Hawker Association Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton Visit
Wednesday 5 September 2012 updated 10Aug2012

The Hawker Association have accepted the offer to visit the the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) Museum's Reserve Collection or take a tour of the Royal Navy Historic Flight's (RNHF) airside Operational Area. These visits are by very special dispensation because these areas are not normally open to the public. The tour to the Royal Navy Historic Flight's (RNHF) airside Operational Area must be pre-booked.

Travel to Yeovilton, will be by coach with pickup points at Chertsey and Farnborough, details for Chertsey, Farnborough. The coach will have a toilet. The coach will leave at 09:00, will arrive at Yeovilton about 11:00, and depart at about 16:30, so expected return to Kingston area, about 19:00. A long day, but a very interesting one. Cost for the day, including coach travel and entry fees, will be £30.

The day at Yeovilton will be in two halves, either side of lunch in the Fleet Air Arm Museum's Swordfish Restaurant between 13:00 - 14:00.

The Museum's Reserve Collection, which houses about 90  aircraft - some rare - will be open for our visit. The Collection will not open in the afternoon, however, visitors may continue into the Main FAA Museum which is open all day.

The applicants who book to go 'airside' on the morning RNHF tour will return to have lunch, and they can also visit the main FAA Museum, always worth another look.

Those who have booked their place on the afternoon RNHF tour will assemble at, and depart from the Swordfish Restaurant.

Each tour of the RNHF’s area, is limited to a maximum of 20 visitors. The morning tour is scheduled for 11:30 – 13:00, the afternoon one (list now closed) for 14:00 – 16:00.

Travel to the Flight's Hangar will be in the coach, booked by the Association, with departure from and returning to the Swordfish Restaurant. Because these are airside visits the group will be accompanied by an RNAS guide, and Identity Badges will be worn by all.

On a tour of the Flight's workshop and maintenance areas, dependent on where the aircraft have been for air show bookings, visitors can expect to get really close to the Flight's single seat Fury, their Sea Hawk, and their two Swordfish. A unique opportunity, not to be missed!

As well as all day entry to the main FAA Museum, two ‘special dispensation’ morning tours are still available; a visit to the Reserve Collection, or the RNHF tour which must be pre-booked.

Upon arrival at RNAS Yeovilton those booked for the morning RNHF tour will proceed directly to the Flight’s hangar for welcome and refreshments in the Crew Room. That group will return to the Swordfish Restaurant, have lunch, entry can then be made to the main FAA Museum.

The other tour is a visit to the Reserve Collection while it is open, have lunch, and then entry can then be made to the main FAA Museum.

When bookings for the RNHF tour reach 20, that list will close, and a standby list will be opened. Numbers to enter the  Reserve Collection are limited only by the seat capacity of the coach .

Ken Batstone is taking bookings at meetings, and by phone calls to 01932 229938.

The outline programme is as follows:

11:15 Coach arrives FAA Museum car park, meet and greet, drive to Cobham Hall

11:45 First group of 20 visitors tour RNHF

12:00 Coach repositions at Cobham Hall

12:30 Coach from Cobham Hall to FAA Museum - lunch in Swordfish Restaurant (pay own way)

12:40 Coach repositions at RNHF

12:45 Coach from RNHF to FAA Museum - lunch in Swordfish Restaurant (pay own way)

13:30 Coach from Museum to RNHF with second group of 20

            Remaining visitors tour Museum

15:00 Coach from RNHF to Museum

16:30 Visitors depart