NASAM Update as of the 23rd Dec 2022
[joli-toc]
From The Chair
Christmas Lunch
On Saturday, the 10th of December, 52 members and partners gathered near the museum. On this occasion, we weren’t there to work or welcome visitors but to socialise and enjoy a Christmas Meal in The Buck. The group asserted that the event was a great success despite Steve making a speech at the end. Christmas Fare was enjoyed by all in a convivial environment.
At the current rate of expansion, we might have to eat in the courtyard next year.
Plus, THAT panda hat was in attendance…
Hoar Frost
The next day dawned bright and VERY cold. After the heavy overnight frost, the place was eerily beautiful.
NASAM Christmas 2022
Click photo to enlarge
(Photos) Christmas Lunch
Another Year Older
It’s traditional at this time of the year to look back at the year, then turn around and look forward.
It’s been a strange sort of year, but thankfully less strange than the previous two! This year we were allowed to open from the start, but opted to only open from the February half term. The museum rarely had many visitors prior to that anyway. We also opted only to open three days a week so that we could staff the museum better on the days we were open. We have managed to have an average of over 6 staff present each day we’ve been open. This has meant that we could greet people at the gate and man more of the open cockpits. Both have proven popular with visitors.
We also took on Gary, our new manager. Gary has fitted into the team very well and is making a very positive contribution to the museum. The number of regular volunteers has increased from around 60 at the start of the year to 65 now.
We started the year mid way through the project to re-arrange the main hangar and that has proved to be very popular with visitors who now have much better access to the exhibits in there. It has also allowed us to increase access to the open cockpits. The area also contains our new major exhibit, the Lightning cockpit section. People have access to get in this and it has proved to be very popular.
Also new was the Zenair Zodiac which is in use as a flight simulator. Visitors can now have better access to the computer based flight simulator which used to be housed in a narrow Link Trainer shell.
As we started the year, so we end it. We are once again in the middle of a major project. The Boulton Paul hangar receiving attention this time. Come back again next year to see the changes there.
How did we do this year? Over 18,500 visitors came to see us.
Overwhelmingly the feedback was either good or very good. Considering that we are only open three days per week compared to five before the pandemic we have welcomed only 10% fewer visitors than we estimate visited us each year before.
Time to turn around and look forward. What will people see in the future?
As I mentioned above, the Boulton Paul hangar is being refreshed, room 3 behind the shop also. The right-hand side of the main hangar will become Luftwaffe Weg bringing almost all of our Luftwaffe exhibits together.
We intend to have more cockpits open on more days and will be open on Bank Holiday Mondays as well. The guidebook is being updated and will be available for our reopening, so more information for visitors.
It just leaves me to wish you all A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Steve B
General Updates
Last one in 2022
Well, here we are, the last blog of 2022. Bit of a short but mixed bag in this update…..
As you will have already read, we have an update from Steve with some photos from the Museum’s Christmas Lunch. Steve has also given his update on 2022 and what to expect in 2023.
Below, we have a little bit from me detailing the two days we are open just after Christmas. Then we are closed until mid-February. I will keep the blog going with any updates that I get from the troops as they work on the various projects over the winter closure period. If you want to stay in touch with the infrequent blogs over the winter period, I can send you an email each time we publish the blog. To do this, just click on the button below and just give me your name and email address in the form that will be presented.
To carry on with this edition, Barry and Mark in the paint team have given their end-of-year report, unfortunately, with no photos this time round.
So that is it, the end of 2022. I want to give my thanks to the volunteers at the museum for not only the work that they do there but for taking the time to send in articles and photos so that we can keep you, the readers, updated. I can but wish you all a very merry festive break and all the best in 2023. Take care, and look forward to more blogs in the New Year.
Pete S
Opening Days in December
The Museum will reopen for two days in December, as previously published on:
- Wednesday, the 28th of December and
- Thursday, the 29th of December
Opening times will be 1000 until 1500 on each of the days.
Reopening in February
The Museum will be closed for a slightly longer period than in previous years.
The reopening day is set for:
Wednesday, the 15th of February 2023.
From the Teams
Paint Team Update
22/11/22 – Palindrome Twosday!
Ironically on this special date in the Gregorian Calendar, there wasn’t actually anything very special to report from the Paint Team. On an otherwise low-key Tuesday, Cliff, Gwen and Mark concentrated on sprucing up the 446th hut and giving the floor a fresh coat of paint.
Meanwhile, Ian and Barry gave the left-hand panel in the LINK Training Room another coat of white paint. The right-hand panel still needs a second coat, but we won’t do that until Peter and Gary have agreed and marked out where the new wall exhibits are going.
Later on, Ian and Barry moved into the Main Hangar and set about refreshing the former model cabinet down Luftwaffe Weg. By the close of play, the tatty old carpet had been ‘permanently filed’ in the skip. All the screw holes in the back wall were then filled and sanded ready for some paint next week.
29/11/22 – Carry on up the 446th!
This week the ‘A’ team (Cliff, Gwen and Mark) were back in the 446th to complete the floor painting and repainting of some of the display cabinets/boards.
Meanwhile, the ‘B’ team (Ian and Barry) set about turning the blue, former model display cabinet white. During a cold day, they still managed to get 2 coats of white emulsion on the ceiling and back of the cabinet.
6/12/22 – A whiter shade of er… white
Yes folks, it was a bit of ‘white out’ this week. Having finished repainting (white) display cabinets/boards in the morning, Cliff, Gwen and Mark moved on to the BP Hangar and started to paint (white) the next part of the display cabinet down the left-hand side of the hangar that houses various radio sets and the like.
Continuing the all-white theme, Ian and Barry put a third coat of (yes, you’ve guessed it) white emulsion on the former model display cabinet of Luftwaffe Weg, which still had a blue tint in places. With all the white painting going on, original paint stocks had become exhausted, and so (following a midweek deviation to B&Q) a new tin of white emulsion was broken out. This turned out to be a) much thicker and b) much whiter than the old tin, so the old model cabinet is now looking very white indeed!
With quite a bit of time left in the day, Ian and Barry then ‘borrowed’ some PVA from the Chippies and sealed the (previously carpeted) chipboard floor, prior to painting next week (hopefully).
13/12/22 – Baby it’s cold outside!
With the car temperature gauge showing -5 Celsius upon arrival, it was clear that no painting was going to be possible today! After several consecutive days of freezing temperatures, the Team had already discussed what ‘Plan B’ might look like. In fact, to the untrained eye, it looked like some sort of gardening.
Following some prior discussion with Ground Force Brian, the boys set about clearing out the gully behind the portacabins on the right-hand boundary edge. And cor blimey, was it cold! After about 10 minutes, nobody could feel their fingers, let alone operate any tools. Consequently, Barry resorted to his USB golf hand warmers, and Mark fired up the Stihl Strimmer, mainly to warm his hands next to the exhaust port. Ian got his hands round the tea flask, but it all proved a bit too much for Cliff, who went for an unplanned sit down. After some emergency tea and chocolate, he was soon up and about again thankfully.
Notwithstanding the extreme cold, the boys persevered, and by early afternoon about 100 yards of gully had been cleared of buddleia, stingers, teasels and some pretty evil low-growing hawthorn. Top job! Play for the day closed early as enthusiasm started to wane. As we pulled out of the car park we noted that the temperature had now reached a heady Zero Celsius!
20/12/22 – Stack ‘em, pack ‘em and rack ‘em!
Yes, all you Die Hard 2 fans, the warmer weather this week meant the Paint Team could get back to core business and, er, paint.
Gwen and Cliff tackled the new display racks (destined for the cabinets in the Boulton and Paul hangar), while Ian and Mark painted the floor of the former Model display cabinets in the main hangar.
All three Boulton and Paul display racks now have at least one coat of paint, rumour having it that even the undersides of the racks had been painted, although we couldn’t verify that ourselves.
Meanwhile, after trying several colours, the floor in the main hangar display cabinets is now blue.
With lunch taken early and with 50% of the team heading home early doors, it looked like that was it for 2022.
However, for those who had tarried just a tad too long, there were still the “mobile” outside exhibits (Pundit Light etc.) to store in the main hangar – a job that involved pretty well everyone who was still on site, and that invoked the old rule that if you ask 5 people how to do something you will often get at least 6 opinions.
Still, all’s well that ends well, both for moving the Pundit Light and for 2022 – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Paint Team.
Barry & Mark
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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