Classic Air Force Museum UK – Warbird Collection

Classic Air Force is a new Warbird Museum complex located at Newquay airport in Cornwall UK. I visited the museum in September 2013 to review their Warbird collection and displays. The day was unfortunately quite miserable and raining, but this did not deter me from fully exploring the splendid aircraft collection.

The Aviation Museum is in fact, largely a relocation of the collection from Coventry Airport to the former RAF St Mawgan base and also some aircraft from the associated Air Atlantique LTD.

The Classic Air Force is registered as a charity in the UK as The Classic Aircraft Trust (2012). Currently there are about 30 aircraft in the collection, mainly housed in the gigantic former RAF Nimrod maintenance hanger. There is a touch of irony in as much as the collection owns a Nimrod MR 2 at Coventry but it is almost impossible to move it so it will not be joining the collection for the foreseeable future, being under the care of the Shackleton Preservation Trust until / if a suitable means of getting it to Newquay can be found.

As a new iteration of the older collection there are a host of familiar, significant and historic aircraft in the collection, many of them flying and others slated to do so when time and money permit. There are also new aircraft which have joined the collection at its new site including the just arrived RAF VC10 transport ZA148 which was retired in August and flown straight to the museum. Some of the best gems in the collection are the airworthy aircraft including not one but 2 Gloster Meteors; one flying is a very rare thing but two is almost miraculous and they are in beautiful condition; being very rare Mks a NF.11 WM167 / G-LOSM and a T.7 WA591 / G-BWMF.

The Warbird collection also hosts a flyable English Electric Canberra B.2/6 WK163 / G-BVWC which is currently having new engines worked on and will hopefully soon be flying again. A second Canberra (English Electric Canberra T.4 G-CDSX / WJ874 / ‘VN799) was acquired in 2005 in airworthy condition, however it is no longer able to fly. As it happened this was the subject of a TV documentary in the UK while I was there and it outlines how it was moved by road from Coventry to Newquay; a feat which has certainly generated a lot of attention in the UK Aviation preservation movement. The aircraft is now in its new home and fully assembled. This aircraft is scheduled to be restored to fly again in the fullness of time and is in great overall condition.

Flying Aircraft  at Classic Air Force Museum Newquay

Present in September 2013 were:

• Avro Anson T-21 G-VROE / WD413
• Auster Autocrat G-JAYI
• Chrislea Super Ace G-AKVF
• de Havilland Chipmunk G-APLO / WB696
• de Havilland Dove/Devon C1 G-DHDV /VP981
• de Havilland Dragon Rapide X3 G-AGTM
• G-AIDL and GAKRP(Not currently flying)
• de Havilland Vampire T55 G-HELV / U1215 (Swiss AF)
• de Havilland Venom X2 G-DHVM / J-1542 and G-VENM / J-1641
• Douglas DC-3 Dakota X2 G-AMPY and G-ANAF
• Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.3A G-BWDS / XM424
• BAC Jet Provost T.5A XW433 / G-JPRO
• Percival Pembroke G-BXES / XL954
• Percival Prentice G-APJB
• Percival Proctor G-AKIU / AE129

Also on display or in the collection awaiting display are BAC One Eleven, Hawker Hunters (X2), Hawker Sea Hawk, Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer and the Ex Duxford IWM Vickers Varsity which has just arrived and was undergoing assembly on the day we visited. Curiously there was a Harrier GR.3 parked in the Museum complex but nobody was able to tell me a great deal about it. I have since learned that the aircraft, Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 XV753 is on loan from the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum UK.

The Museum has excellent facilities, a shop, Restaurant and child’s playground with discount vouchers on offer with the entry ticket. Given the UK weather it is great to report that the entire facility is under cover with the exception of several aircraft parked out on the day of our visit. The exhibition hanger is truly gargantuan and historic in its own right, during our visit there were rumors of the former RAF base St Mawgan now Exeter International Airport being the subject of possible developers’ attention with a view to housing estate use. Naturally this would cripple the Museum and it’s to be hoped that it remains just a rumour.

 The Classic Air Force Museum website provides all the information to prepare for your visit. The Museum is easy to get to and is open most days with excellent parking. I found the volunteer staff to be very friendly and knowledgeable and made our trip a pleasure. Warbirds Online can highly recommend this Museum to all and sundry should you find yourself in Cornwall or even worth the trip from anywhere especially to see all the rare flying exhibits. Some aircraft are available for passenger flights and visitors should check prior to visiting if they want to have a flight.

© John Parker 2013