In 1912 a Royal Navy aircraft took off from a platform built for the purpose over the forecastle of HMS Hibernia in Weymouth Bay, the first time an aircraft had ever taken off from a ship under way at sea.
Since then, the Royal Navy has operated airships, seaplanes, flying boats and tens of thousands of aeroplanes and helicopters. It has built and deployed over a hundred aircraft-carrying ships and commissioned over a hundred air stations ashore for training and support operations.
Most of the innovative ideas that made the operation of aircraft from ships at sea possible at all have been British; many of them designed by officers serving in the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy invented many of the concepts and tactics used by air forces throughout the world.
It may surprise casual visitors to this web site to learn that the Royal Navy is, and always has been, one of the world's largest and most technically advanced air forces. The Centre for Naval Aviation Records and Research, within the Curatorial Department of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm Museum exists to collect records, photographs and other heritage material relevant to the people, aircraft and ships of Britain's flying Navy.
The armoured cars operated by the RNAS in World War 1 might also cause a little surprise. Innovation was not limited to the aircraft and their operation.
The Fleet Air Arm Museum houses 94 aircraft in its collection. Mostly complete and in sound condition, many of these aircraft could, potentially, be engineered back into flying condition. To do so would be financially costly but, more significantly, would remove a great deal of historically valuable evidence from the aircraft.
To fly them or even start the engines would require original material and components to be replaced or altered permanently. At a stroke the originality of the aircraft would be lost forever. Fittings, pipe-work, rivets, wire locking would all need updating to meet flying requirements. Even the paintwork and markings might have to be altered. Such an approach is regarded as unacceptable by Curators of fine art and historic objects but is common for machinery and industrial objects. At the FAAM we seek to preserve our unique collection for the future. We aim to keep as much of their original fabric and identity intact to form , in many cases, a vital source of reference for historians and engineers and to truly represent their story to our visitors.
Since 1996 David Morris, Curator of Aircraft and his team, have been examining and researching many of the aircraft within the collection to determine how many are truly original and how many could be returned to near original with specialist treatment.
The big questions in 1996 were:
1. Can an aircraft that was re-painted many years ago be returned to its original paintwork: presuming it survives beneath the later layers?
2. If the original paintwork can be revealed, is it a financially feasible exercise and what will it add to our understanding of the aircraft?
1. Can an aircraft that was re-painted many years ago be returned to its original paintwork: presuming it survives beneath the later layers?
2. If the original paintwork can be revealed, is it a financially feasible exercise and what will it add to our understanding of the aircraft?
In 2000 it was decided to use the Museum’s Corsair FG-1to pioneer this “whole aircraft” method of paintwork conservation. This ground breaking project is believed to be the first of its kind in the aviation Museum world.
Using techniques familiar to archaeologists and forensic scientists this project has revealed, after three years of painstaking work, a unique, time capsule aircraft. Inch by inch, layer by layer, the entire aircraft has been scrutinised, researched and carefully stripped of the paint finish applied in 1963, when the aircraft was first presented to the Fleet air Arm Museum
THE RESULT- A Corsair in as near to totally authentic and original condition from 1944 as it is possible to achieve. Paintwork, markings, stencilling, even the scratches and wear marks from the period are all original. Of the forty of so remaining Corsairs around the world (some in flying condition, some on display in Museums) there are no known examples in their truly original condition other than the FAAM’s Corsair KD 431.
a few examples of the fantastic exhibition
Albatros (replica)
Built by Williams, construction number 0034, as D-EGKO; 1982 - Noted at Chertsey with Leisure Sport; 1984 - Noted for sale at Lands End Airport; 01/08/1985 - Delivered to FAAM; 05/11/1991 - Certificate of Airworthiness expired
TECHNICAL DETAILS
For original aircraft
Role - Single seat fighting scout; Manufacturers - Albatros Werke G.m.b.H.(Alb.), Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke, Schneidemuhl(O.A.W.); Power plant - 180 and 200 hp Mercedes DIIIa 6 cylinder in line water cooled; Wingspan - 29ft 8.25in; Length - 24ft 0.62ins; Height - 8ft 10.25ins; Weight - 2,061lbs loaded; Max speed - 116mph; Duration - 2 hours; Armament - 2 fixed Spandau machine guns firing through the airscrew
Sopwith Triplane (replica)
1982 - With Leisure Sport at Chertsey; 25/03/1987 - Arrived at FAAM 18/10/04 Moved off display and put into restoration hanger 19/10/04 Moved to Cobham Hall May/June 05 Repainted as N5459 of 9sqdn RNAS 7/6/05 Moved back to Hall 1 in museum.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
For original aircraft
Role - Single seat fighting scout; Manufacturers - Sopwith Aviation Company Ltd,Clayton & Shuttleworth Ltd and Oakley Ltd; Power plant - One 110hp or 130hp Clerget; Wingspan - 26ft 6in; Length - 18ft 10in; Height - 10ft 6in; Weight - 1,541lb loaded; Max speed - 117mph at 5,000ft; Range - 2hrs 45min endurance; Armament - One fixed synchronised Vickers machine gun, some had twin Vickers mounted
Fairey Fulmar
Only known existing example
1939 - Built at Heaton Chapel construction number - F.3707; 04/01/1940 - First flight at Ringway (pilot - Duncan Menzies); 05/05/1940 - To Boscombe Down (C Sqdn) for trials and onboard HMS Illustrious; 12/1940 - Returned to Faireys for conversion to MkII (with Merlin 30 engine); 13/07/1945 - Noted at Church Broughton; 29/07/1946 - Registered as G-AIBE, and retained by Fairey Aviation as a company hack during the 1950's; 06/1959 - Repainted in camouflage scheme; 06/07/1959 - Certificate of Airworthiness expired; 1961 - Noted at White Waltham, still airworthy; 18/12/1962 - Last recorded flight to RNAS Lossiemouth on return to Royal Navy; Non airworthy at RNAS Lossiemouth; 22/09/1972 - To FAAM
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Role - Two seat fighter; Manufacturers - Fairey Aviation Co Ltd; Power plant - One 1,035hp Rolls Royce Merlin VIII; Wingspan - 46ft 4.5in; Length - 40ft 2in; Height - 14ft; Weight - 10,700lb loaded; Max speed - 246mph at 9,000ft; Duration - 650 nautical miles with normal tanks, 865 nm with extra tanks; Armament - Eight fixed Browning guns mounted in the wings
Supermarine Seafire F17
Built at Yeovil by Westland Aircraft; 25/09/1945 - From Yeovil to RNAS Culham; 28/01/1946 - To RNAS Henstridge; 05/04/1946 - RNARY Fleetlands; 17/06/1947 - To Westland Aircraft at Yeovilton; 26/08/1947 - To RNAS Gosport; 27/02/1948 - RNARY Fleetlands; 21/04/1948 - RNAS Anthorn; 21/02/1950 - RNAS Stretton; 17/03/1950 - Into G13 storage at RNAS Stretton; 11/05/1951 - Removed from storage; 18/06/1951 - To 1831 NAS at RNAS Stretton; 06/11/1951 - 759 NAS at RNAS Culdrose as call sign '168'; 12/05/1953 - To RNAS Stretton; 30/06/1953 - To RNARY Fleetlands for overhaul; 18/05/1954 - Back to RNAS Stretton; 09/07/1954 - To RNAS Yeovilton; 06/05/1955 - Written off Charge; 1957 - Restored; 1961 - Noted at RNAS Yeovilton; 06/1962 - Loaned to RAF for Royal Tournament and painted with Hurricane serial 'W9132' and name 'Suzy'; To RAF Bicester for refurbishment; 1968 - Noted back at FAAM; 03/03/1976 - To A&AEE Boscombe Down by road; 09/03/1976 - Back at FAAM; 17/05/1994 - Lent to RNAS Lee on Solent for D Day Anniversary
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Role - Single seat fighter, fighter bomber and reconnaissance aircraft; Manufacturers - Vickers Supermarine, Cunliffe-Owen and Westland Aircraft Ltd; Power plant - One 1,850hp Rolls Royce Griffon VI; Wingspan - 36ft 10in; Length - 33ft 7in; Height - 12ft 9in; Weight - 8,010lb loaded; Max speed - 387mph at 13,500ft; Duration - 440miles with auxilliary tanks; Armament - Two 20mm guns and four 0.303 guns plus eight 60lb rocket projectiles below the wings
Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka II
Ohka means Cherry Blossom. This was a Japenese suicide flying bomb dropped from a bomber approx 20 miles from its intended target
n.o. 15-1585; 1963 - Noted at the Science Museum; 1982 - Moved to the Science Museum's reserve store at Hayes; 06/1982 - Moved to FAAM and put on display
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Role - Single seat suicide flying bomb; Manufacturers - Yokosuka; Power plant - Three Type 4 Mk1 model 20 solid propellant rockets; Wingspan - 16ft 9in; Length - 19ft 11in; Height - 3ft 10in (no undercarriage); Weight - 4,178lbs; Max speed - 350kts; Duration - 20 miles, about 8 to 10 seconds endurance; Armament - Warhead of 2,646lbs