Hawker Association Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton Visit
Wednesday 5 September 2012 Story - Frank Rainsborough updated 13Apr19

Twenty Hawker Association Members, with 10 guests, and our now regular 'Hills of Hersham' coach driver Danny Hill, had an informative and very enjoyable visit to the Royal Naval Air Station,Yeovilton.

The journey would be by way of M25/M3/A303 and the proximity of the coach depot to Junction 11 of the M25 predicated that most of the local to Kingston members were asked to make their way to a difficult to find industrial estate in Chertsey.

The contingent that were to be picked up at Farnborough had no such problem in that the rendezvous was BAE Systems York House, an office building well known by them, it certainly isn't tucked away on an industrial estate!

With both contingents safely aboard the guests were welcomed by name, and Frank and Ken issued very professional looking identity badges to each passenger. Also issued was an 8-page booklet, a re-print to A5 format, of a feature article that was run in the July 2011 'Aeroplane' magazine, the feature article was about the Royal Navy Historic Flight's 2-seater Sea Fury VX281, which we expected to see later that day, and get very close to, and we did! We were also issued with two postcards, one featuring a Seahawk, the other the Flight's very own Sea Fury VX281.

Upon arrival at Yeovilton we were met by the Chief Executive Officer of the Fly Navy Heritage Trust, Capt Mike Nixon OBE FRAeS. Mike explained that very smartly uniformed Royal Navy Lieutenants would accompany each group on their allotted tours, the 'Blue' group were the morning tour to the Royal Navy Historic Flight's airside Operational Area, and given that the Flight's hangar was the other side of the airfield it meant the coach would drive round the perimeter track, not too far from various fixed and rotary wing aircraft movements!

Katie Campbell, the Events Manager for the Flight, welcomed the group in the Crew Room and refreshments were served. The group were invited into the hangar where Katie's explanations of both the background and current position of the Flight, its connections with the MoD, its connections with Mike Nixon's FNHT, and her descriptions of the aircraft that the Flight operates was most interesting. Katie apologised that the Seahawk was away under specialist maintenance and she apologised that the Flight's Swordfish LS326 was also away, but for better reasons, it was flying on the air show circuit.  But she offered that a return visit could be made when all the Flight's aircraft would be there.

However, there was still plenty to see and the visitors were invited to wander at will, right up to the aircraft, and to ask question or talk to the personnel who were working on what was in the hangar. There was a FB11 single-seat Sea Fury VR930, receiving engine and airframe maintenance, and a Swordfish awaiting fitting of wings. On the apron outside the hangar, bathed in brilliant sunshine was the Flight's current air show star, the 2-seater Sea Fury VX281, and alongside it, the Flight's much used and much loved T10 Chipmunk, WK608.

Visitors did indeed wander at will inspecting these aircraft at very close range, asking the aircraft fitters questions and getting engaged in conversations, while other visitors' camera shutters were working overtime!  The allotted 90 minutes flew by, it was time to return airside for lunch in the Swordfish Restaurant, and exchange places with those who had been on the other morning tour, the tour to the Cobham Hall. The journey to the Cobham Hall was also by coach, but shorter and still airside.

For that tour the very smartly uniformed Royal Navy Lieutenant guide was joined by the Curator of the Fleet Air Museum, David Morris. David did a clockwise circuit in the Hall explaining as he went, information on some of the very rare assets that were stored in this Hall. Information that was completely new, even to those knowledgeable on naval aviation history.

One of the stars was a Fairey Barracuda aircraft that was being returned into something that looked at least, as if it could fly. It was being re-assembled from some clearly recognisable items such as oleo legs, but much of it was on another floor area, it appeared these were unrecognisable twisted metal components scattered on the floor, but apparently they were logically scattered, waiting identification.

At the conclusion of that Cobham Hall tour the coach returned the group to the Swordfish Restaurant, lunch was partaken and the coach then took the Group 1, the 'Yellow' group airside for the afternoon RNHF tour, while Group 2, the 'Blue' group went into the main Fleet Air Arm Museum.

At 16:30 the two groups came together again at the Swordfish Restaurant, a comfort visit was suggested and some visited the Fleet Air Arm shop to make some last minute purchases. Mike Nixon offered a parting gift package of three items. Item 1 was an impressive glossy brochure, 'Fly Navy Heritage Trust', item 2 was an invitation to join the Trust as a Supporter, and item 3 was a DVD.

Playing it later revealed that it featured some people very well known to the Association, and of course, Hawker aircraft, in particular an aircraft we'd been standing beside earlier that day, the T20 Sea Fury VX281. Our Association member Ade Orchard appears in the DVD, as does member Capt 'Winkle' Brown, and this superb little programme of just over 5 minutes duration ends with the Seahawk doing its graceful acrobatics, and a pair of Sea Harriers on a fast low-level fly-past. An excellent way to remind us of a super day out. To Mike, to the Trust and to the Flight, and everybody that contributed, we thank you all!