The sky’s the limit with family fun and flying days at Duxford IWM
Duxford IWM is offering family activities at weekends and every day during the school holidays as part of its summer programme.
The fun follows the Duxford Summer Air Show in June, which was enjoyed by 27,000 people in all.
The nostalgic flying formations with contemporary aerobatic displays included appearances by AeroSuperBatic WingWalkers, the RAF Tutor display team, The Great War Display Team and The Stampe Formation Team with headline performances by Team Raven and the Red Arrows.
Visitors were also treated to an array of vintage aircraft including Supermarine Spitfires, the North American P51-D Mustang and the world’s only airworthy two-seater Hawker Hurricane.
As well as all the regular exhibits at Duxford, museum admission at weekends until July 16 includes a chance to learn about the Cold War by restoring a hacked system in Airforce Action Station and time travel back to 1944 and D-Day with Family Mission activity bags.
From Saturday, July 22, to Friday, September 1, the holiday programme includes Spitfire Engineers, Cockpit Control, We Were There: Family Day and new for 2023, You're Hired! Life on the Home Front.
All extra activities are free, drop in and are recommended for families with children aged seven-plus.
Spitfire Engineers is a chance to get hands-on with practical challenges and discover the science that took the Spitfire into the skies.
Visitors perform four pre-flight checks learning about wing design, the forces of flight and fuel consumption before making and testing a propeller.
Cockpit Control is a crash investigation exercise. Visitors report to the captain in the American Air Museum to get their action report as part of an interactive family game based on the technological developments seen in the American Air Force in the late 1940s.
Participants learn how engineering and maths helped cockpit designers improve flight safety and opened opportunities for future pilots.
You're Hired: Life on the Home Front shows how the Second World War affected the lives of ordinary people across Britain in extraordinary ways.
Men and women found themselves undertaking new jobs in manufacturing and farming and visitors can find their ideal occupation with a Home Front Personality Test before creating a badge to show off their results.
Before the airfield hosts the annual Battle of Britain Air Show on Saturday and Sunday, September 16 and 17, there will also be the chance to honour America and Britain’s shared Second World War history on Friday, July 28; a homage to the legendary 19 Squadron who called Duxford home in the 1940s on Saturday, August 12; and Duxford Flying Evening on Saturday, August 26.
All pictures by Gerred Gilronan.
