. I hope it is well looked after and will remain for many years to come.

I Guess It Is Farewell for UPS MD-11s

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The crash of the UPS MD-11 when one of the engines separated at rotation resulted in a grounding of the entire fleet of DC-10s and MD-11s. The process for returning the fleets to service continues as I write this, but I recently heard that UPS has decided that they won’t bother to return their fleet and will accelerate a retirement process that was already being planned.

Since Boeing Field was somewhere I got to spend a lot of time and was a location that got regular visits from UPS MD-11s, I got to see them on a regular basis. I left before they did but now no one there will get to see this beefy jet in UPS colours again. Here are some of the shots I have got of them over the years. I do hope that other operators will still have a need for their examples and this won’t be the end of the road for this type.

Beaulieu’s Monorail

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We made a return trip to Beaulieu with a few of the family in late January. Unlike our previous visit, the weather was a bit nicer, and it wasn’t raining. This meant we were able to have a trip on the Monorail. When I went to Beaulieu as a kid, the monorail was seen as something new and innovative. It runs around the grounds including going through the middle of the museum – shutter doors open and close at each side of the building to give it access without making the museum exposed to the outside weather permanently.

It is a pretty small vehicle. Getting in and out as an adult requires bending over a long way. Once you are inside, it is fine. There are no windows, so you are exposed if the weather is unfavourable which is why we hadn’t gone on it on our previous visit. The train we went on is called Monty – a reference to the Montague family. There is a second train that was stored on a siding as we came by. It is only a short ride but a pleasant trip around the grounds and gives a different perspective on both the buildings and the content of the museum building itself.

Turning in on the Approach

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I have posted some previous shots looking up the approach at Heathrow as the jets are lined up for landing. The reason I have chosen to post this is that there is a bit more of a dynamic element to it. I like the jet crossing in the background before it turns back in to align with the approach path. The combination of the spaced out planes and the view of the turn in seemed pretty cool to me.

The Kites Hang Out Together

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Late one Sunday afternoon, I was walking across Chilbolton Cow Common. I had been out looking for something a little rare in the area without success. As I headed back towards Chilbolton itself, I saw a red kite circling above a tree. The tree was full of birds, and I wondered whether the kite was hassling some of the other birds. However, I was quite wrong. The tree was actually full of kites. Red kites are very common in our area, and you can see them circling in close proximity to each other. I didn’t realise that they would like to roost in a tree together though. I guess they are pretty sociable birds!

Flow Viz on a Hornet

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A long time ago (but not in a galaxy far, far away), I had a visit to the naval air station at Fallon. The weather was not ideal for the visit, and we had a bit of a disappointing result when it came to flying jets. I did spend some time on the ramp, though. A Super Hornet was marked up in squadron colours, and this was what initially caught my attention. However, as I looked at the jet more closely, I was fascinated by the dirt streaks emanating from the fasteners on the rear fuselage panels. These marks clearly showed the path the flow takes across this part of the airframe.

Stratford Upon Avon

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We have a work location not far from Stratford and I have had a couple of times when I stayed the night in the town. Stratford is a very picturesque location, and the Shakespeare connection makes it a very popular tourist destination. This can make hotels a bit pricy! One of the stays was in the summer so it didn’t get dark until late. That allowed me plenty of time to wander along the river on one side and then back up the other.

The river itself is a nice place to be and then the town centre has a selection of buildings that go back to Tudor times. These have taken on all sorts of shapes as they have settled over the years. One was a nice pub that I stopped in for something to eat. The plan is to return for a personal visit at some point so I can have a more leisurely time to check the place out and Nancy can see it again. She was last there in the late 90s!

BEA Gets a Reprieve

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The British European Airways liveried Airbus that British Airways has been operating for a number of years was due to be disposed of. As new jets come into the fleet, the older jets are headed for parting out. However, the delivery rate from Airbus has apparently not been enough to meet the requirements of BA and they are having to send some older jets for major checks when they become due rather than park them. This will give them an extended life until the new jets can make it. This one was scheduled to go but has now been sent for a check. What I don’t know is whether it is due a repaint or not so we might or might not get to see it again.

I Thought You Were a Dog and You Didn’t Know I Was There!

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I was walking along the River Crane looking to see if I could get a shot of the kingfisher I had seen briefly zipping by. I wasn’t having much luck, and I suspect my presence was enough to send the kingfisher elsewhere. As I looked up the river, I saw something running towards me. Plenty of people walk through the area and I assumed that someone was walking their dog and that it had run ahead. It was bounding towards me and, only as it got closer, it realised I was there. It was as surprised as I was because, at that point, I realised it wasn’t a dog. It was a muntjac. It bolted around me and across the bridge over the river. I barely got a sharp shot of it given that it was moving fast and I hadn’t been ready to take a shot. I wonder which of us was more surprised.