A visit to the Fleet Air Arm Museum

[PenrithBeacon]

A visit to this superb museum while on the way to the West Somerset Railway.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68685377@N04/sets/72157629351905908/

 

Regards

[PhilJ W]

If your going that way I recommend you take lunch at the Podimore Inn. Podimore is the next village west of the museum.

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

Been there a couple of times, superb museum, the carrier experience is very good! The last time I wen was to go to the Model Railway Exhibition there

 

That was a strange experience to be telling dad to mind his head (and me to mind mine) on the engines of the protoype concord while watching layouts!

 

Simon

[Ozexpatriate]

Thanks for sharing - and very nice photographs in difficult lighting. I would like to visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum some day.

 

Fairey really did make some awful looking aeroplanes. Certainly the Swordfish (1934) is iconic, and has nice enough lines, but everything they made looked behind the times. The Albacore (1938) was little better despite the enclosed cockpit. Even the Firefly (1941) looks odd - though you picked a pleasing angle. The Gannet (1949) is possibly one of the ugliest carrier aircraft ever built.

 

The Hawker Sea Fury is a pretty aircraft.

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks for sharing - and very nice photographs in difficult lighting. I would like to visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum some day.

 

Fairey really did make some awful looking aeroplanes. Certainly the Swordfish (1934) is iconic, and has nice enough lines, but everything they made looked behind the times. The Albacore (1938) was little better despite the enclosed cockpit. Even the Firefly (1941) looks odd - though you picked a pleasing angle. The Gannet (1949) is possibly one of the ugliest carrier aircraft ever built.

 

The Hawker Sea Fury is a pretty aircraft.

 

It's well worth the effort to get there if you're ever over here. When I used to collect my daughter from uni at end of term the FAA Museum was a regular stopping point on our journey home and over the 4 years of BA and MA we watched various changes with anticipation and pleasure. If you have any interest in aircraft or naval aviation it's a 'must visit' I reckon, and not just for the aircraft - plenty of related stuff to see.

[The Lurker]

^{Yes, we enjoyed the Fleet Air Arm on a visit as part of a family holiday in the area last year.}

^{It wasn't a whole day visit, though. Could be combined with Haynes Motor Museum which isn't a million miles away and is also not a whole day visit.}

 

^{"Whole day visit" is defined by how long we can keep my boys entertained before they get bored/ disruptive!}

[alastairq]

My young son and myself have now visited twice.....he likes to go camping in Somerset..for some odd reason....

 

The cafe is quite pricey [i'm used to roadside tranny caff prices, I'm afraid].................and my MoD pass doesn't mean much of a saving.

 

However, we enjoy it immensely....

 

I cannot believe how small and cramped the cockpits of the first generation jet were...! Literally, I'd feel like I was strapped to a jet engine...rather than sitting ion an aircraft! Or am I rather larger than pilots were in the '50's?

 

The Walrus I liked.....even that, I could imagine, would feel like sitting in a canoe with wings.......one sneeze and the sides would fall off! I suppose I expect a bit of bulk around me...especially with a warplane?

 

The Carrier interactive is excellent at giving one the impression...even though by today's computer-generated holographic displays it is very 'old-hat'...?

 

 

The tank museum at Bovington is also well worth a visit.....but don't rely on google maps to get you there!

 

The display is excellent, much better than when I last went there in the latter part of the 1950's!

 

An awful lot to see, takes ages if you read up on every exhibit?