By Isle of Wight Observer
The new season of the Wight Aviation Museum (WAM), based at Sandown Airport, was opened by the Island’s Lord-Lieutenant, Susie Sheldon, last week.
Susie, and her husband, Jamie, were welcomed by the museum’s chairman, Helen Blake, and the volunteers of WAM who support the rich and diverse heritage of aviation and aerospace on the Island.
Paul Carey was among the volunteers who talked to the pair 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.
Susie also met Geoffrey Hall, a model-maker who has donated a number of large-scale exhibits, including a Spitfire and DC3 Dakota.
She said: “It’s actually amazing here, there are so many exhibits and it was a pleasure to visit. This is an absolute hidden treasure; you don’t need to be into aeroplanes because 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!”
At the end of the visit, Susie was presented with a bunch of flowers by Helen, and Susie and Jamie also received Flight Certificates for their trip in the Beagle Bulldog Virtual Reality Flight Simulator.
For more information, email ‘2025 Season’ to wightaviationmuseum@gmail.com or phone or text 07949 704052, alternatively visit iw.observer/wight-aviation.