RAF Museum invites you to take a closer look as they dismantle their Battle of Britain aircraft

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

The RAF Museum is taking its historic Battle of Britain aircraft apart - and you are invited to film, photograph and take a closer look

a close up inside the intersection of the wing and fuselage of a SpitfireInside the Spitfire at the RAF Museum London© Courtesy RAF Museum
World War Two aeroplane enthusiasts and general visitors are being encouraged to visit the RAF Museum London for a once in a lifetime opportunity to get ‘under the skin’ of some of its iconic Battle of Britain aircraft.

The London museum is conducting an open condition survey of its aircraft as part of its on-going plans to commemorate and celebrate the RAF’s Centenary in 2018 and the public is being encouraged to visit, film and photograph the process.

Panels are currently being removed and parts dismantled for closer inspection by qualified technicians in the Battle of Britain Hall at the historic Hendon site in London as part of the survey, which will last until November 2016.

a photo of an RAF Hurricane with its wings and engine cowling removedThe RAF Museum's Battle of Britain Hurricane © Courtesy RAF Museum
"In preparation for the RAF centenary programme we need to survey all of our aircraft here in the Battle of Britain Hall and we’re inviting people to come and see under the skin as we undertake that survey work,“ said Rebecca Dalley, the Museum’s Centenary Programme Manager.

"These are real Battle of Britain veterans; this Spitfire fought in the Battle of Britain, these are aircraft that are part of the national collection and they are 100 per cent genuine.

"We have the most genuine Battle of Britain aircraft in the world and that’s what makes these so special; they are not painted like Battle of Britain aeroplanes, these are Battle of Britain aeroplanes.”

The museum is marking the centenary of the RAF in 2018 with a transformation of its London site via new exhibitions, improved education, volunteering opportunities and a landscaping project that will emphasise the site’s importance as a heritage airfield.
a photo of a man in a boiler suit overseeing the removal of a wing of a Spitfire in a hangarRemoving a wing in the Battle of Britain Hall© Courtesy RAF Museum
a photo of an aeroplane in a hangar with its cowling offThe Me109 at the RAF Museum© Courtesy of the RAF Museum
a photo of a Hurricane in the Battle of Britain Hall at the RAF MuseumThe Battle of Britain Hurricane© Courtesy the RAF Museum
a photo of a man in a boiler suit beneath the fuselage of an Me109Underneath the ME 109© Courtesy The RAF Museum
Watch a short film about the project:


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Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/military-history/world-war-two/art548418-RAF-Museum-invites-you-to-take-a-closer-look-as-they-assess-their-Battle-of-Britain-aircraft

Keywords: History and Heritage Military History World War II Battle of Britain air warfare fighter Spitfire Hurricane England London

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