You’re invited to experience a one-of-a-kind collection of military aircraft, vehicles, and artifacts used in various wars of the 20th century. The collection has been restored with unparalleled authenticity to share with the public.
FEATURED ARTIFACT
Photo by: John Dibbs
The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic and groundbreaking British fighter and the only Allied fighter aircraft to remain in production throughout the entire Second World War. It was designed as a short-range, high-performance fighter. It is widely considered to be the most elegant of the World War II fighters with its distinctive elliptical wings.
The aircraft was designed by the legendary R. J. Mitchell who sadly passed away from cancer in 1937, at 42 years of age, before the plane was delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1938. The elliptical wing with innovative sunken rivets to have the thinnest possible cross-section, achieving a potential top speed greater than that of several contemporary fighter aircraft.
The Spitfire became famous during the Battle of Britain in 1940 when the German invasion of Britain was thwarted by the heavily outnumbered RAF. The Mk. V variant, with over 6,500 built, was the most-produced version of the Spitfire. Three different versions (A, B, C) were built with different armament and some with different wings. The C version had a universal wing capable of taking eight .303-inch machine guns, two cannons and four machine guns or four cannons.
One strength of the Spitfire was that it could upgraded again and again. The Mk. V included lots of new features including heavier engine mountings to take the Merlin 45 and newer engines, a bubble canopy for better vision, racks for external fuel tanks and bombs and the capacity to carry twice the ammunition for each cannon relative to earlier variants (120 versus 60 rounds).
The FHCAM Mk. VC (AR 614) was built with the Merlin 46 engine, a high-altitude version of the Merlin 45 and was delivered to the RAF on 24 August 1942. The aircraft was first assigned to No. 312 Squadron at Harrowbeer in southwest England.
You can see the Supermarine Spitfire on display at FHCAM in Hangar B.
Activities listed are included with the price of a general admission ticket. No additional purchase required. Participation is first come, first served and may be limited depending on attendance volume. Activity schedule is subject to change based on weather and other factors. Items noted as Special Events require purchase of Special Event ticket.
All Walking, Behind the Barriers, and Ad-Hoc Docent Tours start at the Docent Headquarters located in Alpha Hangar.
Walking Tours: These docent-led tours are scheduled in advance as indicated on the activity schedule. They focus on pre-scheduled topic areas and involve walking about the hangars to view artifacts related to the topic. Walking tours range from approximately 90 minutes to two-and-a-half hours in length. They are limited to 20 guests on a first come, first served basis.
Behind the Barriers Tours: These tours offer guests the opportunity to get closer to a particular artifact or set of artifacts, depending on the tour focus area. Docents will lead the group behind the barriers for an up-close look at the subject matter. Tours last between 60-90 minutes and are limited to 15 guests. Special event tickets are required for attendance.
Lectures: Lectures are held in Battlefront Theater, offering guests a chance to sit and learn through instruction and audio/visual displays. They are mostly static, though depending on the topic, may include some time in the hangars looking at artifacts. Lectures can accommodate up to 35 guests, on a first come, first served basis. They generally last between 60-90 minutes.
Ad-hoc Docent Tours: We have volunteer docents on site during open hours. A docent will be available at 11 am daily at the Docent Headquarters (HQ) to lead interested guests on an impromptu tour based on interest areas of the group. If you wish to attend, simply report to the Docent HQ a few minutes before 11.
If you’re interested in an ad-hoc tour during your visit and cannot or do not wish to join the 11 am group, please inquire with one of our Guest Services Associates when you arrive. Planning a visit in advance and looking for a specific topic for your tour? Please reach out to our team so we can coordinate the details with you to make sure we have a docent with expertise in your topic when you arrive.
Runups: Aircraft engines need to be started as part of the annual maintenance cycle. Runups are scheduled between March and October and will generally include two engines (could be two planes for single-engine aircraft, or one plane for multi-engine aircraft). Guests will have an opportunity to observe the process, including startup and taxi, of each aircraft involved. They generally last approximately 45 minutes, including a brief overview of the process from one of our mechanics. We also offer a post-runup Q&A session in Battlefront Theater, beginning 15 minutes after the end of the runup and lasting approximately 30 minutes.
Artifact Experiences: Provides guests with an opportunity to “experience” a specific artifact. Depending on the artifact, this could be sitting in the artifact, touching or looking into a section that is normally not available for public access. These activities are normally offered during specific windows of time and are limited to the number of guests we can get through the experience during the window.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Simulator Experiences: These provide guests the opportunity to experience an artifact-themed topic through a set of virtual reality glasses or computer-based simulator. We offer several different types of VR/Simulation and generally couple them with an artifact experience or other related activity to enhance the guest understanding of what the particular encounter would have been like.
