Most of you will know that I love all things aviation following a 14yr career with Virgin Australia and a brother in air cadets growing up and so when taking the dogs for a walk around the Castle hill Park and saw an info sign on the small airport below, I looked it up.
This airstrip has a history dating back to 1916 when the Salisbury Plains area was identified by the Home Office as a great area of flat lands for landing aircraft. So originally grass airstrips, to the hard airstrips that were upgraded prior to the 2nd world war.
The museum houses collections of either flight decks or whole aircraft with names that I am familiar with from war movies over the years. Eg Lancaster, de Havilland, spitfire, Tornados, Harrier jets.
The museum is run by volunteers who are working on restoration projects at the back of the hangers and readily share their knowledge. I had a Volunteer show me through the flight deck one of the few remaining Lancaster bombers. In this museum all the usual rules are thrown out the window and you are allowed to sit in the pilot seats, press buttons, switch levers and thoroughly inspect the aircraft. What a treat!
I felt like Tom Cruise in Top Gun sitting in a snug pilot seat with my pull down top hood.
I thought I would pop in for an hour but left 2.5hrs later 😊. Only 15 mins from Stonehenge.
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