Cockpitfest 2004 - Page 1
The fifth annual Cockpitfest was held at Newark Air Museum (NAM) over the weekend of the 12th and 13th June 2004. NAM's new aircraft display hangar was used as a base for the event for the first time and proved to be an outstanding venue.
Attendees were also treated to a number of flypasts by Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft (Lancaster and Spitfire below) and the Red Arrows.
A total of seventeen cockpits were exhibited over the course of the weekend along with a number of very impressive and fascinating 'interiors'. These included displays of instrument panels, ejection seats, survival equipment etc. and were shown off inside the new hangar to great effect. The aeroboot that usually accompanies Cockpitfest was this year expanded to run over the whole weekend rather than just the Saturday. This seems to have been a popular change and, hopefully, the arrangement will continue for subsequent events.
The 'interiors' section of Cockpitfest is an area which has grown over the five years of the event and is now a distinct and valuable feature. It is an area that the organisers of Cockpitfest are keen to see grow in future years as it provides displays which are accessible to all visitors and provides a perfect accompaniment to the full cockpits.
Presented here is a photo-review of Cockpitfest 2004 showing the visiting cockpits and a selection of the 'interiors' displays.
Tony Dyer's Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 P3554 "The Last of the Many" (the last Hurricane built) closely guarded by "Bertie"!
Interior view of P3554 "The Last of the Many".
Lightning F.1A cockpit finished in the style of 5 Sqn F.6 XM191 'AA' based at Binbrook in the mid to late 1980s.
On display by kind permission of the Royal Air Force Inspectorate of
Recruiting. Donated for this event by Babcock exhibitions team of Long Bennington, contractors to the Royal Air Force for recruitment exhibitions.
English Electric Lightning F.1A interior.
English Electric Lightning F.6 XS898 owned by Tony Collins.
Immaculate interior of XS898.
Tony Collins' second cockpit on display this year was his Hawker Hunter F.1 WT684.
Frank Lund's English Electric Canberra PR.7 WT536.
This Jet Provost T.4 cockpit was displayed on the Saturday only by 1940 (Levenshulme) Squadron ATC.
Hawker Hunter FGA.9 XE597 owned by members of the Wolverhampton Aviation Group.
de Havilland Vampire T.11 XD602 owned by Karl Edmondson.
Naylan Moore's Hawker Hunter F.2 WN890 - the only cockpit to have attended every Cockpitfest so far!
Aeroventure's Kadet glider makes an interesting contrast with the other cockpits on display.
Harvard 2B FX322, one of several cockpits on display from Doncaster-based Aeroventure.
Another Aeroventure resident is Bill Fern's Tiger Moth currently under restoration by Naylan Moore. This cockpit won the International Cockpit Club sponsored 'Robert Rudhall Memorial Trophy'.
Harrier GR.3 normally resident at Aeroventure.
Interior view of Harrier GR.3.
Prototype Jetstream procedures trainer cockpit also visiting from Aeroventure.
Stuart Gowans' impressive Spitfire IX reconstruction uses a mixture of newly manufactured and original parts.
Simon Pulford's English Electric Canberra B.2 WJ676. When on display, Simon removes the hatches so that visitors can easily view the pilot's and navigator's compartments (see photo below).
Pilot's instrument panel of Canberra WJ676.
Frank Millar's Canberra PR.9 XH177.
Norman Thelwell's Avro Shackleton MR.1 VP293.
