NASAM Update as of the 16th Feb 2024

In This Edition

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Summary of Contents

Short update this time, with only a couple of inputs.

In our “Inside and Outside – The Museum” in this edition, we have two weeks of updates from Barry in the Paint Team and their continued work in various parts of the museum, getting things spruced up for the opening on the 17th of February, which is not too far away now.

More Events

Gary has sent in details of two more events that have been organised at the Museum. We now have a total of five event days in March. Posters for the two new events can be found near the end of this blog.

The events calendar for March now looks like this:

Museum News

We reopen on the 17th February 2024

Just a reminder that the Museum will reopen our doors on the 17th of February 2024 and will then revert our opening days and times to those that we had in 2023. So as of the 17th Feb, and until further notice:

We are open every Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday,
Plus, all the Bank Holiday Mondays
We will be open on each of these days from 1000 through until 1600,

Pete S

Inside and Outside – The Museum

Painters Update

06/02/24 – Probing questions!

With the Skipper (Cliff) washing his hair, or some such, it was a case of when the cat’s away… no, not really. Our team (of self-starters) soon dispatched themselves to different corners of the museum to find gainful employment. Our senior partner (Gwen) went off to help our Naval detachment in the ROC where some more shelves had appeared that needed a coat of (yes, you’ve guessed it) White Gloss (see pic 2402-13).

Up in the metal workshop, Barry picked up where he left off last week cleaning the Chipmunk. It was hard yards this week cleaning off all the graffiti down the starboard side (see pic 2402 14). Several hours and several pounds of elbow grease later, the starboard side had been cleared of all offending marks, save for a bit of hydraulic fluid right up front (see pic 2402 15). Next week, the focus will shift to cleaning up the port side which thankfully is graffiti free.

Also in the metal workshop, Ian spent the morning giving one of the donation box stands a lick of primer (see pic 2402 16), prior to top-coating next week. While this was going on, Mark toddled off to represent the Paint Team at the inaugural Managers Committee meeting (sounds exciting – Ed.).

In the arvo, Mark and Ian were approached by Ivor and Tony who were working on their new in-flight refuelling display. It transpired that they were looking for somebody to paint their new refuelling ‘probe’ (er.. ex. drainpipe) for them in Matt Black. For some reason, this seemed to cause much mirth amongst the team (see pic 2402 17), perhaps recalling the words of Squadron Leader Alistair Montgomery during Operation Black Buck (the 1 Vulcan and 11 Victor refuelling raid on Port Stanley – Ed.) where he described the very difficult process of lining up the Vulcan probe with the trailing Victor refuelling basket mid air as “easy as pushing warm spaghetti up a cat’s bottom!”

Mark and Ian also found time during the day to fit the post caps to the recently repainted flagpoles in the BP Hangar and to give the Grasshopper fuselage ‘stay’ another coat of Red Gloss.

13/02/24 – Get ready to… cRumble!

Well folks, what a sweet treat this week. Far more important than any aviation related activity, Mrs Roger had dispatched Roger armed with two mahoosive apple crumbles and multiple cartons of custard (see pic Crumble and Custard), presumably to recharge any ‘flat batteries’ amongst the hard-working volunteers assembled in the Main Hangar for lunch. Wow, thank you so much! The Flixton bake-off bar has now, of course, been set at a very high standard (and your correspondent is looking forward to John S. delivering some ‘Bosch Bolle).

Did we deserve such a treat? Yes, of course we did! In the morning Mark and Ian worked up a healthy appetite by tidying up the BP Hangar, re-erecting a couple of the flagpoles outside Coastal and Bomber Command. They then moved the rest of the repainted flagpoles temporarily into the Metal Workshop Annexe (see pic 2402 18). Just before lunch, there was also time to give the donation box stand a blue topcoat (see pic 2402 19).

Gwen continued with her ‘white cabinet’ marathon in ROC, while the Skipper (Cliff) did skippery type stuff. Up in the Metal Workshop, Barry resumed the clean-up of the Chipmunk, and by lunchtime, the entire starboard side of the fuselage was free of graffiti, hydraulic fluid and general grot.

After a fulsome lunch and a quick nap (no, not really), the team were back on it. Barry moved over to the port side of the Chippie and start clean up from the tail end forwards. By close of play, the first pass clean was complete up to in line with the front of the cockpit… to be continued. Weighed down with crumble, Mark and Ian decided some less strenuous activity was required in the arvo. Mark broke out the T Cut and proceeded to work in the cutting polish into the starboard side of the Chipmunk. Ian followed him down the starboard side with the electric buffer (see pic 2402 20). At stumps, the starboard side had been buffed to within an inch of its life and was looking considerably cleaner and shinier than it did when it arrived at the Museum (see pic 2402 21). Top job lads!

Barry

(Photos) Painters Update

Event Information

Two Extra Events in March

Posters for the two extra events organised by Gary are below. The Museum will be open as normal throughout these events, and there will be access to the Open Cockpits and Flight Simulators throughout the day.

For details of the cockpits that are available please click on the button below.

Go To The List OfAIRCRAFT & EXHIBITS OPEN

For more details of the event taking place, click on the poster below.

Pete S

The Repeat Info

Here we are in 2024 and 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

To keep up to date with further information, please keep an eye on our Social Media (see the Social Media buttons at the foot of this blog) or click on the button below to be notified by email of any upcoming changes by seeing the latest blog.