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Back in the Hot Seat

A powerful moment on Wednesday when Meteor veteran Hal Taylor was reunited...

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Vampire and Meteor

Two gold members - Rob Rennie and Doug Johns enjoyed the flight of a lifetime, at the weekend....

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Meteor vs Tempest

A friend just sent me this link and I felt it should be shared with my fellow anoraksics...

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Lt Cdr Pete Sheppard

Every now and then, we get to meet some pretty special people here at Classic Air Force. Today was one of those days....

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Amazing and awsome

The former Omani Air Force jet did a sortie around Cornwall flying at altitudes of 500 - 5000 feet at high speeds....

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Back by popular demand!

Now that our Newquay Aviation Museum is in full swing we've found time to turn our attention back to our long-standing base of operations here in Coventry. We're keeping it fairly low-key for now, but if you like the idea of seeing how our aircraft are maintained and restored then you're going to love a visit to our Airbase.

Four Rolls-Royce Griffons totalling 10,000 horse power. Eight contra-rotating propellers that shift more air than a decent sized hurricane. When that lot gets spinning it creates a whole new definition of noise. Or music as we prefer to call it.

The Shackleton Preservation Trust has done a superb job of bringing this beauty back to life, and they're looking forward to showing you around. Make sure you check the galley, where the Honker's Stew was brewed. Then try it for yourself in the Canberra Café. You'll learn one of the reasons Shackleton crews always looked so happy!

Sitting next to the Shackleton is the mighty Nimrod, the Shack's successor in protecting our shores. You'll need to set aside plenty of time to explore this beastie and take in the mass of on-board technology. Based on the de Havilland Comet, the Nimrod was the backbone of coastal defence from the sixties right up until 2011. And, like the Shackleton, their crews were fuelled by Honker's Stew, brewed up in the slightly upgraded galley!

 

Fancy Some Shopping?

In among the aircraft in the hangars you'll find some fascinating stalls, selling new and used books, gift items, aviation memorabilia and more. The choice is growing all the time, making this a great place to while away the time with some highly unusual retail therapy in a unique setting.

You're visiting a working hangar so be ready for the odd oil spill and the smells of fresh paint and old aeroplanes. We want you to see what goes into bringing vintage aircraft back to life. So if you see a pile of apparently decaying wood in a corner it's almost certainly a valuable airframe that one day will be ready for new fabric and a smart  coat of paint. You'd be amazed what can be done, given skill, dedication, and a frightening amount of money. And that's where you come in. We hope that you'll enjoy your visit enough to make a small donation to help us preserve the aviation heritage that belongs to us all.

Air travel used to be a pleasure. All this modern dashing about and queuing up to sit with your knees against your chest, peering through a tiny porthole at a lot of clouds has somewhat spoiled things. So here's a chance to wind back the clock and relax in the art-deco comfort of a thirties biplane airliner.

This is how it felt to explore the Empire in a simpler, less frenetic world. Treat yourself and book a trip back in time here.