the helicopter museum: newsletter vol. 1

7/31/2019 The Helicopter Museum: Newsletter Vol. 1

1/8

Top right: A cartoon of an RAF football team

taken from a pilots scrap book. Right:

Assistant Manager turned soldier. Bottom

right: A retirement presentation for Lester

Harris retiring in 1982 from Westlands.

Bottom left: A similar presentation forcollections officer Kathryn Tucker. Left: MOD

apprentices working on the Navy Lynx at the

museum. Top Left: The latest aircraft to

enter the collection, An Agusta Bell 206C-1

Jet Ranger from Italy.


2/8

Your Museum Needs You.

Dear all,

To the outsider (and one suspects many of the

Volunteers and Friends too) the Museum runs as a well-

financed machine, making a profit year after year. How

one wishes that were true!

In fact the Trustees and management are faced with a

challenge every year to ensure income exceeds

outgoings. Essential bills like power, rates and insurance

never come down and we continue to run on minimum

paid staff to keep costs down. Inevitably that means

relying on volunteers in every department to keep going

and to help raise funds.

Raising funds is essential if the Museum is to cover

building repairs, equipment maintenance and aircraft

restoration to mention just a few needs and that

doesnt include improving the displays, replacing the old

temporary buildings and match-funding grant aid bids.

Traditionally we have been very poor at encouraging our

supporters to raise funds for the Museum, especially

those who are not working volunteers at the Museum.

With the annual HeliDays event on the seafront gone,

there is an immediate 20,000 gap to fill every year. Lastyear the Friends raised just 1,000 among an estimated

200? Members, - 5.00 per head (and getting free

admission and shop discounts too!) So when did you last

organise a car boot or garage sale and donate the

proceeds to the Museum? Or volunteer to come and help

with one of our events?

Please think about it. Your Museum Needs You.

Elfan ap Rees

Chairman of Trustees

The New Newsletter needs your News!

Dear all,

Apologies for the overflow ofNs in the title but the point

remains the same, for the museum newsletter to survive

it needs the support of all that read it... and that means

YOU!

Having been a volunteer myself at the museum for over a

year, I thought it odd that the museum did not have a

volunteer and staff newsletter. The National Trust has

them and so do many smaller museums with half the

number of associates that the Helicopter Museum

possesses. This initial thought process triggered me to

create this very piece you are now reading.

The main aim of the newsletter is undoubtedly to

improve communication, being such a large organisation

and having the sheer number of volunteers we rely on, it

is vital to keep everyone well informed and organised, to

give everyone feedback and most importantly to thank

you all for your ongoing support.

When I eventually came to the planning stage of this

project I was immediately daunted by it. The vast scope

and variety of events happening at the museum meant

that a newsletter originally planned to be produced 3

times a year quickly grew to issues being planned every

two months. I was however, not alone in my endeavour,

many thanks must go to the management team and

volunteers who have taken an active interest in the

development of this project and covered my drafts in the

all too familiar red pen. People have actively been willing

to contribute to the newsletter, writing pieces without

hesitation and for that I must say thank you. This was my

vision for the newsletter and I can only hope that it

continues in a similar fashion.

On that note I must ask everyone who reads this piece to

bear me in mind the next time you start an interesting

project or make an unexpected discovery. Please email

me or even come and find me when such things happen.

Take photos, write up finds, make suggestions, what do

you want to see in the next issue, what was missed from

the last one? The newsletter can only continue if

everyone contributes to it.

I hope you enjoy the newsletter and I look forward to

hearing your comments and suggestions

Regards

John Clews

Do you follow the museum blog?

Keep up to date with the very latest news at the

museum. Follow restoration and conservation projects

and be the first to hear about new events!

To follow the museum blog click on the blog icon on thetop right hand side of our home page at

www.helicoptermuseum.co.ukThis will take you to the

collections blog where you can enter your email address

to be automatically contacted when the blog is updated.
http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/


3/8

News

The past two months have seen a number of major

events, changes and additions to the museum and the

collection.

New Staff:

A number of new members of staff started employment

at the museum in March, some totally new to the

organisation and some familiar faces. A big welcome to;

Sharon Webber (Assistant Manager)

Rod Holloway (Restoration Officer)

John Clews (Collections Officer)

Falklands conflict anniversary:

One of the museums largest and most ambitious events

to date was held on the 19th

and 20th

of May. The

Falklands anniversary and flight simulation weekend

included a number of memorable activities which drew

crowds from far and wide. The event was a great

accomplishment and is something the museum may be

replicating in the future.

We would like to thank all volunteers and staff who gave

their time to ensure that the event was a great success.

The feedback from the public was extremely positive.

Upcoming events

Throughout the next few months a number of important

events will be taking place at the museum. Extra help is

always appreciated during these times as the museum

will be extremely busy.

July:

20th

-22nd

, Helidays

28th

Stars of time pre show party with live band at 7pm

29th

- Stars of time sci-fi extravaganza

August:

12th

Heli Hobbies

September:

15th WW2 Hangar Dance Tickets now on sale!

If there is any chance you can help out for these events,please contact Lee Mills.

Carabinieri Bell Jet Ranger

Early May saw our newest addition to the museum

collection. The new aircraft is an Agusta Bell Jet Ranger

which is an Italian-built AB206 example, delivered in

September 1974 by Agusta Helicopters to the Italian state

police, the Carabinieri, and based at Pratica di Mare, near

Rome for security and law enforcement operations for

more than 30 years.

Dear volunteers:

Eyes Peeled:

With the increase in visitor numbers, can all volunteers

and staff keep an extra pair of eyes open when walking

through the museum. If anything seems out of place or

amiss please report it to Lee Mills or Sharon Webber.

Calling all volunteers! Your newsletter needs you:

Please can all volunteers and staff contact John Clews

regarding interesting stories and goings on at the

museum. This newsletter is for everyone at THM and will

need your input if it is to be a success.

New Volunteers

The museum has recently been blessed with newvolunteers. Please extend a warm welcome to;

Elliot Stephen Archives (Saturdays)

Linda Hamblyn Restoration (Wednesdays)


4/8

Restoration News

MOD apprentices at the museum:

From the 25th

to the 28th

of April the museum extended

a warm welcome to twelve highly skilled MOD

apprentices eager to help the restoration team. They

completed a number of jobs including:

Modifications to the Navy Lynx Restoration of a Whirlwind gear box

General cleaning of aircraft

Restoration of aircraft parts

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the

apprentices that took part and our own volunteers who

guided them through the three days.

Fairey Ultra-Light:

Work is continuing on the Fairey Ultra-Light at a quite

astonishing rate. The Ultra-Light team affectionately

known as the Fairey boys are fast approaching a

number of large projects on the historically important

aircraft.

Interesting visitors:

One of the main aims of the museum is to appeal to an

ever more diverse range of people whilst retaining its

current enthusiasts. The hardest part of introducing

people to the collection is how we present the museum

to groups who have little or no background knowledge in

aviation, a job that is being excellently fulfilled by the tour

guides (Keep it up chaps!). As you will see below the

guides at the museum have to deal with very different

groups all seeking very different experiences; Interesting

visitors in the last two months have included:

SAAB 3rd St Pauls Beavers

Age UK

RAF Wittering

Somerset Volunteers

Tour guide Tutors

Brantly B2-B:

Weekend staff and volunteers will certainly have heard

the hum of the Brantly B2-B, G-OAPR, sister ship to G-

ATFG, flying from the museum lately. The aircraft has an

iconic style and certainly brings in the crowds when

airborne. For those wanting some more information on

this machine here is a short summary provided by ourtour guides:

The B2-B is a conventional layout 2-seat helicopter with

a single-3 bladed rotor and 2-bladed tail rotor and a 180

hp flat-four piston-engine mounted with a vertical shaft

below a gearbox driving main and tail rotors. The cabin

has a wrap-round blown transparency forward of the

engine bulkhead. The fuselage is of a monocoque light

alloy construction. The Aircraft has a Skid undercarriage

with two groundhandling Wheels.

The Brantlys unique feature is its two-piece rotor blade,

in which the drag-hinge is located at about 40 per cent of

the blade radius. This arrangement was devised to give a

smoother ride, and the outer blade can be quickly

detached for packing.

The Palouste engine

from the Ultra-Light

awaiting restoration

in front of G-AOUJ,

one of only two

remaining examples

left of this

helicopter.


5/8

Archive News

The Frederick John Jeep Cable Collection:

Recently the museum has acquired a number of

extremely rare items relating to Frederick John Jeep

Cable. Cable began his career as the Tea boy at Cierva,

went on to serve throughout the Second World War and

was tragically killed in the Air Horse crash in 1950.

Among the items obtained by the museum are Cablesphoto albums and scrap books. One of the major

projects that have been started in the archives is the

digitization of these fragile items so that they can be

preserved in the long run. Below are some of the

pictures that have already been scanned.

Uncovered items in Achilles:

The spring clean around the museum has unearthed a

number of items and objects in the Achilles building.

These items will first be quarantined and subsequently

entered on the museum system.

Many thanks to Ryan Campbell for his hard work in

diligently storing and sorting the important items that

were uncovered.

Two minutes with...

For our first volunteer and staff focus I would like to

introduce a more than familiar face around the museum,

our very own general manager Lee Mills.

How long have you been at the museum?

I have been employed at the museum for 6 Years

What did you do before joining the museum?

Supermarket General Manager

What has been your best experience at the museum?

The first large event we organised in December 2006. ( X-

mas family fun-day) This was the first time all the

volunteers really pulled together as a unit and it led the

way for all the different events/shows/functions we have

organised since. We raised a lot of money for our charity

that day and John Ham (who sadly passed away recently)will always be remembered as a truly great Helicopter

Museum Santa Claus.

What would you like to see happen at the museum in

thefuture?

Growth, both in terms of the size of our collection and the

quality of the facility housing it. We want to host a varied

range of events and market the museum to a much wider

audience and demographic. With increased visitor

numbers comes extra revenue which we can invest in

improving our museum. I believe that is what all of us

truly want to see.

Spotters section

Here is the information about the aircraft that have

landed at the museum in the last month for all you

spotters out there:

May:

Date, Type, Registration, Flown From:

04.05.2012, A109E, G-EVIP, Cardiff

08.05.2012, Merlin,?????, Benson

11.05.2012, B206, G-CSTL, Shobdon

13.05.2012, 206, G-BEWY, BSL

16.05.2012, Lynx, XZ616, Odiham

16.05.2012, Lynx, XZ651, Odiham

19.05.2012, Gazelle, G-TIZZ, Bourne Park

25.05.2012, R44, G-ODHB, Gloucester Airport

27.05.2012, 206, G-BEWY, BSL

27.05.2012, 206, G-BEWY, BSL


6/8

Announcements

John Ham: (Written by Rod Holloway)It is with great sadness that we must announce the sad

loss of a very dear friend and colleague, John Ham. John

had been with us as a volunteer for quite a number of

years and was an excellent engineer. He was also very

much involved with Helidays over the years and always

drove the minibus to transport the military crews to and

from their respective hotels. The other thing we will all

miss is Johns wicked sense of humour and the girls will

miss the banter and teasing he always found for them.

He always put a smile on Cheryls face and even made

her blush quite a few times!! Even up until the final

hours of his life, John still made me laugh, and he still

insisted that he would be here to see the Landrover

come back! A friend and colleague that will always be

remembered!

Walter: (Written by Rod Holloway)

We recently received the very sad news that Walter, a

friend from the German Army, has been killed in a car

accident in Germany. Walter was the captain of a CH53

and had given thirty plus years of service to the army,

serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places. He

came to Helidays a number of times with the CH53 and

his crew were always at the forefront of the fun at the

BBQs on the seafront. He had retired from the German

Army within the last year or so and was still flying with

the Air Ambulance Service in Germany. Another very sad

loss to all of us that knew him.

Spotters section Continued

June:

Date, Type, Registration, Flown From:

09.06.2012, EC145, Air Ambulance, Filton

10.06.2012, 206, G-BEWY, BSL

14.06.2012, Squirrel, ZJ246, Middle Wallop

17.06.2012, 206, G-BEWY, BSL

25.06.2012, Chinook, ZH-902, Odiham

25.06.2012, Chinook, ZA-674, Odiham

25.06.2012, Chinook, ZA-677, Odiham

25.06.2012, Chinook, ZM-902, Odiham

25.06.2012, 206, G-BEWY, BSL

Visitor Feedback

Amazing re-enactment, will live with me

for years

Simply Haunting

Fantastic Visit

Absolutely amazing seen nothing like it

Very enjoyable flight, nice people

Great Value for a family day out

Photograph competition

Over the next issues this section will feature the top three

photos submitted to [email protected]

Photos do not specifically have to be of aircraft but must

be related to the museum in some way (pictures of events

or visits to the museum etc.) For now here are the best

photos I have encountered at the museum thus far.

1st

Place

A particularly strong

trustee takes delivery

of a Wessex blade!

2nd

Place

The bund in the throes

of winter. Is it just me

or does it feel like the

weather has notchanged that much...

3rd

Place

Our one and only G-

AOUJ in flight.


7/8

Hire The Museum!

Do you have a Birthday or anniversary coming up? Have you thought about Hiring your village hall for a party?

The Helicopter Museum is available for public hire and is not as expensive as you might think. We already have several

private events booked in for 2012 with groups ranging from 50-500 people. If you are interested in aviation, the

museum can provide a unique backdrop for your special day. Please contact Lee mills or Sharon Webber for details.

Visitor Vouchers

Print out the vouchers below and use them on your next visit to the museum! Vouchers are not to be used in

conjunction with any other offer or vouchers.

How to contact us? Tel: 01934-635227,

Email:[email protected]

Website:www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/mailto:[email protected]


8/8

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Whilst it is easy to forget, The Helicopter Museum is indeed a charity. Aircraft do not preserve themselves and a big part

of what the museum does is conservation and restoration based. The acquisition, preservation and restoration of

aircraft, some of which are the only existing examples left in the world, takes place on a daily basis at the museum so

that our aircraft can be enjoyed for generations to come. If you would like to help us in our task by contributing to therestoration budget, then please fill in the form below and send it off to us.

Your Donation

I would like to support the Helicopter Museum in their efforts to conserve and restore aircraft and educate the public

about vertical flight history and technology with a gift of:

10 20 30 50 100 Other

Name:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

Home Address:

Postcode:

I enclose a cheque made payable to The Helicopter Museum

Help us further by using gift aid

Thanks to the gift aid scheme we can reclaim money on your donation from the government. For every pound you give

us, we can claim an extra 25p. For example, a donation of 15 becomes 18.75 with gift aid at no extra cost to you.

I am a UK taxpayer and would like The Helicopter Museum to treat all future donations from today as gift aid donations.

I understand that in the relevant tax year I must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to

the tax that the charity reclaims on my donation.

Signature:

Please return this form in an envelope to:

The Helicopter Museum, Locking Moor Road, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, BS24 8PP

the helicopter museum: newsletter vol. 1

Documents