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| This was the tower and main building on the base |
We are enjoying our two week stay in England. We started out with 4 days in Bologna visiting some friends doing a Fulbright visit there. Next we spent 4 days in Cambridge University where Lulu did a presentation about teaching in China. After that we took a fan bus trip to see a soccer game - in Wrexham Wales - where Lulu's team plays. It was a 4 hours bus ride there - then 4 hours back. We had great game seats right by the goal. Now we have a week in London just paling around.
Today we were at the Royal Air Force Museum about 6 miles north of our hotel. Hendon Field during the war housed fighter planes that defended London against the Nazis. The city has grown up around it - and it now is a museum with a wonderful collection of planes. It is free. Most of the buildings are still intact.
Normally it is an easy subway ride - but the Northern line is closed until Friday. So we took a bus - which had 33 stops and took forever. We had the museum to ourselves. On the way home we booked an uber electric cab. It was very quiet and nice - and only 20 pounds. We got back much quicker too. The driver has 21,000 rides and a 4.97 rating.
There are 8 different buildings displaying different aircraft from different eras.
During the war - when the Nazis first attacked England - they were on their own. It looked bleak as they were bombed for 70 days. But they held up. Later after the USA was attacked by Japan - we did join the war and help France and England. Prime Minister Churchill said - this was their finest hour.
England does pay homage to the Americans and their wonderful planes that helped win the war.
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| This hangar is the first thing you see from the road |
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| This Hurricane fighter is also out front |
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| These hangars are filled with planes |
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| Torpedoes on a Sunderland bomber |
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| You could buy authentic flyer jackets |
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| This Model T Ford started planes by twisting the prop |
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| This was part of a gondola that hung from a dirigible |
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| Campaign cars |
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| Hurricane Fighter |
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| A Taylor spotting plane |
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| American P-40 Flying Tiger |
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| German Messerschmidt that attacked London |
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| German Herman Goering said this |
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| The Lancaster Bomber |
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| Churchill was the cheerleader |
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| Ambulance Truck |
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| Ford Jeep |
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| American B-17 Bomber |
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| Under the cover - the first German jet |
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| The American P-51 with Merlin Rolls Royce engine |
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German Komet - the first rocket plane.
It was fast but only had 7 minutes of fuel |
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| The Standard - a campaign car |
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| Monument to American 8th Air Force |
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Japanese Baka Bomb - suicide plane with
2000 pounds of TnT in it |
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| World War I trainer |
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| WWI Sopwith fighter |
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| Quonset hut - men lived there |
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| New Zealand plane |
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| Old airplane hangar |
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| Administration |
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| Modern Harrier Jet could take off vertical |
