NASAM Update as of the 15th Aug 2022

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From the Chairman

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Ivan Last

It is with much sadness that we report the passing of Ivan Last last week.

Ivan was one of the few surviving “original” members of the museum. Most volunteers and visitors recently knew Ivan for running the games at family fun day or being the leading cleaner around the museum. This belies the pivotal role that he played in the development of the museum. It was Ivan that persuaded everyone that the purchase of the land that we now own was a good investment. That investment has proven very wise, especially during the Covid pandemic.

Going back further, Ivan was the long-term treasurer for the museum and was also the lead electrician for many years.

It is fitting that one of the last times we saw Ivan at the museum was organising the games at this year’s family fun day.

This is a very brief obituary for a great man, a more detailed version will appear in due course.

Rest In Peace, Ivan.

Steve B – Chairman

General Updates from Around the Museum

Welcome to the latest Online Flier from the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum.

Fire Drill Postponement

Firstly In this edition, and as a notice to all our Tuesday Volunteers, we have an update from Cliff, who has had to postpone the Fire Drill for the Volunteers due to sickness amongst the teams; Cliff reports that the Fire Drill will now not happen on the 16th Aug as previously notified, and he will advise a new date as soon as he has this planned.

We have a combined report from Pam V and Paul H on the Special Event Day on Sunday the 7th Aug 2022. This was the RAFA and Veterans Day at the Museum. Two sets of photos of the event were provided by Paul H and Brian J.

The Painters have been busy again in the lower compound working of the Whirlwind and the Javelin aircraft, Barry providing the update and the photos.

More from the Archives as Graham has produced another story from the wartime booklet, “Over to You“. This time, the second of his stories from the booklet is the story about the U-Boat hunters and their long hours out over the water.

And finally, in this edition, we have a couple of photos from John S in the Engineering Workshops showing the long-time renovation project, the Beagle Terrier (ex AUSTER AOP.6/ T.10 – VX123/ G-ARLP) in its new location with one wing attached.

Pete S

RAFA and Veterans Day 2022 Report

Sunday the 7th of August 2022 was an incredible day with well over 300 visitors.

In the main hangar, we had Mike Kendall with his music and dancers. We had the Norfolk Military Vehicle Club with their vehicles, two RAFA stalls were set up. A special mention goes to one of our newest members and volunteer, Nicolas, who is currently serving with the Army Air Corps at Wattisham, who watched over the Valetta throughout the day.

Pam V

The 7th of August was RAFA day at Flixton. We had a good turnout from the Norfolk Military Group, who brought a selection of wartime vehicles. They included Willys Jeeps, a 1940 Ford WOC 1 and a six-cylinder 1940 Humber 8 cwt pick up along with many more (see pictures RAFA 2022 00 to 05).

Pam ran a uniform and helmet try and buy stand next to the RAFA displays in picture RAFA 2022 06 and a close-up in picture RAFA 2022 10.

The Waveney Model Flying Club was represented by Harry Woodrow with a selection of the models he has built and flies. Harry also provided us with a low-level flypast *cough* of his Folland Gnat in the colours of the ‘Yellow Jacks’ aerobatic display team, see pictures RAFA 2022 07 to 09.

We had several visitors dressed in 1950’s styles who lead the dancing in the main hanger. Picture RAFA 2022 11 shows three of them with a 1953 Plymouth alongside our 1956 Hawker Hunter FGA.9 serial number XG254.

Picture RAFA 2022 12 shows the dancing area, whilst pictures RAFA 2022 13 and 14 are of one of our volunteers, Michael K, doing the Ceroc Jive with Nikki, one of his instructors who taught him the dance.

Overall the day was a great success, and we’re looking forward to next year’s event already.

Paul H

(Ed -Additional photos RAFA 2022 15 thru 20 provided by Brian J)

(Photos) RAFA and Veterans Day 2022 – Paul H and Brian J

Painters Update

9/8/22 – Reach for the Sky!

This week it was the Javelin team’s turn to achieve a mini milestone. Yes folks, after several weeks of quite literally sitting down, nay, lying down on the job, the Skipper (Cliff) determined that the undersides had now been prepped; hurrah! Consequently, the team started to look to the heavens for the final piece of prep; being the upper areas of the tail fin, plus the top sides of the tail stabilisers. As you can see from the pic (see Javelin Repaint 24), the upper tail fin was just about reachable up a ladder, but the stabilisers will require the use of the full height scaff’ tower next week. Lots will be drawn to see who in the team will have the pleasure of (safely) stepping out and prepping the top of the stabilisers next week!

Next door, the Whirlwind top coating is starting to move on at a pace. By the end of the day, Mark and Barry had very nearly finished all the ‘red’ areas of the fuselage on both the port and starboard sides (see Whirlwind Repaint 36 pic). Next week should see the ‘Light Aircraft Grey’ paint being cracked open so that the boys can paint the tail, plus the lower areas of the fuselage and spine.

There was one casualty noted during the day. The port side wooden pitot tube replica on the adjacent Sea Vixen had been snapped in half, possibly by some over-zealous ride on grass cutting. Does anyone have a number for the chippies?

Barry

(Photos) Painters Update

From the Archives

OVER TO YOU #2

Sometimes the most poignant finds come in the smallest of packages – un-rummaged in the Store a few weeks back was a small booklet simply called ‘Over to You’. I nearly missed it – it was recorded, put back in its box – maybe even for another 79 years, but something clicked, and it wasn’t my knees. On closer inspection, it was apparent this little booklet was gold dust – transcripts of a series of interviews with RAF personnel from all areas and ranks of the service that had actually been recorded and broadcast over the radio by the BBC between 1942 and 1943 – right at the height of the war. No names are mentioned, no station or squadron details given, but the stories are the stronger for the fact they are the accounts of the everyday and not the glory conscious.

The introduction to the book speaks for itself:

THE legendary days of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain; the winged victory in North Africa; fighter sweeps over France; bomber sorties to Germany and Italy; night fighting, train-busting, intruder operations; the work of Ferry Command and the training of pilots in Canada; the remorseless harrying of U-boats; the adventures of air crews forced down in ocean or desert–these are the subjects of “Over to You”, a collection of stories chosen from over 900 broadcasts given on the BBC by R.A.F. officers and airmen between March 1942 and May 1943.

This tale is from a hunter – one of the many crews who spent their war over vast stretches of water hunting for the hunters – the U-boats that were crippling America’s ability to provision and arm the United Kingdom. The long hours of vigilance coupled with the few moments of hectic action that had to be successful in just a few minutes before the quarry was lost beneath the surface of the sea. Tough job – but it needed to be done…

U-boat written off

This was our 30th operational trip and our wireless operator was on his 400th hour of operational flying. Apparently the Navy had got wind of a U-boat and we were ordered off on an anti-submarine sweep.

We took off in a gale and were ready for a pretty rough trip. But everything went uneventfully for several hours until the last half-hour of our patrol. Then I spotted moonlight shining on a breaker in a peculiar way. I still can’t say just why it was peculiar. It just was.

“Hallo, Number One” I called upon the intercom. “What’s that funny patch of water half a mile to starboard?”
“I don’t know, I’ll have a look” my captain replied.

He’s a slow-speaking, quick-thinking Devonian with Irish blood on one side. Only people who know him as well as we do realize that he can act about one hundred times as fast as he talks.

Just then I thought, “Damn, it’s only a patch of moonlight. I’ve boobed again.”

By this time the patch was drifting right down the path of the moon, and then I saw a lovely streamlined shape slide into view just below and behind us.

“It’s a submarine !” I yelled.

“‘Lord, its a U boat” Number One exclaimed.

Number Two, the second pilot, was at the controls. My captain directed operations from the front turret and Number Two followed them so fast it was as though they were one. We swept down and dived on that U-boat, hoping to catch it where our stick of depth charges could do most good. The run-up was a beauty. The first two depth charges dropped rather behind, but the third fell just aft of where the conning-tower had disappeared.

The explosion of this last was a wonderful sight.

First, a splash; then a blue-green flash and a gigantic plume of smoke and water with a base as if somebody were flashing a gigantic flint gas-lighter. I saw a 200-feet high plume of smoke and water belch up into the sky. We had dived down to drop the depth charges and had climbed to about 400 feet when the third went off. It seemed to be trying to blow us out of the sky as well.

Number Two steep-turned as though he were flying a Spitfire instead of the heavy bomber, and we made a third run over the target dropping some more depth charges into the perimeter of a 200-foot circle of troubled water.

I feel convinced that particular U-boat won’t hunt again.

Did we whoop as we turned for home!!

Graham

Engineering Workshops Update

The Auster display, which is located in the Ken Wallis Hall, now has its starboard wing fitted. The port wing is displayed behind the aircraft. Next for the project is the fitting of the strut half-span frame. Two photos of the plane are shown below.

John S

(Photos) Engineering update

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:

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