22/02/2021 – Update from NASAM …
NASAM Still Closed
Due to the Coronavirus and the National Lockdown which is in force, the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum will continue to be closed for the foreseeable future.
We continue to maintain the site on a care and maintenance basis with minimal volunteers and only the security presence and maintenance checks taking place. Volunteers continue to work from home where they can on projects, and normal work will only resume when the situation eases.
The Committee is keeping a close watch on the situation, meeting virtually and instructing the volunteers only to carry out essential maintenance on the site.
To stay up-to-date, we suggest that readers keep an eye on the blog and our Social Media sites. Links to the sites can be found at the foot of this blog. Alternatively, you can have me mail you whenever a new blog is published. To be notified, please complete the form @ Sign Up for Blog Notifications
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In This Edition of the NASAM Online Flier
The museum continues in lockdown as the rest of the country. Volunteers continue the scanning of photos for the archives. As in the last edition, a few have been included in the Gallery Section in case anyone has any information. We will continue to publish the blog from time to time with information updates. As we continue to incur costs on utilities, insurance, and maintenance, we do appreciate the help given so far by people making small donations to the museum through the charities donation website, and also a few people who have joined the museum as distant members to make that small contribution. If, like others, you feel you are in a position to help us in this regard, details are at the foot of the blog on how you can do this.
Would You Like To Help
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Chairmans Update
Lockdown Project II
In addition to the Photo Scanning project mentioned below, another project that has been underway for a while is the creation of a dedicated Luftwaffe WWII display of models. The cabinet has been built, but then work stopped due to the lockdown. One aspect of work that has been able to continue though, is the restoration of several models destined for the new display.
A new member, Malcolm, has taken several boxes of models home to undertake this work and lockdown plus poor weather is providing the ideal opportunity. Malcolm has photographed some of his work (below) and reported the following:
- Model Rebuild #1 and #2 – Pre and Post restoration of 1956 vintage Airfix Bf109 and 1959 vintage Frog Fw190A. Both have severe shape issues but considering both mouldings are over 60 years old they were probably good for their time.
- Model Rebuild #3 – One of the 2nd batch of trays received for restorations. You have : Ju188, He100, Bf109, JU88, Ta152, JU88, Do217J & Ar234. Of these, one of the Ju88’s was used as a spares source for the rebuild of the second. The Do217J is in ‘storage’ pending finding undercarriage parts, too good to scrap yet; the rest have all been rebuilt/repainted/new decals as required and ready to return.
- Model Rebuild #4 and #5 – Pre and Post restoration of Frog Do17Z
- Model Rebuild #6 – Matchbox Ju-188 fully built
- Model Rebuild #7 – Pioneer 2 Ta-154 in progress, presently in ‘paint shop’
Malcolm also said that “it looks as though I will have 7 or 8 trays of models to return by the time I can get back to Flixton”.
(ED – In the gallery below are a couple of photos showing the boxes of models and shelves of them in the store. All are in need of restoration and cataloguing.)
The office
As regular readers of this blog will know, we have been working on the office for a few months now. Once again, it has been interrupted by lockdown, but the committee volunteers going in to check are making some progress on reorganising the space.
A desk was donated to the museum by a volunteer, and this has been installed along with a computer donated by another, plus a printer and scanner purchased with assistance from the National Lottery. These items will enable us to copy, scan and print in colour items up to A3. Photos of the office below.
Steve Bell
A Winters Flight
On the 11th Feb, during the time when we had a reasonable amount of snow still left on the museum site, Dunnock Aerial Photography asked if they could carry out a short flight over the museum and use this on their YouTube page. Access was granted, and the results of the flight are shown on their YouTube channel.
The Dunnock Aerial Photography YouTube Channel can be found @ Dunnock Aerial Photography
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Ejector Seat Display Refurbishment
For some time now, it has been the thought that the ejector seat display needs some tidying up. Some of the seats need significant refurbishment as they are very tired looking (needing possible repainting), dirty and incomplete, plus removal to storage of duplicate ones, or passing on to other museums where possible.
With the current restrictions owing to Covid, this will not be possible for a number of reasons, including needing two or three people at least to lift or move the seats, meaning they will break the 2-metre rule for social distancing!
Mal did a great job a year or so back of repainting the TSR2 ejector seats, but as you can see, they are somewhat lacking in parts, especially when you see what it should look like!! As the museum, to my knowledge, is the only place apart from Martin Baker themselves, to have a TSR2 seat, let alone two, it would be great to have these completed a bit more!
So when it will be possible, it would be great if we could have a small team willing to consider undertaking this (mammoth!) task. Things that would need to be on the list include:
- Installation of a monitor showing a rolling presentation (courtesy of Martin Baker) of the development of ejector seats;
- Better lighting in the area to light up the display;
- Moving all the seats so that the items behind them can be accessed and moved;
- We could then consider a backing to the display rather than the hanger roof);
- Paint and stabilise the plinth they all currently rest on;
- Construct a better way of making sure the seats are stable when remounted – rather than garden wire attached to the roof girders;
- Renovating the seats; sourcing missing/replacement parts (the museum will pay for these);
- Maybe have a seat so mounted that visitors can physically sit in one, without fear of it tipping over!
Just a few ideas of things that immediately come to mind! If you have any others, but more importantly, if you wish to be involved, then please contact Ian Dunlop via the museum email to register your interest!
Thank you in anticipation – once we are allowed!!
Ian Dunlop
(ED… This article first appeared in the recent winter edition of the “Flixton Flier”, the newsletter for the members of the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum. A few photographs of the display and TSR2 seat are in the gallery below.)
Photo Scanning
The scanning of photos for the archives continues at pace with three people working on this task diligently and sending me a few of the photos for inclusion in the blog. This edition sees:
- A few more pictures in the gallery are from Duxford in 1985. All the photographs came from the same person, a “B Ward.” There are about 25 albums of 80 pics each from this person, all from air displays or museums. These pictures at Duxford must have been taken before the American hanger was built.
- There are also in the gallery some black and white photos from Album No3 being scanned by another volunteer
- Pictures 023-024 are B29s
- Picture 030 is a Curtis XP87
- Picture 036 is a Blackburn Beverly
- Picture 038 is a Bolton & Paul Baliol Mk2 Farnborough 1950
- Picture 051 Gloster Javelin
- Picture 052 DH Venom F1 Farnborough 1950
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Word Search Puzzle Answers
The answers to the last editions word search puzzle are below.
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Coming In The Next Edition
There will be a reminder for members to renew their membership, and links to be able to do this either online, by post, and also over the phone once we reopen.
Hopefully, a few more photos from the Volunteers scanning in for the archives.
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Would You Like To Help
The museum continues to incur expenses for insurance, maintenance and some essential running costs, and I make no apologies for keeping this section in the blog. Normally being funded mostly by donations, in these restricted times, we have been forced to rely on some grants from local and national authorities to help us meet some, but not all, of those costs.
If you feel able to help the museum, there are several ways you can do this. Help by becoming a Museum Member, also by Volunteering to help at the museum, or by donating to assist in our running costs. To become a Museum Member or to Volunteer Member, please click on the appropriate button below to see the details on our main website.
To donate, please click the donate button below to be taken to our donations page.
For all other details on the museum, please go to our main web page by clicking on the picture below. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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