Army Flying Museum, Middle Wallop or Aerospace Bristol

[Hutch]

If you had a choice to visit either of these museums which would you chose?  Mrs Hutch has suggested a trip somewhere for my up-coming birthday and I feel a museum trip is a good option.  Luckily, she is an aircraft fanatic as well so it's a win-win situation.  SO, which one would you choose and why?  I've never been to Aerospace Bristol and my last trip to Wallop was probably back in the 90s.  Mrs H hasn't visited either...

 

Many thanks in advance......!

 

Hutch

 

 

[nheather]

Another one to consider, though may be too far for you - the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton - it is excellent.

 

Never been to the Aerospace Bristol museum and it is a long time since I have been to Middle Wallop.  Looking at the websites I’d say Aerospace Bristol - I like the idea of the Army Flying Corps as something different but put off that their website doesn’t say what they have on display.

 

But of the three, the FAA museum by a long way.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

 

 

[Aeronut]

Both are good museums. At Filton the light show on the outside of Concorde is excellent and the museum does an excellent job at describing Bristol's part in aviation history.

Middle Wallop benefits from being on an active military airfield (just so long as you visit on a weekday) and the museum had a refit last winter with some new (old) aircraft coming on display.

I'm biased towards Middle Wallop, but I would be, I work there.

However, Wallop is in the middle of nowhere and Bristol Aerospace is within walking distance of Cribs Causeway shopping centre so Mrs Hutch may like a two venue day out.

[Truro Model Builder]

I went to Filton last year and this was the review I left on their Facebook page. I had to write as I saw.

 

Quote

I really wanted to like this museum, after having visited the old Bristol Aero Collection hangar at Kemble airfield many moons ago.
 
Unfortunately it had the air of a soulless mausoleum to me, with the modern trend of not displaying many actual exhibits but with walls plastered with information boards. That Airbus is a major sponsor is plainly evident. The story of the Bristol Aeroplane Company and its products seemed very superficial, with many of the company's products getting barely a mention. The Bristol Bulldog? The Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojet? The Bristol Beaufort? And why bring in a Sea Harrier to showcase its Bristol-designed engine when the Trust already owned the unique PCB Harrier which did a great deal of research concerning that very engine and had an interesting story to tell?
 
The main thrust of the museum seems to be to get you to see the Concorde, which sits isolated and alone in a huge shed of a building. Yeovilton Museum's Concorde is in a similar sized building, and they do a much better job of telling its story.
 
While I applaud the Managing Trust's emphasis on getting schoolchildren interested in STEM subjects I wonder what it is doing for those of us who are beyond that point in our lives. I guess that is part of the issue of jumping through the many hoops to get lottery funding and grant money. Sadly disappointing, and I was in and out in half an hour wondering why I had parted with £15 for the privilege.

 

 

[robc]

.... and that PCB Harrier is rotting away outside the Helicopter museum at Weston.

 

 

 

Very sad..

 

Rob

Edited November 11, 2019 by robc
typo

[bootneck]

If we hadn't taken it then it would probably already have gone to scrap.  There is some 'very tenuous' speculation that it might be getting a new home in the future.  Don't have enough details to know if anything will come of it yet.

 

Mike