50 FLYPAST September 2018
MUSEUMS RAF MUSEUM LONDON
expertise with us; and colleagues
from RAF Waddington (the home
of intelligence and surveillance)
checked our digital interactives
in ‘RAF First to the Future’ to
ensure our hands-on engagement
covering contemporary roles
had as much integrity as our
historical research. (Having said
that, any mistakes throughout our
exhibitions are of course our own.)
Crucially, both current and
former servicemen and women
shared their stories with us to
add to our collection of historical
audio recordings – and FlyPast
readers can explore that database
at http://www.rafstories.com and
perhaps download our app to
add their own experiences.
We were also fortunate to
have physical help from the
RAF. For example, 600 (Aux)
Squadron lovingly wrapped
our Sunderland to protect
it as we built around it
and JARTS (the RAF’s
Joint Aircraft Recovery
and Transportation
Squadron) have
provided phenomenal
support helping to
move our aircraft;
our team hascarried out over 50 aircraft moves
during – no mean feat!
On May 10 we welcomed more
than 800 RAF men and women,
current and retired, to the
museum for a preview and had a
fabulous response from them. We
were very keen to try to convey
the spirit and values of the RAF, as
well as getting the facts right, and
that approach has been very much
welcomed by our RAF colleagues.
We continue to read every
comment that we receive and are
following up where we can and
using them to continue to improve
our museum.”The list of contractors and
suppliers involved in the project
is legion, but are there any
firms whose input was integral
to the plan?
“We’ve been fortunate to
have worked with some very
talented, creative and committed
contractors throughout the
project. If I had to pick just
a few it would be our capital
project manager, Ridge, which
was determined to make a
commitment to the RAF’s
Centenary through working with
the museum; main contractor,
SDC, and our exhibition build
contractor, the Hub. All were true
partners in taking on the brief and
refining it with us, both to improve
the plan and to save money
where possible without ever
compromising on quality. They
were a joy to work with.”What has been the
most difficult aspect
of the museum’s
transformation?
“The fundraising task
was probably our
greatest challenge.
But the funding
partners who
came on board
were incredibly
supportive and
great to work
with, and it was
a real relief to
have secured
all the funding
seven months
before we were
due to open.”Left
A great many uniforms
from different trade
groups, air and
ground, are on display.