Fly Past

26 FLYPAST April 2018

MUSEUMS AEROSPACE BRISTOL

being able to

skip across the

Atlantic in little

more than three

hours on Concorde. It’s

a feat that simply wouldn’t

be possible today – no civil

aircraft exists that can do what

the great ‘speedbird’ did.

Proud history

Aerospace Bristol is home to some

historic and unique exhibits – but

it’s not simply about collecting

and preserving memories. With

its spacious, modern displays,

it places great emphasis on

interactivity, telling a story but

illustrating why certain elements

are resonant today. One of its key

aims is to engage young people,

particularly to instil in them a

sense of wonder and a desire to

learn more about science,

technology

and

engineering as well as history.

Similar ideals are motivating

the Vulcan to the Sky Trust as it

looks forward to establishing its

Heritage Hangar at Doncaster

• the desire to inspire future
  generations as well as reflect the
  memories of those past does seem
  the best way forward for new
  museums.
  Aerospace Bristol opened last
  October, and is run by the Bristol
  Aero Collection Trust. Elements
  of its acquisitions were on display
  at Kemble in Gloucestershire for
  a while, but it was not until the
  allocation of a £4.7m Heritage
  Lottery Fund grant that the plan
  for a permanent museum could be
  taken forward. Filton, steeped in
  history, is the perfect place for it.
  The airfield has played a pivotal
  role in British aircraft manufacture
  from its first usage in World War
  One to its eventual closure in

2012. It’s easy to overlook just how
      integral Filton has been to aviation
      in this country. “Everything in the
      museum has a link to Filton
      and the local area from
      the earliest days
      of the Bristol

Aeroplane Company all the way up

to Airbus and Rolls-Royce,” says

executive director Lloyd Burnell.

“We’re not a general aerospace

museum – we’re telling a particular

story, but it’s a story that can

be linked to almost the entire

history of aviation in the UK. The

hangars themselves are part of

that – aside from the new one that

houses Concorde, this is a Grade II

listed building dating back to 1917.

It’s worth looking up at the roof

trusses to appreciate the history

of it – the building itself can be

regarded as part of the exhibition.

“We find that people mostly

Another view of Concorde at Aerospace

Bristol. AEROSPACE BRISTOL