National Cold War Exhibitions - Review

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Joe Pic Posted: Wed, Sep 12 2007 3:47 PM

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I visited the NATIONAL COLD WAR EXHIBITION during the week of 12th February
this year, only one week after the official opening by HRH The Princess Royal
and attended by The Rt Hon Baroness Thatcher. During the first week alone the
new exhibition welcomed over 20,000 to view its 20 aircraft and associated Cold
War memorabilia, including weaponry, missiles, military vehicles and several
interactive displays.

The aircraft on show are:
Avro Vulcan B2 - XM598
Avro York C1 - TS798
Blackburn Buccaneer  (nose section) - XN972
Douglas Dakota KN645
English Electric Lightning F1 - XG337
English Electric Canberra PR9 - XH171
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark - 74-0177
Gloster Javelin FAW1 - XA564
Gloster Meteor NF14 - WS843
Hawker Hunter T7A - XL568
Handley Page Hastings T5 - TG511
Handley Page Jetstream T1 - XX946
Handley Page Victor K2 - XH672
McDonnell Douglas Phantom-II FG1 (nose section) - XV591
Mikoyan Gurevich Mig-15 - 01120
Mikoyan Gurevich Mig-21 - 503
North American Sabre F4 - XB-812
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer CC1 - XL-993
Short Belfast C1 - XR731
Vickers Valiant - XD818

The exhibition is housed in a stunning purpose built structure, which cost a
little under £12.5 million. If this seems like a lot of money it is soon
dwarfed by the cavernous 80,000sqft building. The austere and functionalist feel of
the building sets the scene for the Cold War
 and you instantly feel as though you could almost be in a military bunker.
To add to this, it is probably the first (and only) time that all three
V-bombers have been displayed under one roof! There is a shop, and even a purpose
built classroom to accommodate school groups.

In short this is a great facility which easily falls into the top three
aviation museums in the UK. The only real omission to the exhibition is a major
Russian airframe. While the Mig-15 and Mig-21 are worth inclusions to the exhibit,
it would be a real bonus to acquire say the nose section of a Tupolev Bear or
Myasischev Bison. After all, the wall "Iron Curtain" is open, the "Wall" is
down and Bears are being broken up like there is no tomorrow, where has all the
"Glasnost" gone?

Joe Picarella