Newark Air Museum is an

air museum An aviation museum, air museum, or air and space museum is a museum exhibiting the history and artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual, replica or accurate reproduction aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, models, dioramas ...

located on a former

Royal Air Force station The Royal Air Force (RAF) operates several stations throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training air bases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used fo ...

at Winthorpe, near

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road bypasses the town on the line ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

contains a variety of

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

History

The airfield was known as

RAF Winthorpe Royal Air Force Winthorpe or more simply RAF Winthorpe' is a former Royal Air Force station located north-east of Newark in Nottinghamshire, England. It is now the site of Newark Air Museum and Newark Showground. It initially opened as a sate ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, opening in September 1940. From 1942 to 1944, it housed No. 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit, training

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stir ...

crews, in No. 5 Group with around thirty planes. In 1944 it joined No. 7 Group, still within Bomber Command. In 1945 it transferred to Transport Command. The following units were posted at RAF Winthorp at some point: * No. 54 Maintenance Unit. * No. 61 Maintenance Unit. * No. 1331 Heavy Transport Conversion Unit. * No. 1333 (Transport Support) Conversion Unit which became No. 1333 (Transport Support) Training Unit RAF. * Central Servicing Development Establishment RAF. In 1964, of the former airfield were purchased by the

Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, who have since held the

Newark and Nottinghamshire County Show Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

. A

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the li ...

called Newark (Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire) Air Museum was formed in 1968. The museum officially opened on 14 April 1973. In 1990, the museum opened its first exhibition hall. This was followed by the purchase of an additional of land that became known as the Southfield Site. A second display hall was opened on this property in 2004. Avro_Vulcan_Flight_Deck

Aircraft on display

Cockpitfest

The Air Museum has, for the past few years, hosted the annual Cockpitfest. This popular event calls on enthusiasts and 'cockpitters' alike to bring their memorabilia for others to see and, in the case of cockpits, get inside. The Cockpitfest celebrated its 10th anniversary in June 2009.

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