Tangmere Military Aviation Museum Located at the site of the former RAF Tangmere, Tangmere Military Aviation Museum was founded in 1982.
The rich history of the airfield began in 1916 and in the ensuing years it served as one of Britain's frontline fighter bases of World War II, and latterly acted as the home of the world speed record breaking aircraft of the High Speed Flight.
Of the aircraft on display, Hawker Hunter Mk3 WB188, the very aircraft in which Hawker's Chief Test Pilot, Sqn Ldr Neville Duke secured his world airspeed record of 727 mph in 1953 and Gloster Meteor F4 EE549, the aircraft which Gp Cpt Teddy Donaldson set a then world record of 615.78mph in 1946, are without doubt the most historically significant.
WB188 was fitted with side-mounted airbrakes, extra fuel tanks in the wings and a new reheated version of the Rolls Royce Avon engine early in 1953, prior to its record breaking flight between Bognor and Littlehampton on the 7th of September of that year.
The RAF High Speed Flight was reformed at Tangmere in late-1945 specifically to launch an attempt at the world air speed record. EE549 was the aircraft in question and on the 7th of September 1946, that's exactly what she did off the Sussex coast at Rustington. She later set a new record time flying between Paris and London of 20 mins 11 seconds, whilst returning from the 1947 Paris Airshow.
Several of the other aircraft on display are relevant to Tangmere's history and that of the squadrons that have previously resided there. Hawker Hunter F5 WP190 served at Tangmere with No 1(F) Sqn between 1955 and 1958 and she saw action during the Suez Crisis in August 1956. Gloster Meteor F8 WA829 wears the markings of 43(F) Sqn, the unit resident at several times over the years, but specifically with the Meteor in 1949 and 1950.
The museum is home to several replicas of World War II types, namely Spitfires and a Hurricane. Other iconic aircraft on display include a glorious bare metal example of an English Electric Lightning F53 (which served with the Royal Saudi Air Force), the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2, the de Havilland FAW2 Sea Vixen, a BAe Sea Harrier FA.2 as well as rotary representation by way of Westland Whirlwind and Wessex types.
Photography is not permitted in the non-aircraft halls (I presume due to copyright issues?), which is a shame as the displays are particularly interesting, recounting countless stories of various war heroes, many of them women who'd served, and in many instances given their lives to the Allied cause during World War II.
A very nice touch for the younger visitors is the opportunity to "fly" a simulator, making use of MS Flight Simulator 2004, a joystick, rudder pedals and throttle, all fully supervised by museum volunteer staff.
Unfortunately we were slightly short of time for our visit, needing to get back to Portsmouth for 1345 for our RIB ride out to the USS Roosevelt, but Tangmere made a very positive impression and I hope to be able to return at some point when time's not quite so pressing.