On 4th March, eight members of the Fifth Form were lucky enough to visit the Imperial War Museum at Duxford for the CCF Fifth Form Service Day.
We started off in the AirSpace hanger, which contained a wide range of aircraft, from the 1917 Sopworth Camel to the recently retired-from-service Tornado GR4. It was amazing to be able to get so close to such famous aircraft like the Lancaster bomber and Concorde (the one housed at Duxford was the fastest of the 20 that were produced) – Fin and James even had opportunity to sit in the Concorde cockpit! There were also several interactive learning areas which allowed us to enhance our knowledge of the principles of flight and aerodynamics, and to learn a bit about aircraft construction and design.
Following lunch, we moved over to the Air and Sea hanger, where we saw a mixture of RAF and Fleet Air Arm (the flying branch of the Royal Navy) aircraft, such as the Sea Vixen (FAA), Buccaneer (RAF) and Sea King helicopter (RAF and FAA). Next was the Battle of Britain hanger, which houses not only RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft (my favourite has got to be the Hurricane!) but also smaller exhibits like the anti-aircraft guns and bomb shelters. While we were walking between the hangers, we were lucky enough to witness one of the Spitfires taking off and landing – an absolutely unforgettable sight!
The American Air Museum provided us with an opportunity to learn about the US Air Force (USAF) and the role they played in supporting the RAF in WW2. The largest aircraft in the building by far, is the Boeing B-52D Stratofortress, which is able to carry 32,000 kg of weapons, has a range of over 8,800 miles despite being 49 metres long with a wingspan of 56 metres!
After a brief visit to the Land Warfare exhibition, looking at various armoured vehicles and tanks that have been used over the years, it was time to head home – just as the rain started to hammer down! All in all, it was a really interesting and exciting day that we all really enjoyed!
Lance Corporal Olivia M, Fifth Form student