South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum

South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum
	Location within South Yorkshire
Location	Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Coordinates	53°30′51″N1°06′33″W / 53.5142°N 1.1093°W
Type	Aviation museum
Website	www.southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.org.uk

Last updated March 15, 2024

The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum (SYAM) is a Volunteer led museum located at Lakeside in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It occupies the former site of the Royal Air Force Station, RAF Doncaster. The museum occupies the last remaining original buildings from RAF Doncaster in the shape of a Bellman hangar, two wooden Air Ministry 'Billet Huts' (Buildings 19 and 21) and various smaller structures. The museum has also erected an more modern ex Air Training Corps Cadet Hut alongside Building 21 to house its World War Two Collection.

The museum is also home to the Yorkshire Helicopter Preservation Group (YHPG)^[1] which relocated from the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington, near York in July 2002. The YHPG display their collection of helicopters among the other SYAM exhibits and have an on-site workshop for continued restoration of their aircraft.

Aircraft on display

The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum has a wide range of aircraft on display from the earliest days of aviation, through to modern military fast jets. There is also a large collection of civil aircraft and gliders. The museum is also home to the largest permanent display^[2] remembering and honouring the men and women who fought during the Falklands War, with a collection of aircraft on display having been flown during that conflict, or representative of their type. The museum also preserves a large collection of aircraft with links to the local area, many having flown from local airfields such as RAF Finningley, Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Doncaster Airfield (the former RAF Doncaster).

Many of the exhibits have been painstakingly restored by volunteers, notably the Avro Vulcan B.2 XL388 cockpit section, Bristol Sycamore HR.14 XE317, Gloster Meteor T.7 WA667 and Cessna 150 G-AVAA.

Aircraft with local links

These aircraft listed below are significant to the aviation history of the Doncaster Area having flown from local airfields.

BAE Systems Hawk T.1 XX238. Flown from RAF Finningley with No. 6 Flying Training School between 1993 and the closure of the base in 1996.
Blériot XI Replica. Built in 2009 to commemorate the centenary of the 1909 Doncaster Aviation Meeting, the first to be held in England. The replica depicts the aircraft flown by Léon Delagrange.
2003 Cayley Flyer Replica. Built by BAE Systems at Brough and sponsored by Virgin Atlantic, the replica was flown by Sir Richard Branson at Brompton Dale, Scarborough to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the flight of Sir George Cayley's original light in 2003.
De Havilland Dove G-ARUM/G-DDCD. Used by the National Coal Board as an Executive Transport aircraft and regularly flown into Doncaster Airfield.
Handley Page Jetstream XX495. Flown from RAF Finningley. The aircraft was donated to the museum by Bedford College in 2018.
Hawker Siddeley HS.125 Dominie T.1 XS735. Flown from RAF Finningley.
Piper PA-23 Apache G-APMY. United Steel Transport aircraft, Regularly flown into Scunthorpe Steelworks.
Vickers Varsity WJ903 (cockpit section). Flown from RAF Finningley.
Taylorcraft Auster AOP.1 LB314. Flown from RAF Firbeck (The museum's original site) during the Second World War. This aircraft was transported by museum volunteers from Denmark in 2018 and is now on display in Building 21, where it retains its Danish civil registration marks OY-DSZ.
Grumman American AA-1B G-BCLW. Flown from RAF Finningley by one of the flying schools, G-BCLW was written off in 2013 after the propeller contacted the nose wheel spat during a heavy landing and its insurers assessed the damage as uneconomical to repair. G-BCLW was first based at Doncaster Airfield, the museum's current site.

Falklands Collection

The aircraft listed below have links to the Falklands War and are on display at the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum.

Westland Wessex HU.5 XS481. XS481 was transported to the south Atlantic onboard the Astronomer as an attrition replacement for the Wessex's lost during the sinking of the SS Atlantic Conveyor. XS481 arrived at the Falkland Islands after the Argentine surrender and saw no action during the war, however was used in the immediate aftermath .
Gazelle AH.1 XX411 of 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron, was shot down on the first day of the landings by small arms fire off Port San Carlos and Pilot Sergeant Evans – RM was killed.^[3]^[4] The airframe was recovered on 20 October 1982 and returned to Middle Wallop for potential repair but was assessed as a structural loss.^[5]
Aermacchi MB-339 4-A-116. One of three Argentinian MB339's captured by British forces during the Falklands War and the only one returned to the UK. Displayed at the Fleet Air Arm Museum for a short period before being used by Rolls-Royce and painted in a white scheme. Recently returned to its original Argentinian markings.
Bell Huey UH-1H Iroquois AE-406. Flown by the Aviacion de Ejercito Argentino EA (Argentinian Army Aviation) and captured by British forces during the Falklands War.
Westland Scout AH.1 XV139. Flown during the Falklands War by 656 Squadron AAC, while on tasking at Port Harriet House on 9 June 1982, XV139 was fired at by an Argentine Blowpipe missile, which missed by less than 25 yards.^[6]
Westland Sea King HAS.6 XV677. Transported to the Falkland Islands on board Queen Elizabeth 2 (XV677 was the second helicopter to land on deck after modifications were completed). Arrived at Port San Carlos on 2 June 1982. XV677 flew in the Falklands with 825 Naval Air Squadron as a Sea King HAS.2. Subsequent modifications and upgrades after the War Brough the aircraft up to the HAS.6 Standard. XV677 was also the first Sea King helicopter to enter preservation in the UK when it arrived at the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum in July 2006.

Related Research Articles

RAF Mount Pleasant is a Royal Air Force station in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The airfield goes by the motto of "Defend the right" and is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI). Home to between 1,000 and 2,000 British military personnel, it is about 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, on the island of East Falkland. The world's longest corridor, 2,600 feet (800 m) long, links the barracks, messes, and recreational and welfare areas of the station, and was nicknamed the "Death Star Corridor" by personnel.

The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a five-seat helicopter developed and initially produced by the French aircraft company Sud Aviation, and later by Aérospatiale. It is the first helicopter to feature a fenestron tail instead of a conventional tail rotor, as well as being the first helicopter to be adapted for single-pilot operations under instrument flight rules.

The Westland Whirlwind helicopter was a British licence-built version of the U.S. Sikorsky S-55/H-19 Chickasaw. It primarily served with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm in anti-submarine and search and rescue roles.

The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34. It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft. One of the main changes from Sikorsky's H-34 was the replacement of the piston-engine powerplant with a turboshaft engine. Early models were powered by a single Napier Gazelle engine, while later builds used a pair of de Havilland Gnome engines.

The Army Air Corps (AAC) is the aviation arm of the British Army, first formed in 1942 during the Second World War by grouping the various airborne units of the British Army. Today, there are eight regiments of the AAC, as well as two independent flights and two independent squadrons deployed in support of British Army operations around the world. Regiments and flights are located in the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Canada. Some AAC squadrons provide the air assault elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade, through Joint Helicopter Command.

The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines, British-made anti-submarine warfare systems and a fully computerised flight control system. The Sea King was primarily designed for performing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. A Sea King variant known as the Commando was developed by Westland to serve as a troop transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 32 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 32 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates in the VIP and general air transport roles from RAF Northolt in Greater London.

Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome and Proving Ground is a privately owned former airport near the village of Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire 11 miles (18 km) to the south of Leicester. It was opened as RAF Bruntingthorpe in 1942.

Royal Air Force Finningley or RAF Finningley was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The station straddled the historic county boundaries of both Nottinghamshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire.

RAF Andover is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Andover, Hampshire. As well as RFC and RAF units, units of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, and the Air Transport Auxiliary were also stationed at the airfield.

Newark Air Museum is an air museum located on a former Royal Air Force station at Winthorpe, near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. The museum contains a variety of aircraft.

The Westland WS-51 Dragonfly helicopter was built by Westland Aircraft and was an Anglicised licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-51.

White Waltham Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome located at White Waltham, 2 nautical miles southwest of Maidenhead, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England.

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is devoted to the history of British naval aviation. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships, and paintings and drawings related to naval aviation. It is located on RNAS Yeovilton airfield, and the museum has viewing areas where visitors can watch military aircraft take off and land. At the entrance to the museum are anchors from HMS Ark Royal and HMS Eagle, fleet carriers which served the Royal Navy until the 1970s. It is located 7 miles (11 km) north of Yeovil, and 40 miles (64 km) south of Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">847 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

847 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operates AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 helicopters and provides armed reconnaissance and light transport support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. Along with 845 and 846 naval air squadrons, it forms part of the Commando Helicopter Force. The squadron was re-formed from 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron on 1 September 1995.

The North East Land, Sea and Air Museums (NELSAM), formerly the North East Aircraft Museum, is a volunteer-run aviation museum situated on the site of the former RAF Usworth/Sunderland Airport, between Washington and Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, England. The museum has the largest aviation collection between Yorkshire and Scotland and houses over 30 aircraft and a wide collection of aero engines. The museum also has a small collection of other items such as weaponry, vehicles and other historical exhibits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British air services in the Falklands War</span>

This is a list of the units, aircraft and casualties of the British air services in the Falklands War. The numbers in bold are the number of aircraft used in the war, the numbers in brackets are the number of lost aircraft. For a list of air forces from Argentina, see Argentine air forces in the Falklands War.

Royal Air Force Doncaster or more simply RAF Doncaster, also referred to as Doncaster Aerodrome, is a former Royal Air Force station near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.

3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron, Royal Marines, was formed in 1968 in Singapore by the amalgamation of three Commando Air Troops and the Brigade Flight. The squadron moved to Plymouth in 1971 and the two remaining UK Commando Air Troops became part of it. Apart from during the Falklands War, when the whole squadron was involved, it operated mostly on individual flight detachments. 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron became 847 Naval Air Squadron in 1995.

No. 679 Squadron AAC is a British Army Reserve helicopter support squadron and is part of the 6 Regiment Army Air Corps. The squadron provides groundcrews to support Apache AH1 helicopters.

References

Notes

↑ "YHPG Yorkshire Helicopter Preservation Group | Restore and Preserve" . Retrieved 17 March 2021.
↑ "11 Weeks in 1982". South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
↑ "British Aircraft lost – Falklands War 1982". www.naval-history.net. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
↑ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Westland Gazelle AH1 XX411, 21 May 1982". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
↑ Clarke, Peter. "Aerospatiale SA.341B Gazelle AH1, XX411 / WA1359, Aeroventure-South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum". abpic.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
↑ Falklands: The Air War. Weidenfeld Military. 1986. ISBN 0853688427.

Bibliography

Ellis, Ken (2010). Wrecks & Relics 22nd Edition. Crécy Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85979-150-2.

External links

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[1] "YHPG Yorkshire Helicopter Preservation Group | Restore and Preserve" . Retrieved 17 March 2021.

[2] "11 Weeks in 1982". South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.

[3] "British Aircraft lost – Falklands War 1982". www.naval-history.net. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

[4] Ranter, Harro. "Accident Westland Gazelle AH1 XX411, 21 May 1982". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

[5] Clarke, Peter. "Aerospatiale SA.341B Gazelle AH1, XX411 / WA1359, Aeroventure-South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum". abpic.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

[6] Falklands: The Air War. Weidenfeld Military. 1986. ISBN 0853688427.

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