Museum of  Army Flying, Middle Wallop

Museum of  Army Flying
Middle Wallop, Stockbridge, Hampshire
SO20 8DY
Mo bis So von 10 -16 Uhr
administration@flying-museum.org.uk  
http://www.armyflying.com  
Tel.: +44 (0) 1264 784421
Fax: +44 (0) 1264 781694

As part of the WINGS AVIATION England tour our editors Andy Herzog and Michael E. Fader visited the Museum of the Royal Army at Middle Wallop. This museum doesn’t belong to the top league of aviation museums, as our report will show.

Some useful information for visitors: The Museum is located on the A334 at Middle Wallop and is easily accessible by car. There are enough parking lots available and photography is allowed, but without a tripod. Admission will be 8.00 £, which is a bit too much for only a hand full of aircrafts on display.

Helicopters

Westland AH-1 Scout (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

De Havilland Canada AL-1 Beaver XP822  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

De Havilland Canada AL-1 Beaver  XP822  (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Entrance of the Museum (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

The Museum of the Royal Army (Army Museum of Flight) is located in Middle Wallop (Hampshire) in southern England. Middle Wallop was, until 1957, a Base of the RAF and was then handed over to the Royal Army. Today, Middle Wallop is one of the main bases of the Royal Army Aviation and houses the 2nd and 7th (Training) Regiment AAC.

The museum was founded in 1962 and shows the development of the Royal Army from 1957 til present. Especially the conflicts in which the Army fought are documented, such as the wars and conflicts in the context of decolonization, right up to the Falkland War (1982) and the Gulf War.

The exhibits on display - especially helicopters and liaison aircrafts - demonstrate the technical development of the past decades. Where early helicopters such as the Bristol Sycamore and Saunders-Roe and the American Bell UH-13S Sioux where not very powerful this changed with the introduction of the turbine technology significantly. The Westland Scout, Gazelle and Lynx are evidence of this technology, of high-capacity helicopters. Two Lynx helicopter are on display, one prototype, and a later version with TOW armament.

Bristol HC-14 Sycamore (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Bristol HC-14 Sycamore (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Bristol HC-14 Sycamore (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

De Havilland Canada AL-1 Beaver (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Miles Magister II (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Miles Magister II  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Saunders-Roe AOP-10 Skeeter (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Saunders-Roe AOP-10 Skeeter  (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Percival E P 9 Prospector  (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Auster AOP.9 (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Auster AOP.9 (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Bell AH-1 Sioux  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

An interesting exhibit is the Bell UH-1H wich was captured by the British Forces on the Falkland Islands. The helicopter served the Army as an ambulance helicopter and was painted white for identification. During an earlier visit of the museum in 1983 they showed another Bell UH-1H, and two FMA Puccara which all were captured by the British Forces in this conflict.

Although the Army Aviation crateted on 1. September 1957 by dissolving it from the RAF, a precursor has existed in earlier days. During the Second World War, the gliders like the Airspeed Horsa, General Aircraft Hamilcar and Waco CG-4A  where operated by the Army. Replicas and models are testifing that time.

The planes are unfortunately very close on display and making it difficult to have a closer look at it, or even take pictures of them. The exhibits are in good condition and been displayed mostly in original paintings and markings.

Auster AOP.6  (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Sudest Alouette II AH-2 XR232 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Sudest Alouette II  AH-2 XR232 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Westland AH-1 Gazelle (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Westland AH-1 Gazelle (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Westland AH-1 Lynx XX153 which broke the Helicopter speed record in 1972 (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

De Havilland Canada Chipmunk. T.10 WG432 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Westland AH-7 Lynx (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

US Army

Bell AH-1F Cobra (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Bell AH-1F Cobra (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Bell AH-1F Cobra (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Bell AH-1F Cobra (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

World War I and II

Sopwith Pup  N5195 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Sopwith Pup  N5195 (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

(Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

General Aircraft Hotspur (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader )

Middle Wallop was first visited by WINGS AVIATION in 1983. At this time, several, captured Argentinian aircrafts and helicopters on display were witnesses of the Falklands War.

A captured  Bell UH-1H Iroquois of the Argentine Army  (Photo courtesy Michael E. Fader)

A captured Puccara of the Argentinian Air Force  (Photo courtesy Michael E. Fader)

A captured Puccara of the Argentinian Air Force  (Photo courtesy Michael E. Fader)