All bookings need to be requested at least a week in advance.
NOTE: Due to circumstances beyond our control, the planned Open Day for Sunday 7th July 2024 has had to be changed to the following weekend, Sunday 14th July. Circumstances like this are rare, however because we are located on an operational military base we are subject to their plans and schedules.
The latest group to visit our Museum were from The Suffolk Vehicle Enthusiasts Club who brought their wide variety of classic and interesting vehicles to Wattisham one evening in July 2024.
They spent an interesting few hours looking at our exhibits as well as chatting with our volunteers about both their own vehicles, and the Museum “vehicles”.
During their visit many of the enthusiasts managed to have a tour inside the Phantom cockpit as well as a good look at the newly re-positioned Meteor, and the gorgeous Hunter.
Volunteers and enthusiasts had a great evening, and we were very pleased to host such a great group who are very welcome back to visit us again in the future, your generous donation was much appreciated.
With the Museum itself, our makeshift towing team had a bit of towing practice today. Terry had supplied a brand-new towing pin for the tractor, and this allowed us to move the Meteor into a much more aesthetically pleasing position, facing the HAS.
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A recently arrived jet engine has been put on display in the HAS. This J79 once powered an RAF Phantom F-4J from Wattisham, and makes a great comparison with the Rolls Royce Spey also on display inside the HAS. Click here to view the article.
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With Ipswich Town returning to the Premier League and Wattisham Station Heritage Museum holding another successful Open Day, it was a bumper weekend in Suffolk.
Another great visit to the Museum HAS today as a large number of car enthusiasts brought their pride and joys in for a photo shoot with some of the Museum aircraft.
As well as the great weather, they brought with them a large variety of vehicles which were positioned alongside the Phantom and Meteor. They are better placed to publicise their own vehicle pictures, but here is an unusual view from the Museum Phantom’s point of view.
April 7th saw the Museum open for its first Public Open Day of 2024. After a few weeks of wet and windy weather, we were blessed with a bright and sunny day to welcome our visitors.
The Museum building itself has had a re-organisation and tidy up, as has the HAS.
Our visitors were very complimentary and seemed to have a great experience during the day, which is always gratifying to the Museum Staff.
A few brand-new pictures of the Museum are shown below.
If you are interested in an individual or group visit to see us you are very welcome, but please remember to book in advance here…..
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Work has been continuing inside the HAS over the winter.
This update is to illustrate the continuing progress with the Phantom, and improving the external lighting functionality.
Wine Rack
A mounting rack has been fashioned and fitted inside the nosewheel bay. It was modified from an old wine rack which had been inside a fridge in a Summer House, hopefully the lady of the house will not mind its absence!
The position inside the nosewheel bay is to allow easy access for any of the staff to be able to activate the aircraft lighting in an easy manner, without having to resort to using high steps or climbing into or on top of the aircraft. The installation was done in a manner that was non-destructive to the Phantom, and could be easily removed, if necessary, without damage to the aircraft.
Fuse box and power
Once the mounting tray was installed, a fuse box was fitted to allow all the wiring to congregate in one area, and the power supply box was fitted.
Today, we concentrated on just the nosewheel light, which was fitted in place and wired in to the fuse box. We are pretty happy with the progress made so far, but our next step will be to get some wiring up to the Phantom fin lights, to ensure they can also be activated safely from within the nosewheel bay, rather than having to precariously climb on top of the jet.
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Comparative airfield view of Wattisham as it was in 1944 compared to 2021. Of note is the extended runway length, and the return of the Northern dispersals to farmland.
