The final full “Thunder Day of the season will provide great Bank Holiday fun for the family on Monday 31st August. All seven of the Museum’s live aircraft will be fired up on site, providing a great spectacle of sight and, as the name suggests, sound! Regretfully, the “Rolling Thunder” aspect of this event with the planned fast taxi runs of the big jets will not take place due to unavoidable runway repairs, which have curtailed large aircraft movements on the airfield for the time being until these are completed. This is beyond the Museum’s control.
However, the standard format “Thunder Days” give a closer viewing of the engine starts and procedures involved so are in many ways more exciting and louder! The aircraft being run range from the tiny WWI bi-planes of the Eastchurch Kitten and Royal Aircraft Factory SSE 5a, to the WWII Douglas Dakota; post war De Havilland Devon twin prop VIP Transport then the mighty jets of the Yorkshire built Blackburn Buccaneer XN974, the “Mighty Hunter” BAE Nimrod MR2 XV250 and last, but certainly not least, the awesome Handley Page Victor V-bomber / K2 Tanker XL231 “Lusty Lindy”. When this still futuristic looking aircraft gives vent to its four Rolls Royce Conway engines, the ground shakes!
The start ups of the two “twin props” of the Douglas Dakota and De Havilland Devon are worth catching as this is normally accompanied by bangs and plumes of smoke and flame as the enginges kick, cough splutter and finally roar into life! A highly evocative experience of the pre-jet age!!
The programme of activity is as follows:
10:15am Fun with the Fire Team!
10:45am WWI bi-planes: PV8 Kitten and SE5a
11:30am De Havilland Devon
13:00pm Bi-planes repeated
13:30pm Blackburn Buccaneer XN974
14:00pm BAE Nimrod MR2 XV250
14:30pm HP Victor XL231
15:00pm De Havilland Devon
15:30pm WWII Douglas Dakota
Museum closes at 17:00pm
Admission for “Thunder Day” is: £10 Adults; £8 Concession; £5 Children and Family (2A + 3C)
(Engine starts subject to servicability on day.)
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