Season Opening and Visit by High Sheriff:
Following many months of hard work by the Wight Aviation Museum team of volunteers the museum re-opened to the public on Saturday the 16th March 2024.
To help celebrate our opening weekend we were delighted to be able to give a guided tour to the Isle of Wight High Sheriff, Mrs Dawn K Haig-Thomas.
She and her husband Alex were extremely impressed with all that the Wight Aviation Museum has to offer, celebrating the Island’s extra-ordinary history in aviation which spans from building the earliest of aircraft in the 1910s, through to giant Sea Planes, Fighter Jet Aircraft and Space rockets.
WAM’s youngest volunteer James explains the Early Years exhibition.
Extraordinary Island people
Dawn also learned about extraordinary Island people such as the late Mary Ellis ATA who flew multiple fighter aircraft from the factories to the RAF airfields during WW2.
As well as learning about the long and varied history of aviation on the Isle of Wight Dawn also got a chance to take controls of our Beadle Bull Dog aircraft using the very latest in VR technology for a “virtual flight” around the Island.
Wight Aviation Museum honours aviation pioneers with historic photograph presentation:
A picture of Pauline Gower and Dorothy Spicer with their Spartan Aircraft called “Helen of Troy” was presented to Gavin Stride, Director of Creative Island, by Helen Blake, Chairperson of the Wight Aviation Museum.
In April a picture of Pauline Gower and Dorothy Spicer with their Spartan Aircraft called “Helen of Troy” was presented to Gavin Stride, Director of Creative Island, by Helen Blake, Chairperson of Wight Aviation Museum (WAM).
Gavin was on a fact-finding tour of the Museum. Creative Island is one of the new Arts Council National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) on the Island, with the aim to encourage shared ambition, nurture talent, support creative education and develop a cultural strategy for the Isle of Wight.
Built at Somerton works near Cowes:
The presentation at the Museum on Tuesday shows a picture of Gower and Spicer’s aircraft, which was built at Somerton works near Cowes, and was used by them for their Air Tours business and touring the country to encourage support for aviation. It was one of three Spartan aircraft owned by the couple.
Trained in aeronautical engineering when forbidden for women
Through the support and encouragement of the Spartan Aircraft Company’s management Dorothy was encouraged to train in aeronautical engineering at a time when this was forbidden for women.
Pauline used her social and political connections to get women into flying aircraft to help the war effort by establishing the women’s branch of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA).
We are currently raising funds to return the last 3-seater Type II Spartan home to the Island where it was built in 1932. You can support this project by clicking on the link below to donate to our fundraiser on “Just Giving”.
Quiz Fundraiser:
A quiz night held by the Wight Aviation Museum and organised by volunteer David “Hobbit” Edwards raised £200, with thanks to the Firkin Deck Restaurant at Goddard’s Brewery for hosting the event. Image courtesy of the Isle of Wight Observer.
Museum expands with new hangar building:
In early spring the Wight Aviation Museum leased the hangar adjacent to the main museum, this will enable the museums collection to grow over time as well as offer the opportunity to hold more events and education activities as part of our outreach programme.
The Wight Aviation Museum Schools Hovercraft Project:
In May the Wight Aviation Museum Education Team worked with Year 5 pupils from Oakfield School, in Ryde, to find out how and why hovercraft work, the history of hovercraft on the Isle of Wight and the continued use of them by Hover Travel today.
The first two weeks of the four lessons run by the WAM Education Team were in the school classroom and hall where the Year 5 pupils in Mrs Robinson’s class discovered how hovercraft worked, using balloons and CDs.
The following week the class were very engaged in learning how large radio controlled model hovercraft operated over a range of surfaces in the school hall. Great fun for all.
Lesson on a hovercraft
In the third week the lesson took place on a real hovercraft, very kindly hosted by Hovertravel at Ryde. On a visit to Hovertravel the pupils were given a wonderful guided tour of Hovertravel’s “Island Flyer” by Mike, who explained not only how they worked but allowed the pupils to tour the hovercraft and even sit in the pilot’s seat.
Who knew you had to be very agile as a hover pilot and climb a vertical ladder to reach the “cockpit”.
Pupils learnt how Isle of Wight built hovercrafts have been used across the World.
Outside they explored the museums CC7 Cushioncraft with Mark Porter the CC7 Team Leader. He also demonstrated a much larger radio controlled model of a Channel Hovercraft.
Outside pupils explored the museums CC7 Cushioncraft with Mark Porter the CC7 Team Leader. He also demonstrated a much larger radio controlled model of a Channel Hovercraft.
The Wight Aviation Museum are grateful to Councillor Michael Lilley for the funding for the coach for this trip.
Ann Porter, the WAM Education Team member who organised the lessons and trips for Oakfield, said
“We were extremely pleased Hovertravel were able to host the class for a visit.
“It gave the pupils a real world example of why hovercraft are used in certain areas, and fitted perfectly into our National Curriculum scheme of work about forces.”
For more information, email “WAM Education Team” to wightaviationmuseum@gmail.com or
phone or text to 07949 704052 or visit our website.
STAINLESS GAMES enhance the museum flight simulators:
A pair of flight simulators at Wight Aviation Museum (WAM) have been enhanced with the support of Island-based videogame development studio, Stainless Games.
When WAM needed a high-performance graphics PC to run the latest software on a 3D flight simulation exhibit, Stainless Games provided us with suitable hardware. The exhibit uses a 3D headset, enabling anyone who wants to practice the real-world challenges of flying. It is housed in our genuine Bulldog fuselage, and visitors using it can experience taking off and flying above the Island. Another fully playable exhibit is of Stainless Games’ 2008 title, Red Baron Arcade. The original Red Baron was released in arcade cabinet form by Atari in 1980, and was notable for being the first “first-person” video flight simulator.
Photograph showing the new display donated by Stainless Games Ltd with the company directors Patrick and Neil and WAM volunteer Paul.
A spiritual successor to this pioneering title, Red Baron Arcade was built on Stainless Games’ advanced physics code, resulting in an experience that closely mimics the experience of flying these early planes. “The Red Baron”; was the nickname of German ace-of-aces, Manfred von Richthofen – inspired by the paint schemes on his Albatross and Fokker planes. Between 1916 and his death in April 1918, he had downed 80 planes. His 39th attributed kill was 18-year-old pilot Keith Mackenzie, born in Ryde. Mackenzie’s name is commemorated on Ryde Borough’s War Memorial, and as part of the museum’s “Island People”; display.
The Red Baron is the fourth flight simulator in the museum. WAM’s oldest simulator is a Link Trainer static display. These were sold from 1934 through to the late 1950s. The trainer was a safe way to teach new pilots how to fly by instruments at night and in fog. It predates computers by a long way, and relies on valve technology. Helen Blake, Chairperson, from WAM said:
“We are very fortunate to be supported at WAM by such a prestigious internationally known company who have really made a huge difference to the operation and attraction of our ‘Flight Simulators’”
Stainless were delighted to be involved in supporting this local attraction and Neil Barnden added:
“The Wight Aviation Museum is a brilliant celebration of the Island’s rich aviation heritage. The founders of Stainless and many of our staff are Islanders by birth or marriage and can trace family lineage that has been involved in some way with that aeronautical heritage. Stainless is therefore proud to be able to help the museum in a way that brings our 2 industries together”
Stainless Games were welcomed to the museum and given a tour before being set free to put the Red Baron and other simulators through their paces. Neil also created new head-in- the-hole boards for the museum using graphic AI tools, as seen here.
Men in Sheds Festival:
In June WAM hosted the annual Men in Sheds festival an event kindly sponsored by the Royal British Legion in partnership with Wight Aid & Community in Action Isle of Wight.
Despite the rather inclement weather a large crowd enjoyed the Men in Sheds Festival weekend at Sandown Airport.
The well received event, presented jointly by WAM (Wight Aviation Museum) and Island’s Men in Sheds groups, was sponsored by the Royal British Legion and Wight Aid, with support from Community Action, Isle of Wight.
It was officially opened by Antony Metcalfe, Head of Community Engagement, Royal British Legion and Rob Lloyd, from Men in Sheds.
The festival included a wide variety of stalls, of Arts and Crafts from a number of the Island’s Men in Sheds, which were Bembridge Shed, Nettlestone & Seaview Shed, Sandown Shed, West Wight Shed and of course WAM Men in Hangars. The visitors were entertained with live music from WHIPS Wootton Acoustic Music Shed and Whippingham Music Shed. There was even a small Beer Festival.
Due to the rather wet weather this all took place in WAM’s new Hanger Two, with additional indoor space kindly provided by our neighbours, Ability Dogs 4 Young People.
Helen Blake, chair person of WAM enthused,
“It was a great co-operation between WAM and Men in Sheds. We were very pleased that the Royal British Legion and Wight Aid agreed to sponsor the event.
“A lot of hard work from the WAM Team and all the Men in Sheds groups resulted in a fabulous weekend for nearly a thousand visitors over the the 2 days.”
Bull Nose Car Club at the Wight Aviation Museum:
July saw several busy events at the museum including a visit from 90 members of the “Morris Bullnose Car Club” who travelled from right across the UK to attend.
As well as displaying their vintage cars for all to enjoy the members also enjoyed a sumptuous “Afternoon Tea” provided by the museum volunteers in our 2nd Hangar.
If you would like to hold an event in our 2nd hangar please contact us for details at wightvaitionmuseum@gmail.com or text 07949 70405
1940’s Weekend at WAM:
July also saw the “The 1940’s Weekend” held at Sandown Airfield in partnership with the “Vectis 40’s Vintage” Group. The event was attended by a range of period vehicles and re-enactors helping to transport visitors back to the wartime era and proved to be very popular.
Photographs courtesy of Graham Thompson Jude.
Open Day at the Museum:
After a busy summer season the Wight Aviation Museum held an “Open Day” on Saturday 21st September. The event was officially opened by Councillor Carl Love who represents East Cowes on the Island, an area that was at the heart of the Isle of Wights aviation industry where Saunders Roe were based and is still the home of GKN Aerospace today.
As part of our campaign to return the last 3 seater Spartan aircraft to the Isle of Wight, museum volunteer Paul gave a talk about the history of these amazing Island built aircraft and the lasting legacy they had in progressing women in aviation.
The Open Day also included a fascinating talk on “women and flying” given by guest speaker Sally Smith author of “Magnificent Women and Flying Machines”.
Sally was brought up in the UK but has lived in Tokyo, Cairo, Singapore and Australia and has dual British and Australian citizenship.
Her talk proved extremely popular with attendees and she very kindly donated the profits from her book sales on the day, to the museum.
As a journalist, Sally has worked as a news journalist on the Daily Mail; Sunday Express; the Daily Telegraph and as a sub editor for BBC news in the UK. Awards include Business Writer of the Year and a Winston Churchill Fellowship.
Sally is very experienced skydiver, she formed the world’s first All Girl Parachute Display Team, was a member of the British Parachute Team, was British Style (freefall) Champion
Tony Smart Tribute:
In late Autumn the museum paid tribute to founding member and former trustee Tony Smart who sadly passed away at the age of 87, after a short illness.
Tony was instrumental in project managing the building of the museums replica Black Arrow rocket which now stands as a tribute to him, as well as all those who worked on the rocket program in the 1950’s and 60’s.
The museums full tribute to Tony can be read via the link below.
A tribute to Tony Smart. – Wight Aviation Museum
Museum closes for the Season
2024 has seen a record number of visitors to the museum as we continue to go from strength to strength. We would like to thank all those who have visited WAM through-out the year and have supported us financially through donations and look forward to another busy year in 2025.
The museum is entirely staffed by volunteers, if you live on the Isle of Wight and would like to join the team please get in touch. We are always looking for additional help in a range of areas from greeting visitors in the museum, to helping with administration or creating new displays. For more information please contact us at wightaviationmuseum@gmail.com or Text 07949 704052.