Lord Lieutenant Susie Shelden visited the Wight Aviation Museum recently to launch the 2025 season and to find out more about the rich and diverse heritage of aviation and aerospace on the Isle of Wight.
She was given a guided tour by the enthusiastic volunteers of the WAM Team.
Paul Carey talked to her and her husband about one of the museum’s largest exhibits the Skeeter helicopter. In the Holleyman Shed, Richard Holleyman, a founder member of WAM, explained how the early airframes were constructed for the wood and canvas planes.
The Lord Lieutenant also met Geoffrey Hall, a model maker who has donated numerous large-scale models, including a beautiful Spitfire and DC3 Dakota, to the museum. She then chatted to Ann Porter about the importance of hovercraft in the heritage of the Isle of Wight and how Ann uses radio-controlled hovercraft models in her work, as Education Director, in island schools.
Finally, the Lord Lieutenant visited the ‘WAM Shop’ which is brand new for the 2025 Season and managed by volunteer Terry Caws.
The Lord Lieutenant was very impressed with the museum and what the WAM Team has achieved, saying:
“It’s actually amazing here! So many exhibits! It was a pleasure to visit. This is an absolute ‘hidden treasure’, you don’t need to be into aeroplanes as there is so much to see and do! All the volunteers are passionate about it! People think museums are very dry, BUT this isn’t!”
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At the end of her visit to the Wight Aviation Museum the Lord Lieutenant was presented with a bunch of flowers by Helen Blake Chairperson of Wight Aviation Museum (WAM) Susie and her husband Jamie also each received a Flight Certificate for their trip in the Beagle Bulldog Virtual Reality Flight Simulator.
Helen Blake, chair person of WAM enthused:
“It’s really encouraging for the WAM Team to get prestigious visitors such as the Lord Lieutenant and for them to appreciate our work.”
For more information, email ‘2025 Season’ to [email protected] or phone or text to 07949 704052 or visit https://wightaviationmuseum.org.uk/
