A DAY AT THE MUSEUM
The Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, houses a collection of some 200 aircraft, both preserved and airworthy. The museum is spread across multiple buildings. Visitors encounter such artifacts as one of the only surviving WW I-era DH.9s to a pre-production flight test Concorde. Other unique aircraft spread throughout their include one of the two remaining TSR.2 airframes, the iconic Avro Vulcan, a Handley Page Victor, fighters such as the Spitfire, Lightning, Tornado, Mosquito, Harrier, and Phantom II, a Lancaster bomber, and a Short Sunderland flying boat. A walk through the Conservation Hangar brings visitors up close to aircraft in various states of resurrection such as Avro Shackelton and a Heinkel He 162. The American Air Museum at Duxford was opened on the premises in 1997 following their acquisition of multiple American aircraft over the years. Displays include a B-17, B-24, B-52, U-2, and SR-71. There are many outstanding air museums throughout England, and Duxford stands out not just because it is the largest. It stands out for how it presents a remarkable historical record, preserves the memories and deeds of the people who made that history, and its fleet of flying aircraft keeps that history yet still alive.
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