RAF London Museum Tour: War in the Air 1918–1980 Part 1

[drsquid142]

I am continuing my series of posts of photos from my visit to the RAF Museum in London in 2022. You can see my first post here featuring the WWI aircraft in Hangar 2. As mentioned before, I've only recently gotten around to sorting through my collection, and I thought I’d share the pictures I took with everyone here. I'm going to break down my posts by hangar/exhibit and share pictures of each aircraft on display.

 

The next exhibit I am going to cover is "War in the Air 1918–1980" in Hangars 3, 4, and 5. As there are so many aircraft on display, I am going to break this exhibit into multiple posts, with this the first. For certain aircraft where I have taken enough pictures to warrant a walkaround, I will also put up separate posts for those and submit them to also be added to the LSP website Walkaround section.

 

 

The images I will post are highlights of the exhibit (on Flickr), and for those of you interested in seeing all the pictures I took at each exhibit (100s for each) at full resolution, I'll add a link to the applicable Google Photos album at the end of each post. The Google albums will have additional non-aircraft pictures and images of the museum placards with more detailed descriptions of each plane.

 

Bristol Bulldog Mk. IIa G-ABBB (static restoration)

The Bristol Bulldog was the RAF fighter of the early 1930s. It was the standard Royal Air Force fighter, equipping ten of its thirteen home defence Squadrons. In 1964, this aircraft crashed at the Farnborough Air Show and the aviation world thought the aircraft was beyond recovery. The RAF Museum, however, recovered the wreckage and in 1994 finally was able to place the contract to rebuild this aviation classic. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1994-1386-A-Bristol-Bulldog.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

Curtis Kittyhawk Mk. IV (static composite reconstruction)

The Kittyhawk was the final development of the monoplane Curtiss Hawk fighters and during World War Two provided the RAF with valuable reinforcements in the Middle East. This is a composite reconstruction from recovered P-40 wrecks from New Guinea and represents a Kittyhawk IV (P-40N) in RAF service with a lengthened fuselage and redesigned canopy. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1994-1347-A-Curtiss-Kittyhawk-FX670.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

de Havilland Chipmunk T.10 (Mk. 10) WP962

The Chipmunk was designed and produced in Canada, with Chipmunk T.10 examples being manufactured in the UK as the Royal Air Force’s primary trainer. This example is one of the two Chipmunks that circumnavigated the Northern Hemisphere as part of "Exercise Northern Venture." The flight lasted 64 days and covered 16,259 miles, visiting 62 airfields en route. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/X002-3448-Chipmunk-WP962.pdf

 

 

 

 

Hawker Hart II G-ABMR (restored, airworthy when presented to the museum in 1972)

First flown in July 1928, the Hart day bomber was one of the most advanced aircraft of its time with exceptional capability. Although designed as a bomber it had a performance superior to any fighter aircraft then in existence. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/74-A-29-Hawker-Hart-II-G-ABMR.pdf

 

 

 

 

Hawker Hunter FGA.9 XG154 (restored, repainted into 8/43 Squadron Khormaksar markings at RAF St Athan)

The Hunter was the first high-speed jet fighter with radar and fully-powered flying controls to go into widespread service with the Royal Air Force. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1990-0698-A-Hunter-FGA9-XG154.pdf

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by drsquid142

[drsquid142]

Hawker Typhoon Mk. Ib MN235 (restored, the sole surviving complete Typhoon)

Originally designed as a twelve-gun fighter, the Typhoon was intended to be the successor to the Hurricane. It suffered many development problems both with the airframe and its twenty-four-cylinder Napier Sabre engine. At the time of its introduction in 1941, it was the first 400mph fighter in the RAF and proved a match for the low-level tip-and-run Focke-Wulf Fw190s. It was, however, in the low-level close support role that the Typhoon excelled. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/74-A-27-Typhoon-MN235.pdf

[I have enough pictures of this airframe that I will also post a separate walkaround]

 

 

 

 

 

 

North American Harvard IIb FE905 (restored)

The North American Harvard trainer was built in greater numbers than most combat aircraft during World War Two, with 17,096 being produced. By the end of the War over 5000 had been supplied to British and Commonwealth Air Forces. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/85-AF-1356-Harvard-IIB-FE905.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

Republic Thunderbolt Mk. II/P-47D-40 (restored in the SEAC markings of KL216)

The Thunderbolt was one of the three most important American fighters produced during the war and saw extensive service with the United States Army Air Force before its comparatively late introduction into RAF operational service in 1944. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1994-1337-A-P-47-Thunderbolt-KL216.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by drsquid142

[Dpgsbody55]

Great photo's.  Thanks again for posting and looking forward to more. 

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[drsquid142]

Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe (static composite reconstruction that incorporates some 40% original components)

The The Snipe was designed as the successor to the immortal Camel with some reaching the Western Front from September 1918 proving to be highly successful. Around 100 were in service by the Armistice and when production ended in September 1919 over 2000 had been built, many going straight into storage never to enter service although Snipes did serve with twenty RAF Squadrons from 1919. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/X006-0349-Sopwith-Snipe-Composite.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 24 PK724 (restored)

The Spitfire F24 was the ultimate development of the type, but the advent of the jet fighter meant that only small numbers were built and even fewer went into Royal Air Force service. The last major production Spitfire was the F.22. The F.24 differed only in the smallest of details and only seventy F.24s were completed and most went into store although No.80 Squadron was fully equipped with the type. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/74-A-22-Spitfire-24-PK724.pdf [I have enough pictures of this airframe that I will also post a separate walkaround]

 

 

 

 

Rolls-Royce Griffon MK 57A
 

 

 

Taylorcraft Auster Mk.I LB264 (restored)

This design originated with a pre-war American light cabin monoplane of 1938 built in England under licence. Successful trials with impressed civilian Taylorcraft Plus D aircraft by the Army for artillery spotting duties led to the introduction of the first fully militarised Taylorcraft, the unarmed two-seat Auster I. More info on this airframe: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/X002-9988-TAYLORCRAFT-AUSTER-1-LB264.pdf

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by drsquid142

[drsquid142]

 

 

The entire Google Photos album from this part of the RAF Museum "War in the Air 1918–1980" exhibit can be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YqrcVjaX374R3PTz5

 

I'll be sharing more photos soon Thanks, Alex.

[drsquid142]

21 minutes ago, Dpgsbody55 said:

Great photo's.  Thanks again for posting and looking forward to more. 

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

I've added more pictures since you sent this reply 

[mozart]

An excellent selection! Many thanks. 

[MikeMaben]

Nice pix Alex 

[dennismcc]

Great photos, the RAF Museum is on my "Bucket list" of places to visit so thank you for the insight.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[drsquid142]

1 minute ago, dennismcc said:

Great photos, the RAF Museum is on my "Bucket list" of places to visit so thank you for the insight.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

I've only scratched the surface too -- tons more to come, including lots and lots of F-4 Phantom FGR.2 pics, Beaufighter, Beaufort, B-17, P-51, Vulcan, Mosquito, Lancaster, Tempest V, EE Lighting, Gulf War Buccaneer, some axis planes, and many more.

[RadBaron]

Brilliant, Alex, thankyou very much for sharing the pics!

[cmayer]

Thank you for posting these outstanding photos! I was "just" there in December, and some of the displays have been shifted around since you shot these photos...and that beautiful Spitfire F.24 wasn't even in the line-up when I was there (there was a black sedan parked next to the Typhoon instead)...so I'm really happy to see your photos.

Best,

Chris Mayer