Bring her Home and make the Spartan a Centrepiece in the
proposed Wight Wings Aviation Museum & Heritage Centre
There was overwhelming support voiced by the aviation community
on the Island, to the call from John Kenyon and Dr Geoff Witt, for
the creation of a WightWings Aviation Museum and Heritage Centre,
to showcase the Island’s rich aviation history as a visitor
attraction.
At a packed meeting, hosted by the Isle of Wight Flying Club and
attended by over 40 people, it was held at the Ocean View Hotel in
Shanklin on 13 April 2016. Three presentations were made, showing
why the Island’s historically important aviation heritage must be
conserved and displayed to the public.
Attendees from the IW Flying Club, The Royal Aeronautical
Society, The Britten Norman Aircraft Preservation Society, Solent
Aviatrix, The Royal Air Forces Association, The Air Training Corps,
and The Hornets Model Flying Club, together with aviation
enthusiasts listened to the irrefutable argument made by John
Kenyon “No single centre exists on the Island, where the heritage
of aviation can be exhibited, seen and experienced by the public in
one location, for the benefit of our visitors to the Island and for
future generations to behold“ and the meeting unanimously agreed
that the Island needs such a Centre.
Evidencing this need, John Kenyon pointed out that History shows
at the beginning of the 20th century; our Island marine expertise
spurned the transfer of these skills into aviation in East Cowes
and on the Solent. This then became the centre of aviation design
and engineering for aviation pioneers like Tom Sopwith, Sam
Saunders, Harry Hawker, Alliott Verdon-Roe, Barnes Wallis, RJ
Mitchell, Sir Christopher Cockerell, Howard T Wright, Oliver
Simmonds, and latterly by John Britten and Desmond Norman and
Professor Geoffrey Lilley. The sequence of corporate development
continued seamlessly from J Samuel White, through Saunders and
Avro, and from the Spartan Aircraft Company, to Saunders Roe,
British Hovercraft Corporation, Westland Aerospace and now today,
to the global reach of GKN Aerospace and BAE Systems.
Dr Geoff Witt told the story of the Spartan G-ABYN as featured
in the CP April 15 and the incredible history of Dorothy Spicer,
the world’s first fully qualified female aeronautical engineer in
the World, who qualified in secret at Saunders Roe in Cowes and
worked on Spartan planes at Somerton. Dorothy, together with pilot
Pauline Gower, cut a formidable flying duo in their Spartan 3
seater aptly named as Helen of Troy, perhaps to signify its
beautiful unique and rare design features with interchangeable
wings and tail plane flying surfaces.
The practicalities of bringing this airworthy but precious
aircraft home and the cost were discussed. As a result of the early
promotion of the meeting, details were given of a couple of five
figure offers that have been received by the organisers in the form
of a donation or a loan. This is under consideration, however it is
unlikely this will be enough yet to purchase the Spartan from the
owner in New Zealand and more offers of help are needed. However
this is a fantastic start to the campaign!
Significantly, the meeting unanimously agreed that the museum
and the Spartan should be seen as one project and not two. It was
felt that the Spartan and the BNAPS BN-2 Islander should be seen
together as twin unique benchmark examples of our aviation heritage
produced here on the Island that could occupy pride of place in the
New Museum alongside other artefacts.
Two proposed Sites were discussed, Sandown Airfield and the
Wight Heritage Military & Heritage Museum at Northwood. In both
cases it was announced the landowners would be prepared for a
museum to be sited there at a low peppercorn or nil rent, as they
perceived this would help increase their visitor footfall. John
Kenyon presented an outline business plan and a revenue/cost
projection, together with possible ballpark build costs for the
Museum, for which a Heritage Lottery Grant could later be
submitted.
The meeting then addressed the need for a separate charitable or
community interest organisation to be set up. A number of
volunteers then offered their services to serve on a Steering
Committee to progress the project.
It is anticipated that further information sessions will take
place on the Island later this year to brief other heritage
organisations, ferry companies, travel and tourist organisations,
key influencers and the general public, once the plans become
firmer.
In the meantime, the organisers would welcome any offers of
financial help and support of any kind for both the Spartan and the
Museum. These will be warmly received by Dr Geoff Witt on email:
[email protected] or by John Kenyon on
[email protected]
�
�
�
�
