Matt, I volunteer at Duxford and the master plan that will take over 5 years will produce themed displays. It will improve the visitor experience which may not suit the enthusiasts as it means change but the museum needs to engage with the new generations. That means more interactive displays and a joined up historical narrative. Museums like Duxford must change to maintain the interest of the public. In terms of Land Warfare the reality is is that the building has reached the end of its viable life. The vehicles will be redistributed throughout the museum in themed displays.
Well said and thank you for volunteering. It’s people like yourself who are keeping this important part of our national history available for generations to come.
Thanks for your reasoned reply. I think the changes will face opposition but as you said, change is needed as those of us who grew up with the place as it was will need to be ready to accept the change. Thanks for your giving of time to make the place as welcoming as I'm sure it'll remain.
New interactive displays often have high downtime & miss the key USP of museums... real objects. VR & experiences will kill museums if they try to become an edutainment environment. Consultants will make a fortune tho
How will they avoid deterioration of the Avro York and Sunderland when they are moved outside? Isn’t there a risk that they will end up like the Blackburn Beverly at the RAF Museum in Hendon? Would it not have made sense to share the preservation strategy at the time of the announcement to reassure enthusiasts?
The Sunderland isn't moving outside is my understanding. The York is not an IWM asset so the upkeep of it will fall to DAS, along with the rest of their collection. As for the comms, I don't believe enthusiasts are their target audience.
A challenging time for museums, especially those which aren't fully funded by governments. I'm older and an aviation enthusiast. I want to see the airplanes and don't need hand holding to keep me interested when in an aviation museum. But my father served in the RCAF during WWII so I grew up in the presence of the history and knowledge about aircraft. I don't need the museums to change to make them more relevant to me. However, I see below a comment saying that a problem with museums is that they have become too expensive to visit. Despite the fact that the entrance costs reflect that costs keep going up for museums to operate. Yet we are unhappy when museums begin to do things which will lower an existing cost or which will bring in more revenue--revenue which they need to generate if they hope to remain viable. The choices which museum operators may make to assure more revenue may be painful to me, but as a business owner, I can appreciate management deciding to do things which they hope will starve off financial crisis. The alternative option being that we accept the need to pay much higher entrance costs yet continue to visit, or pay more taxes so government might support more, or start personally giving large monetary donations to our loved museums. If we personally aren't willing to pony up for the costs, we may need to hold our tongues when the museum managements seek alternate forms of cash flow (even if that is at the expense of maintaining the collections as they currently exist).
@19:44 - Matt, I believe the biggest issue these days is exactly the type of knee-jerk reactions you speak of - on both sides of the aisle. In many cases, asking oneself 'is this actually the case, or are we missing an attributable source?' would help a lot. It would have made a difference in the Dux plan debate too.
A huge shame the Land Warfare display is going. Sorry to have it confirmed. They are getting a bit funny with the airliner collection too I believe. Got rid of the ham radio station too (likes lots of museums). Journalists do distort and misquote at times. To examples I have had recounted to me. The guy who helped me study for my ham radio exams was interviewed by a local newspaper about amateur radio. The journalist asked why exams were needed. My tutor explained about knowing how not to cause interference to radio users as well as interfering with television and radio reception. This was condensed into "Len says if he wants, he blot out all the TVs in a hundred yards radius". Then there was the chairmen of the 2CV club of Great Britain. A journalist quoted him as saying the chairmen was pleased 2CV production had ended as his cars would now be worth more.
The mainstream media are truly the 'scum of the earth'. Their relevance is diminishing rapidly and they take every opportunity to create news rather than report it. Scum, blot on the landscape and anything derogatory you can think of, is very well earned.
I , like you have read both Aeroplane and Flypast since School and continue to subscribe. TBH, i do feel as if theybrepeat articles but isnt that a sign of the reader getting older? How many times i have i said to younger people, can you remember Concorde, UK Phantoms, Jaguars, Bucanneers etc and the answer is "no" they are to young to remember (makesme feel old) Regarding Duxford, i read the article, all mates and myself had the same opinion, which i wont repeat here. Rather than complain to myself, i emailed Duxford direct, they responded, im still not happy with the response. Yes i agree, museums need to change to entice a younger audience ( you only need to look at the hair colour on the crowd line (mine included)) As for Pima, its noticeable how quickly aircraft deterioration takes hold, the B36 is a good example. The B58 does not look good but where does the money come from to build new under cover facilities?
I couldn't find, or get the group chat I'm in, to show a repeated Flypast/Aeroplane article that wasn't an anniversary reprint. They have re-covered subject, as I wrote one of them. Happy to be corrected of course. With Duxford, i think there will be a greater distinction on the large objects they own, and the others that they don't. Hopefully going to have someone on to discuss the masterplan and what that means going forward. The B-36 at Pima hasn't been touched since she was rolled onto display in 2009, I believe. As such, I think she's doing rather well! The Hustler was last refinished about the same time, so they are both due a look by the team. Scott said in our B-36 video that it was due to be referbed soon, so now the NB-52A is complete, it has moved up the pecking order. It would mean it would be off formal display for around 2 years though. Pima is funded through philanthropy. If someone wants to pay for a new hangar, I'm sure they would put one up, but that wouldn't happen before the Tucson Military Vehicles Museum is complete at the very earliest. Pure speculation on my part of course.
Duxford has shot itself in the foot, scrapping all the shows they used to put on,and are left with mediocre shows at best.when the new head took over at museum she wanted to know why they're are tanks here.says it all there,most of the military vehicles are loaned to the museum,its on a downward spiral after what it used to be like.RIP.
That is a harsh look at the situation. The events as they were did not help Duxford as much as people think. The new events, while different are designed to enable Duxford to continue.
So, all this says to me is that I’ve got a couple more years to enjoy Duxford before it is transformed into a predigested exploratorium for the attention-deficient “modern audience”. All the great museums of my youth have been obliterated and it looks like Duxford is heading down the same path. Thanks for the heads up. It looks like I’ll have to rely on the US for great aircraft museums in future.
I don't think the future is that bleak for Duxford, but it will be a different place. Many of IWM's policies do more to hurt the telling of the staories of the aircraft in the collection currently, than the plans afoot. The requirement that objects must be in the colours that they operated in, rather than reflective of the wider serive of the type is asinine IMO.
Duxford & IWM have lost a great deal of trust over the last two decades. The organisation hasn't moved progressed in a positive direction, driven by profit & overlooking their key custodianship of national heritage assets. Public access/engagement is not their forte, and many are deeply concerned with their direction. Do we trust current (and past) leadership... ahem...
I can't argue with much of what you say there, but I know there is good people at the IWM I just hope they are able to exert some influence over the coming years.
Everything is going this way. IQ's are falling in the western world (Im currently studying this in Anthropology) and now they have a short attention span and poor perspectives on a learning experience. IE everything has to be a fun fair experience. Otherwise the little darlings get bored. Its all going this way. Take a look at aeroplane magazine of the fifties and now. fifties... lots of text and technical explanation. Now pictures,.. trying to work an ethnic in here and there....
Harsh. Part of the issue is the baseline for knowlegde of the objects at a museum like Duxford is complerely different. Kids today haven't grown up with the movies and TV we did that built our facination. As such, the education aspect has to start from a very different place. The challenge for the curators is ever changing. Not a task I envy! But, I've seen kids look at awe at the aircraft at Hendon and Duxford just as I did, so there is hope yet.
Matt, I volunteer at Duxford and the master plan that will take over 5 years will produce themed displays. It will improve the visitor experience which may not suit the enthusiasts as it means change but the museum needs to engage with the new generations. That means more interactive displays and a joined up historical narrative. Museums like Duxford must change to maintain the interest of the public. In terms of Land Warfare the reality is is that the building has reached the end of its viable life. The vehicles will be redistributed throughout the museum in themed displays.
Well said and thank you for volunteering. It’s people like yourself who are keeping this important part of our national history available for generations to come.
Aren’t some of the vehicles going to the new Military Vehicle Museum next to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona?
Thanks for your reasoned reply. I think the changes will face opposition but as you said, change is needed as those of us who grew up with the place as it was will need to be ready to accept the change. Thanks for your giving of time to make the place as welcoming as I'm sure it'll remain.
That was agreed under the previous IWM leadership, I'm unware if it is still the case.
New interactive displays often have high downtime & miss the key USP of museums... real objects.
VR & experiences will kill museums if they try to become an edutainment environment.
Consultants will make a fortune tho
How will they avoid deterioration of the Avro York and Sunderland when they are moved outside? Isn’t there a risk that they will end up like the Blackburn Beverly at the RAF Museum in Hendon? Would it not have made sense to share the preservation strategy at the time of the announcement to reassure enthusiasts?
The Sunderland isn't moving outside is my understanding. The York is not an IWM asset so the upkeep of it will fall to DAS, along with the rest of their collection. As for the comms, I don't believe enthusiasts are their target audience.
A challenging time for museums, especially those which aren't fully funded by governments. I'm older and an aviation enthusiast. I want to see the airplanes and don't need hand holding to keep me interested when in an aviation museum. But my father served in the RCAF during WWII so I grew up in the presence of the history and knowledge about aircraft. I don't need the museums to change to make them more relevant to me. However, I see below a comment saying that a problem with museums is that they have become too expensive to visit. Despite the fact that the entrance costs reflect that costs keep going up for museums to operate. Yet we are unhappy when museums begin to do things which will lower an existing cost or which will bring in more revenue--revenue which they need to generate if they hope to remain viable. The choices which museum operators may make to assure more revenue may be painful to me, but as a business owner, I can appreciate management deciding to do things which they hope will starve off financial crisis. The alternative option being that we accept the need to pay much higher entrance costs yet continue to visit, or pay more taxes so government might support more, or start personally giving large monetary donations to our loved museums. If we personally aren't willing to pony up for the costs, we may need to hold our tongues when the museum managements seek alternate forms of cash flow (even if that is at the expense of maintaining the collections as they currently exist).
@19:44 - Matt, I believe the biggest issue these days is exactly the type of knee-jerk reactions you speak of - on both sides of the aisle. In many cases, asking oneself 'is this actually the case, or are we missing an attributable source?' would help a lot.
It would have made a difference in the Dux plan debate too.
I would go to Duxford more, BUT the fee is to high. More so if I add the fuel cost.
Agreed, its not a cheap visit anymore, which is a damn shame.
A huge shame the Land Warfare display is going. Sorry to have it confirmed. They are getting a bit funny with the airliner collection too I believe. Got rid of the ham radio station too (likes lots of museums). Journalists do distort and misquote at times. To examples I have had recounted to me. The guy who helped me study for my ham radio exams was interviewed by a local newspaper about amateur radio. The journalist asked why exams were needed. My tutor explained about knowing how not to cause interference to radio users as well as interfering with television and radio reception. This was condensed into "Len says if he wants, he blot out all the TVs in a hundred yards radius". Then there was the chairmen of the 2CV club of Great Britain. A journalist quoted him as saying the chairmen was pleased 2CV production had ended as his cars would now be worth more.
The mainstream media are truly the 'scum of the earth'. Their relevance is diminishing rapidly and they take every opportunity to create news rather than report it. Scum, blot on the landscape and anything derogatory you can think of, is very well earned.
Wings is deffinetley worth a visit
I , like you have read both Aeroplane and Flypast since School and continue to subscribe. TBH, i do feel as if theybrepeat articles but isnt that a sign of the reader getting older? How many times i have i said to younger people, can you remember Concorde, UK Phantoms, Jaguars, Bucanneers etc and the answer is "no" they are to young to remember (makesme feel old)
Regarding Duxford, i read the article, all mates and myself had the same opinion, which i wont repeat here. Rather than complain to myself, i emailed Duxford direct, they responded, im still not happy with the response. Yes i agree, museums need to change to entice a younger audience ( you only need to look at the hair colour on the crowd line (mine included))
As for Pima, its noticeable how quickly aircraft deterioration takes hold, the B36 is a good example. The B58 does not look good but where does the money come from to build new under cover facilities?
I couldn't find, or get the group chat I'm in, to show a repeated Flypast/Aeroplane article that wasn't an anniversary reprint. They have re-covered subject, as I wrote one of them. Happy to be corrected of course.
With Duxford, i think there will be a greater distinction on the large objects they own, and the others that they don't. Hopefully going to have someone on to discuss the masterplan and what that means going forward.
The B-36 at Pima hasn't been touched since she was rolled onto display in 2009, I believe. As such, I think she's doing rather well! The Hustler was last refinished about the same time, so they are both due a look by the team. Scott said in our B-36 video that it was due to be referbed soon, so now the NB-52A is complete, it has moved up the pecking order. It would mean it would be off formal display for around 2 years though.
Pima is funded through philanthropy. If someone wants to pay for a new hangar, I'm sure they would put one up, but that wouldn't happen before the Tucson Military Vehicles Museum is complete at the very earliest. Pure speculation on my part of course.
Duxford has shot itself in the foot, scrapping all the shows they used to put on,and are left with mediocre shows at best.when the new head took over at museum she wanted to know why they're are tanks here.says it all there,most of the military vehicles are loaned to the museum,its on a downward spiral after what it used to be like.RIP.
That is a harsh look at the situation. The events as they were did not help Duxford as much as people think. The new events, while different are designed to enable Duxford to continue.
So, all this says to me is that I’ve got a couple more years to enjoy Duxford before it is transformed into a predigested exploratorium for the attention-deficient “modern audience”. All the great museums of my youth have been obliterated and it looks like Duxford is heading down the same path. Thanks for the heads up. It looks like I’ll have to rely on the US for great aircraft museums in future.
I don't think the future is that bleak for Duxford, but it will be a different place. Many of IWM's policies do more to hurt the telling of the staories of the aircraft in the collection currently, than the plans afoot. The requirement that objects must be in the colours that they operated in, rather than reflective of the wider serive of the type is asinine IMO.
Duxford & IWM have lost a great deal of trust over the last two decades. The organisation hasn't moved progressed in a positive direction, driven by profit & overlooking their key custodianship of national heritage assets.
Public access/engagement is not their forte, and many are deeply concerned with their direction.
Do we trust current (and past) leadership... ahem...
I can't argue with much of what you say there, but I know there is good people at the IWM I just hope they are able to exert some influence over the coming years.
Everything is going this way. IQ's are falling in the western world (Im currently studying this in Anthropology) and now they have a short attention span and poor perspectives on a learning experience. IE everything has to be a fun fair experience. Otherwise the little darlings get bored. Its all going this way. Take a look at aeroplane magazine of the fifties and now. fifties... lots of text and technical explanation. Now pictures,.. trying to work an ethnic in here and there....
Harsh. Part of the issue is the baseline for knowlegde of the objects at a museum like Duxford is complerely different. Kids today haven't grown up with the movies and TV we did that built our facination. As such, the education aspect has to start from a very different place. The challenge for the curators is ever changing. Not a task I envy! But, I've seen kids look at awe at the aircraft at Hendon and Duxford just as I did, so there is hope yet.