London Science Museum - 40 years on

[cheshireexile]

Forty years ago I visited the Science Museum during a childhood family holiday. According to a rather dogged-earred copy of CAM 1978 on that day I logged the following exhibits:

30th May 1978
AP507 Cierva Autogyro A Rota I Royal Air Force
BAPC.100 One off Hang Gliders Science Museum
BAPC.50 Avro Triplane Type 1 Science Museum
BAPC.51 Vickers Vimy IV Science Museum
BAPC.52 Lilienthal Gliders Science Museum
BAPC.53 Wright Flyer Replica Science Museum
BAPC.54 JAP-Harding Monoplane Science Museum
BAPC.55 Levasseur Antoinette VII Science Museum
BAPC.56 Fokker E III Science Museum
BAPC.57 Pilcher Glider Replica Science Museum
BAPC.58 Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka 11 Science Museum
BAPC.85 Weir Autogyro W-2 Science Museum
G-AAAH de Havilland DH.60 Moth DH.60G Private
G-AYVO Wallis Autogyros Series 1 Private
G-EBIB Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 Private

Recently when faced with a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon I revisited the museum. The log from that day is below. One or two items seemed to have disappeared over the years but most were still there. The new items are probably additions over the years but there also a chance I just didn't see or record them on the original visit; I was quite young at the time.

There are some photos on flickr (London Science Museum 20-Jan-18) including some non-aviation items although they are not the best. Like many museums the exhibits were often quite crowded and the majority were hung from the ceiling. The lighting was particularly tricky, especially in the Flight gallery where it was generally dark - to the point exhibit information signs could be difficult to read - but with hot spots from display cabinets and spotlights. Of course timing gaps between photo-bombing children and tourists add to the experience. Anyway on with the recent log ...

20th Jan 2018
1364 Meggitt Banshee Ministry of Defence
191316 Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet 1a Luftwaffe
AP507 Cierva Autogyro A Rota I Royal Air Force
BAPC.124 Lilienthal Gliders Replica Science Museum
BAPC.199 Fieseler V-1 Fi 103 Private
BAPC.430 British Army Airship II British Army
BAPC.50 Avro Triplane Type 1 Private
BAPC.51 Vickers Vimy IV Science Museum
BAPC.53 Wright Flyer Replica Private
BAPC.54 JAP-Harding Monoplane Private
BAPC.55 Levasseur Antoinette VII Private
BAPC.56 Fokker E III Science Museum
BAPC.62 Cody Type 5 Science Museum
BGA2091 Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus Science Museum
D7560 Avro 504 Royal Air Force
G-AAAH de Havilland DH.60 Moth DH.60G Private
G-AACN Handley Page HP39 Gugnunc Private
G-ASSM Hawker 125 1 Corporate
G-AZPH Pitts S-1 S-1S Private
G-EBIB Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 Private
G-LIOA Lockheed 10 Electra A Private
J8067 Hill Pterodactyl I Royal Air Force
KN448 Douglas DC-3 Royal Canadian Air Force
L1592 Hawker Hurricane I Royal Air Force
P9444 Vickers Supermarine Spitfire I Royal Air Force
S1595 Supermarine S.6B Royal Air Force
W4041 Gloster E.28/39 Royal Aircraft Establishment
XG900 Short SC.1 Royal Aircraft Establishment
XJ314 Rolls Royce Thrust Measuring Rig Royal Aircraft Establishment
XN344 Saunders-Roe Skeeter AOP.12 Army Air Corps
XP831 Hawker Siddeley Harrier P.1127 Royal Air Force

[lordevanelpuss]

Some could have been moved to London from Wroughton. I remember seeing Cugnunc G-AACN there while attending another event back in the 1980s

[graham]

What a great post Chris, very nostalgic, many thanks for posting it.