The UK has many small interesting museums, often supported by and army of volunteers who are passionate about supporting their local heritage. The Age Jet Museum in Cheltenham is one of these organisations.
Cheltenham's relationship with aviation dates back to nearly over a century ago when the Gloster Aircraft Company started building planes during the first world war. Over the years it has built various aircraft including jet engines used during the war. This museum was set up to preserve the century old aviation history.
There are many aircraft on display, some original, some reconstructed. Such as this Gloster Gamecock from the late 1920s. The wings were made of wood back in those days and covered with fabric, and that's how the reconstruction was made as well. They deliberately left one of the wings uncovered so visitors can see the wood wings.
This is the Gloster Meteor NF13, the Meteor being the first jet fighter built by a British aerospace company. The NF13 was built to be used in the middle east by the RAF when Britain still had presence in the 1950s. This particular aircraft was part of the Israeli Air Force and was restored after it retired.
The aircraft in my header image and the one below is the Gloster Javelin, and was built to intercept Russian bombers during the cold war.
I couldn't remember the model and details of some of the other aircrafts on display but I thought they looked rather interesting and was worthy of a place here.
In 2018 the Royal Air Force celebrated its 100th anniversary. These commemorative tapestries were part of its celebration to honour those from the RAF and the ladies who were responsible for covering the aircraft wings with fabric back in the old days. This is my favorite part of the whole museum visit as the works were so intricate and reflects so many sides of RAF over the century. Also, it demonstrates how RAF touches everyone's life and that it isn't just a masculine thing.
Another thing that I enjoyed was sitting inside a fighter cockpit. This one you see here is part of the Hunter aircraft used by the RAF in the 1950s. The aircraft was originally a single seat fighter that was later converted to a two seater. The single seat cockpit stayed in UK and was used for training purposes, whilst the actual aircraft was sold in Australia in 2009 and still flying around the world somewhere. This cockpit was nearly sent to the scrap yard in the 1980's, but thanks to those who appreciate the heritage it was rescued. It is now part of the museum's exhibit and is available for visitors to experience what it's like to sit in a fighter cockpit.
The volunteer was very passionate about this cockpit and when I posed for my fighter photo he made sure a photo of the aircraft got in the frame as well. Where would heritage be without these passionate volunteers.
You can checkout all my travel post on the Pinmapple here or click on Mr Pinmapple below
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Wow those are really nice and beautiful pictures
Thanks!
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Thanks for the guided tour .So good to see aircraft from the past and present.
Glad you enjoyed it
Hope to see more tours from you from that side of the pond. I'm from Canada.
Another cool place to visit, especially if you like aircraft. Must have been amazing to sit in the cockpit.
The cockpit was really cool especially knowing it's a real one that was once in use
Wow, I can't imagine the experience of sitting in the cockpit of a fighter plane with a story like that. It's great that there are people who want to preserve these memories and save them from the junkyard. With the photo in the photo you can imagine it even better.
All the volunteers were quite senior, including the couple in the café. You can just feel their passion in giving up their weekends in supporting the museum.
Haha, that is awesome that the person took the picture for you. This looks like a really cool place. I have been to the air and space museum in Washington but that was forever ago and I don't think they had all of the interactive stuff like this place has. I know we have a big museum across the state from where I live, but I have never been there. I will have to check it out some day.
You guys have such a strong and large military forces, I'm sure there are lots of interesting museums for them as well. Will be interested to see in from an America perspective sometime
So nice post very interesting and really good pictures hope to see more! 🌸🌸🌸
Thanks a lot for dropping by
Wow a museum I would love to visit, I love museums that have fighter planes and military tech on display, and I have visited a few of these museums so far and I liked the one in Krakow Poland the most.
Maybe one day I'll get to visit this one too.
Poland forces have a close relationship with the British during the war, and were close allies with us. One of the museums I went to a while ago had a section dedicated to the Polish forces.
But if you like fighter planes, this will be a nice little visit if you even come over to the UK
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That's a cool museum. The cockpit photo is really neat. The history sounds interestingas well. Wooden wings! Very cool.
It was an unexpectedly nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon, as they are only open over the weekends. So glad I went.
If this is your thing then I definitely recommend checking out IWM Duxford if you've never been.
I remember going so long ago during my early days of school and I always wanted to go back. So much aviation history, as well as general wartime history. A bit of everything from every era!
I heard about Duxford and was in Cambridge over the summer but despite it being highly recommended to me, sadly didn't have time to go. I think if I'm in the area next, I will go because I drove past it and it seemed hugh.
It'll probably be a fun trip this summer when the weather's better and the restrictions are all gone!
Well, this explains now! I was wondering why there are army reserves/ regimens nearby in some of the museums, like the Tank museum, etc.
I have been to the Bristol aircraft museum. This one looks good as well.
Is that the one with the Concorde? I've always wanted to go, probably should do that one day.
BTW, this one is free!!!
Free?!!! Gotta go!
Yes, the one with Concorde. Really really good museum 👌 You will love it!
Wow look at you getting such great picture of the museum. That is neat that it is run by volunteers. I enjoyed the tour of the place and getting to see you in the cockpit!
Thanks Sara, it was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and getting a bit interactive with the exhibits. Original I was a bit hesitant as it was mainly kids getting into the cockpit, but there's actually a lot to learn for adults. So glad the volunteer invited me in
Very interesting and informative overview of the museum. I still admire the true free flight pioneers who tried to conquer the skys with barely more then a wooden frame and a steering wheel 😀
I always think people back in the 'old days' are a lot more cleverer than us because they had nothing to help them yet they still managed to do so much. It's a bit like driving a manual car (when I first started to drive) you have to take care of everything whereas nowadays there is so much automation in the cars, I think maybe in a few decades time one don't even have to know how to drive!
They had to do more with less and were therefore forced to be creative while we more or less spend our lives in an optimized and automated environment. (at least in the well developed countries)
I completely agree in regards of the car driving. I do not expect my kids to ever have to apply for a drivers license. I`m convinced that we will see barely any driver steered cars on the streets in 20 years.
It is amazing to see what a human kind can make but on the other hand a total waste of sources. If all this knowledge would go into preserving nature for any cost we would live in a better place. Peace
At one one time, there is always going to be one mad man in this world who think they can conquer the rest of the world, causing to much damage and pain to everyone else. Sad fact of life