Newark Air Museum News Release
Great News – Museum Re-Opening
http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/latest-news
The Newark Air Museum (NAM) is a registered charity, located in eastern Nottinghamshire; close to the border with Lincolnshire; like many similar organisations it has been closed throughout the second Covid-19 lockdown.
The good news is that the museum will re-open to the public on Saturday 5th December at 10am. Throughout December and the Christmas Holiday period it will also be open on the following days; however, some restrictions will be in place:
Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th December
Weds 9th December
Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th December
Weds 16th December
Saturday 19th to Wednesday 23rd December (inclusive)
Sunday 27th to Thurs 31st December (inclusive)
Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd January 2021
To comply with the regulations, NAM will not be able to open the 2 Aircraft Display Hangars, the Engine Hall or the Small Object Display Hall to visitors, so only the outdoor exhibits will be accessible. There is no need to pre-book to pay NAM a visit. However, visitors will need to comply with Tier 3 Covid Regulations & Guidance. The museum has well-proven COVID-secure measures in place, allowing everyone to enjoy a socially distanced visit in a safe and Covid-Secure manner.
Under this revised method of opening visitors will be able wander around NAM’s 16-acre site and be able to see:
· 26 aircraft & helicopters (c/w ongoing restoration work on some days)
· 3 fuselage restoration projects
· 5 aircraft cockpits
· The Museum Memorial Garden
· The Dig For Victory Garden
· Various munitions – Yellow Sun, Blue Steel, ZPU-4 etc.
· The NAM Red Barrows
· The famous ex RAF Swinderby Post Box
In recognition of this much reduced offer the trustees have lowered the admission cost to £5 per adult (all ages), with FREE admission to accompanied children under the age of 16. Visitors with Motability needs should be aware that some exhibits are displayed on grass and these can be difficult to access during wet conditions – NAM is sorry about this, but please be aware if you plan to visit.
To comply with the regulations, there will only be a takeaway service from the Museum Café. This means that there will be no indoor seating available to eat or drink any purchases. The picnic benches outside will be accessible but visitors should comply with the Tier 3 Covid regulations. The food options will be limited to pre-packed sandwiches; cakes; snacks; hot & cold drinks; plus, our famed Toasties & Paninis – please remember that these have to be consumed outside the café.
The Museum Shop will be open as normal, for all of those aviation purchases such as aircraft kits, modelling supplies; books etc. – we recommend shopping early for Christmas, as some suppliers are struggling to provide us with requested stock.
Our revised opening times for this month are 10am-3pm (last admission at 2pm). The Museum Café will close 30 minutes before closing time. The Museum Shop will close at the same time as the museum, with last admissions for shoppers into the shop being 20 minutes before closing time.
We will however keep these dates under review and may change them if Tier 3 Regulations or our circumstances alter. We suggest that you keep up to speed by checking the website on a regular basis; following us on Twitter or by calling 01636 707170 before you visit.
http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/latest-news
Another Puma arrives at Newark Air Museum
On Thursday 1st October 2020, another Puma fuselage arrived at Newark Air Museum’s site in eastern Nottinghamshire, close to the county border with Lincolnshire. This arrival was accompanied by a significant collection of Puma spares.
The collection of donated items was transported from its former location in the south of England, to Newark as part of the museums’ efforts to effect a complete rebuild of Aerospatiale Puma HC Mk 1 helicopter, XW208.
As well as the Puma 9L-LSG fuselage, other significant items that arrived for the project were: a rotor head, gearbox, rotor blades, tail booms, tail rotor blades and troop seats. As with the arrival of XW208 back in February 2018, this latest collection and delivery project was completed by local contractor Gillivers Haulage.
“We are extremely grateful for this latest significant donation of parts”, commented museum trustee and XW208 rebuild expert, Kev Graham, he continued. “The first job will be to undertake an extensive spares recovery programme from the fuselage.”
He concluded, “Once this has been completed we will start refitting the recovered items to XW208 with the aim of making it the first complete Puma HC.1 to be displayed in the UK!”
Newark Air Museum Shop – New Order & Collect system introduced
Throughout the Covid-19 lockdown Newark Air Museum (NAM) has been trying to work out ways of selling aviation kits and books, with the aim of getting the Museum Shop back towards some sort of normal operation. We had hoped to be opening the Museum Shop by early June, but that has now been delayed until mid -June.
However, we will be operating an Order & Collect system from Tuesday 2nd June 2020.
NAM’s initial thought was to release copies of our stock lists, but without a proper interlinked database and an online shopping platform we realised that this would be too difficult, to ensure items were in stock.
So as an alternative photographs have been taken of the key sections of the Museum Shop to try and provide an idea of what is in stock. People can request copies of these by going to this page of the NAM website http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/NAM_Shop_Order-Collect
There people will find various product areas listed e.g. Italeri Aircraft Kits; Tamiya Aircraft Kits etc. If you decide to make a purchase NAM would then reserve the kit for you to come and collect at a convenient time on the days that we are open – your purchase will need to be made by card payment over the telephone, or by cash when you come to collect the item(s).
NAM has completed a set of Covid-Secure Risk Assessments for the Collection Area in front part of the site and the method of operation is explained on the website along with opening times and days
NAM appreciates that this is not a perfect solution, but it does act as a step towards normal opening and also it gives us a chance to fully evaluate how social distancing measures might need to be implemented in the Museum Shop when we try to open normally.
All profits from the Museum Shop are covenanted to the museum to help fund its on-going development; so rather than shopping online or elsewhere please pay us a visit soon and help support your aviation heritage!