NASAM Update as of the 11th Mar 2022
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Chairman’s Update
NASAM Chess
The game of chess at NASAM has continued over the last two weeks. The aim is to add to the work completed on the Merlin and ejector seat displays and create a cockpit corner, weapons and engine displays.
Last week the Gnat cockpit was moved from the Ken Wallis Hall to hangar 1 and the Sea Hawk from one side of hangar 1 to the other. The Canberra has been moved around a little.
This week these were moved again to allow access to paint more of the floor. We also moved the Hunter nose to the front of the hangar. The poor Provost keeps being moved back and forth in order to allow other exhibits to be moved around it.
Very little in hangar 1 is in its final display position yet, but we are moving closer to that position. Keep watching for future moves and more information.
The new flight simulator shell has been moved into the Link area from the restoration workshop in order to allow its completion, the ANT-18 shell going in the opposite direction so that it can be kitted out for its new role.
(Photos) NASAM Chess
Angel Fleet
During last week, we had an email from Captain Tristan Loraine BCAi from “Fact Not Fiction Films“, who “wants to make a short not for profit film called ‘Angel Fleet’. The film will be an ambitious homage to all the lost aircrew. Their partner charity is the B-17 Preservation Trust, who fly Sally-B“.
He asks if we could please share details of the short film project with our museum followers and colleagues, so people have the opportunity to help the film if they wish. Some may like a dedication to a crew member they knew.
The ‘Angel Fleet’ film website has a film explaining why he wants to make this film and gives details of how people can support the project. The website is at: https://www.angelfleetfilm.com/
Steve
General Updates
Museum Manager Recruitment
The window of opportunity to apply for the post of Museum Manager at the Museum is still open for another week. This is a full-time salaried post. An initial salary of £25-30k is offered with an opportunity to progress this in line with performance against agreed criteria.
The closing date for applications is by Friday the 18th of March 2022.
A selection process will take place for shortlisted candidates over two days, provisionally set at the 29th and 30th of March 2022. The intention is for the successful candidate to start in early May 2022 if possible.
The selected candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check prior to being contracted.
For the full details and links to the job description and how to apply, please follow the link below.
Go To Application ForMUSEUM MANAGER
Open Days
The Museum will be open every Sunday from1000 until 1600 for the remainder of this month.
Keep your eye on this blog and on our social media pages for details of additional days from April onwards. Links to the Social Media pages can be found by clicking on the button below:
Radio Norfolk – Treasure Quest
The Treasure Quest radio program, on Sunday the 27th of February 2022 from Radio Norfolk, sets the reporters off on a journey following clues around Norfolk. The fifth and final clue on Sunday brought the team to the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum (see photos below Treasure Quest 01 thru 03), where they met with Pam V and Ian S.
Pam and Ian gave the listeners a brief history of the Museum and how the Museum came to be at Flixton, including the airborne delivery of the Valetta aircraft. Ian then took the opportunity to take the reporters into the Valetta. The reporters then took the opportunity to sit in the pilots’ seats (as can our visitors on days when we have enough volunteers present). Ian then explained how the RAF used this particular Valetta aircraft in both a VIP role and Navigation Training role.
The program then moved on to mention the Bloodhound and other parts of the Museum.
The radio program can be found on the following link:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bmv9v2
The program is some three hours long, so if you are pushed for time, to follow the Flixton clue, listen in from the 2 hr 5 min mark.
Photos of the trip can be found on the following link:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0brgt0s
With many thanks to BBC Radio Norfolk for permission to use the photos below and publish the two links above.
(Photos) Treasure Quest
Updates This Edition
Updates in this edition of the Online Flier have come from the Chair, Steve, The first painters’ update (1/3/22) is courtesy of Mark K as Barry had tested positive ☹ for the dreaded COVID and thus was absent from his usual duties. The Chippies’ contribution was from Michael as usual.
Oulton Broad Primary School Visit
We have some photos from Oulton Broad Primary School. They visited the Museum back on the 15th of Feb and Pam’s report was in the last edition (see School Visit pic below). Unfortunately as mentioned, we were unable to publish any photos until we had the School’s permission. They have now sent us some photos with permission to use them (see Oulton Broad Primary 01 thru 08). The photos show the children around various parts of the Museum and also using our Valetta aircraft as a classroom for some of their WWII studies.
(Photos) Oulton Broad Primary School Visit
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Painters Update
1/3/22 – A fine balancing act!
Ian declared the repaint of the Sea Hawk rudder as finally finished, despite the paint having been very uncooperative when being applied.
Cliff did an HSE walk-around, whilst Gwen, Ian and Mark spent the morning cleaning aircraft in the Boulton and Paul hanger; including the Overstrand forward fuselage and the two helicopters.
Mark also took time out to help the electricians assemble one of the scaffold towers under some roof lights in the main hanger. Although until Gwen arrived, it was a case of the blind leading the blind, Mark having forgotten how to assemble the tower (doh)!
The rain might have stopped around lunchtime, but the team were determined the site would not dry out on their watch. So the afternoon was spent pressure washing the Lightning’s landing leg, the Herman bomb next to the shop, various exhibits outside Coastal Command, and the Canberra’s wing-tip fuel tank, that had gone a fetching shade of green (see Canberra Clean 01).
The lightning leg was then moved back into the Main Hangar the same way it was moved out, this time with Gwen bringing some much needed “balance” to the effort. Meantime, there are rumours that Gwen is hoping to get the rest of the motorbike for Christmas (see Lightning Nose Wheel 02).
Mark K
(Photos) Painters Update
Chippies Update
22nd February – Ash, Tug and Michael F took the frame that had originally been intended for the Henley wing (see various earlier blogs) and rebuilt it for the Zenair flight simulator, John S wanted the top of the stub wing about 20 inches off the ground. The wings maximum chord is 11 inches and the wheels took 4 inches so the frame’s existing 8-inch height was about right – for the clever clogs reading this checking my maths, yes that’s 19 inches which is about 20 inches in my book! So we now knew which direction the wing bearers had to fit without raising the height. John could mount the Zenair on the frame in either direction but always with a bearer under the main spar. Then it was off to the Restoration Workshop where John was happy that it was what he wanted. Another job done, time for tea. The Zenair can be seen on its frame in “ASM Chess 02/03” above – Ed)
24th February – First job today, Michael F gave the door round the NAAFI its top coat of blue to match its surroundings, while Ash was sanding down the doorstep to the main hangar electrical cupboard which had expanded in the cold. Les W had the laborious task of cleaning years of grime from the deck of the stage ready for a coat of paint. To give an idea how much there was, he claimed our tea was actually lighter in colour than the cleaning water when he finished – and Michael F drinks very strong tea!
Next up is the new case for the Defiant display currently in the Boulton and Paul Hall. This new display case will be in front of the Merlin engine from a Defiant in the new Merlin At War area. Using wood recovered from the Naked Ladies trolley and the NAAFI cupboards, Ash and Michael F built the case frame and filled the old screw holes. The floor came from a piece of heavy gauge ply taken from the NAAFI cupboard.
1st March – Today we were a couple of men short so Tug was promoted to primary assistant to Michael F. Together they covered the sides and back of the Defiant case with ply. Unfortunately, none of the remaining NAAFI cupboard ply was the right size so we had to use new wood. Tug then took up painting duties, in the absence of Morris, and gave the case its first coat.
Meanwhile, Dave H and Michael F turned to the Cold War cabinets which have been on the to-do list for some time. Running Ray to earth, we got the dimensions of the equipment he wants to put in these new cabinets. We then translated these into how many shelves, how deep between shelves and, having found the maximum size the cabinets could be to fit the space in the hangar, how many shelves he could have. The equipment going in is very heavy so we then had to design in strengthening to carry the weight. By the end of the afternoon, and several cups of tea, we were ready to start fresh on Thursday.
3rd March – With the full Thursday crew in we got cracking. Les W marched off to the hangar to give the cleaned stage a nice new coat of paint. Michael F gave the Defiant case its second coat while Ash cut a new side panel for the drinks cabinet stand which, due to reorganisation in the shop, needed a piece to cover a side which previously was hidden. As Michael had a brush out, that too got a coat of paint. Ash and Les then cut the perspex top and front for the Defiant case ready for fitting next week.
Why all this rushing around clearing out the small jobs. Well, the Cold War cabinets are BIG and we needed the space to make them. Dave H meanwhile was starting the production line of cutting legs and cross pieces for the cabinet frames. Soon the long lengths of timber on the storage rack became a pile of perfectly cut parts of two cabinets.
The days final job, apart from the end of day tea break, of course, was to build the two end frames and top frame of the first cabinet
8th March – Ash and Michael F started the day by adding the perspex panels to the Defiant case. Then off it trundled to the Merlin At War area ready to receive its display. Why does it look green and opaque? When our supplier delivers perspex these days it has an opaque and green coloured film to protect it. We leave the film on as we know the perspex will be taken off while someone prepares the display and the film should stop scratching during this handling.
Back in the workshop, with Tug and Morris both promoted to Dave H’s assembly assistants and, in Morris’s case, electric drill operator, the whole Chippie Crew built the first Cold War cabinet. First Michael and Ash built the third, central frame. Then Dave H cut and drilled the supports for the front and back spars, which he, Morris and Tug added to the central frame. At this point, it became an all-hands effort as making sure parts stayed in position – sometimes precariously – while the cabinet frame came together. And each part made the whole heavier and needed more people to manoeuvre it around so the man with the drill could get to where the screw was. And then it was done!
Michael
(Photos) Chippies Update
Once again many thanks to the contributors for their input to this edition and to the dedication that they put into their Volunteer work.
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The Repeat Info
The repeat information is still here I’m afraid, and I make no apologies for keeping his section in our blog. We are a charitable organisation relying on monies from the public to keep us going. Any help we receive is gratefully accepted and enables the museum to continue in our mission “To conserve, preserve and promote the history of aviation in East Anglia, whilst providing a fun, family-friendly and interactive museum, promoting education and remembrance of the events of the past“.
Are you thinking of helping ??
We obtain most of our finances by donations and by membership fees. We save money by having a dedicated group of volunteers that keep the museum and the exhibits both manned and maintained. We hope therefore a few people may consider helping in the ways below.
There are three easy ways to help: Help by becoming a Museum Member, also by Volunteering to help at the museum, or by Donating to assist in our running costs. Please click on the appropriate button below to access the appropriate information:
Click to see how to becomeMUSEUM MEMBER Click to see how to becomeMUSEUM VOLUNTEER 
Click to make aDONATION
Keep Up To Date
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