I was an apprentice there in the first half of the ’90’s. I’m amazed there is anything left there. It was always rumoured that it was going to close and become a big housing estate or industrial estate. Not great for a young person looking for a career in Aerospace engineering and ultimately was the reason for me leaving after coming back from Uni as I just didn’t have any confidence the place had a future, and turns out I was right.
The airshows were brilliant I had access to the flight sheds so spend time in the summer bunking off college lectures and sauntering around all the aircraft as they gathered ahead of the airshow chatting to the pilots and support crew’s. Nearly bagged a back seat flight in an SU27, but one of the big bosses turned up and nicked my seat! I grew up with Vulcans and Nimrod AEW’s over-flying my house as a kid on the approach to Woodford, a sight I took for granted back then.
I’ll have to swing by next time I’m in the area. The site has a fantastic history and heritage and a place in the aviation history of this country, so I’d expect the museum to be well worth a visit.