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Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Royal Air Force Museum in Colindale England

 

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. 







This hangar is the first thing you see from the road

This Hurricane fighter is also out front

These hangars are filled with planes

Torpedoes on a Sunderland bomber

You could buy authentic flyer jackets

This Model T Ford started planes by twisting the prop

This was part of a gondola that hung from a dirigible

Campaign cars

Hurricane Fighter

A Taylor spotting plane

American P-40 Flying Tiger



German Messerschmidt that attacked London

German Herman Goering said this

The Lancaster Bomber

Churchill was the cheerleader


Ambulance Truck

Ford Jeep

American B-17 Bomber

Under the cover - the first German jet

The American P-51 with Merlin Rolls Royce engine



German Komet - the first rocket plane.
It was fast but only had 7 minutes of fuel


The Standard - a campaign car

Monument to American 8th Air Force

Japanese Baka Bomb - suicide plane with 
2000 pounds of TnT in it

World War I trainer

WWI Sopwith fighter

Quonset hut - men lived there

New Zealand plane




Old airplane hangar



Administration

Modern Harrier Jet could take off vertical

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