PIREP: Royal Ait Force Museum, London, UK

[Cap'n Jack]

PIREP: Royal Air Force Museum, London, UK

This is a very nice museum with a lot of stuff. It is the equal of Wright Patterson or the Smithsonian. The museum is set in several buildings. The main entrance goes to a well-lit area with a collection of planes from the early days of flight to modern times.

A covered walk way goes to an old hangar with a collection of aircraft used by as Bombers. Some unique WW II planes are here too. This area is fairly dark. This section leads to an area with aircraft from WW II through the 1970's or 80's.

Another building contains aircraft from WW II; another building has WW I aircraft.

I only had a few hours, so I only scratched the surface. Entry is free and the tube drops you off within 15 minute walking distance to the museum.

They had an entire section on helicopters that I only had time to glance at.

I'm no Woodstock (she is an artist), but here are some pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacksilver/sets/72157626682370205/

I took many more pictures but many aren't fit for sharing.




Primitive starter for airplanes by JackSilver, on Flickr

 

[Stevel]

Thanks!

I'll have a few free days at either end of a London business meeting later this month, and this was number one on my to-do list.

I have been in London enough to see all of the typical tourist must-see items, and have the added freedom of not having a travelling companion this time around. I welcome any other suggestions you may have.

 

[Everskyward]

Nice pictures!

 

[Cap'n Jack]

I'll have a few free days at either end of a London business meeting later this month, and this was number one on my to-do list.

I have been in London enough to see all of the typical tourist must-see items, and have the added freedom of not having a travelling companion this time around. I welcome any other suggestions you may have.

They have other museums- I'm told the Imperial War Museum and National History Museum are good. I'm also told the Science Museum is good too.

Get down to Greenwich to see the Cutty Sark, also some Royal Navy stuff (Old Royal Navy College), stand on 0° Longitude, and the Royal Obervatory in Greenwich. The clocks they used are really quite interesting. I liked to Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. I also liked visiting Portsmouth (where they keep HMS Victory). I visited these on previous trips.

You can really spend a couple of days in the RAF Museum.

Nice pictures!

Thank you very much!!

 

[woodstock]

Excellent photos! Good composition. Most of mine don't see the light of day either btw -but thanks for the kind words.

You are spot on with good ways to pass the time in London. IWM is a must-see. Churchill's war rooms also. I always do London Walks while I'm there too.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Excellent photos! Good composition. Most of mine don't see the light of day either btw -but thanks for the kind words.

I consider this very high praise! Thank you very much!

You are spot on with good ways to pass the time in London. IWM is a must-see. Churchill's war rooms also. I always do London Walks while I'm there too.

I'll hit up IWM next time. I pretty much consider London to be a giant museum, as is Rome. I haven't been to Paris but I suspect it is the same.

 

[woodstock]

London/Paris/Rome/Venice etc... you can easily fill a trip with doing little more than walking around and taking in the sights.

 

[Ghery]

Don't forget the IWM's outdoor (and indoor) annex (and I use the term loosely) at Duxford. Absolutely worth the time to go visit. I need to get back there some time. The US museum opened after my last visit (late 1990s) and I've been giving them money for years. I need to see where it's been going.