Category: Coming Up

NEW VALE AIR MUSEUM CAUSES QUITE A STIR

 The South Wales Air Museum opened in April of this year, next door to the St Athan Ministry of Defence site. It wasn’t long before contributors to Trip Advisor put pen to paper about their visits to the new venture. And they are very impressed! A staggering 93% of them rate the museum as excellent, with the other 7% going for a more stingy Very Good . Typical is one who lauded it as a ‘very good museum well worth a visit, interesting for the aviation and non-aviation fan alike.’ The museum, which has a café and gift shop, is currently open at weekends 10am to 4:30pm, although it is hoped to extend this for special events. Now well established, the museum relies on donations from visitors for funding (suggested £5 per person).

Perhaps the most popular aspect of the project is the commitment to a hands-on approach for visitors. The museum aims to attract everyone from school children to ex-armed forces members. The venture is the brainchild of aircraft engineers Gary Spoors and John Sparks. Gary, a former RAF engineer, said: “This is all about bringing a bus load of 11-year-old kids to come in and be inspired about aviation. One of the things that is killing this industry is that children these days aren’t getting into it. So we want to inspire them from a young age. In years to come there will be shortages in the industry if we don’t get them inspired young.”

You are encouraged to get close to the exhibits. You can for example clamber into the cockpit of a Tornado and get inside an old Royal Navy Sea King helicopter. You can also get up close to the cock pit of a Russian MiG 29 as well as the flight deck of a Boeing 707.

Tremendous hard work has been put in by the SWAM volunteers who can explain the story behind the museum, the planes and other exhibits such as World War II memorabilia.

The Panavia Tornado GR1.P – ZA326, the only one in existence, proved popular with children of all ages – the oldest around 60!

The exhibits are increasing in number and of course often need a lot of hard work to restore. They can vary a lot – from twin-propeller planes from the 1950s to fighter jets that can fly at twice the speed of sound and helicopters like the Sea King below.

The café, also said to be excellent, is open on weekdays from 9am to 2pm. More information can be found online, including on Facebook. Address: South Wales Aviation Museum, Hangar 872, Picketston Business Park, St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan CF62 4QN.