Solent Sky, Southampton, Hampshire

Previously known as the Southampton Hall of Aviation, renamed in 2005, this is a city-centre museum, close to the sites of the Supermarine factory, birthplace of the Spitfire, and the seaplane base of Imperial Airways. The building is modern, and has two upper viewing galleries (with a lift) which certainly aid photography.

The collection's theme is decidedly local, with Supermarine, Saro, and the Schneider Trophy prominent, plus the star attraction, the Short Sandringham. It certainly helps to have a name starting with S. But there are other interesting things as well. My visit was on 13 September.

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Airwave hang-glider BAPC.215 The prototype, donated by Airwave Gliders of the Isle of Wight. Founded in 1979, Airwave was bought and moved to Austria in 1999.
Avro 504J replica 'C4451' BAPC.210 Built by AJD Engineering.
BAe Harrier GR3 cockpit XV760 Nose profile modified to resemble an FRS1.
Britten-Norman BN-1F G-ALZE Sole example, first flew at Bembridge, Isle of Wight, in May 1951 and retired in 1953.
De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T10 cockpit section WK570 RAF
De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth BB807 RAF. A composite, mostly featuring G-ADWO which had been impressed as BB807. Also with parts from G-AOAC & G-AOJJ.
De Havilland DH-110 Sea Vixen FAW2 XJ571 242 Royal Navy. Delivered May 1960, became an instructional airframe in 1971. Now restored with unused wings, it's slightly possible that this could fly again.
De Havilland DH-115 Vampire T11 'U-1215' Swiss AF, actually RAF XE998 in false markings. '98 served the RAF 1955-67. The real U-1215 became G-HELV and is now in the Jordanian Historic Flight.
Folland Gnat F1 XK740 RAF. 3rd F1 development aircraft, first flight March 1957. Used for engine development by Bristol Siddeley and retired in 1974. Now repainted in original colours, applied in the Hamble factory where it was built.
Mignet HM14 Flying Flea 'G-ADZW' BAPC.253 Built in the 1990s. The registration was originally for a Flea, but was not taken up.
Saunders-Roe (Saro) Skeeter 8 G-APOI Sole example of the commercial variant of the military version, the Mk7.
Saunders-Roe (Saro) SRA/1 TG263 G-12-1 Twin-engined flying-boat fighter. The prototype, sole survivor of three built. First flight July 1947 (6 years before the Convair Sea Dart).
Short S25 Sandringham IV VH-BRC Beachcomber. First flown as RAF Sunderland III JM715 in 1943. Converted to Sandringham IV in 1947, became ZK-AMH of Tasman Airways, then VH-BRC of Ansett, N158C and VP-LVE of Antilles Air Boats. Restored for the museum in 1983.
SUMPAC BAPC.007 Southampton University Man Powered Aircraft - the first HPA to officially make a human-powered controlled flight in 1961, flown by noted glider pilot Derek Piggott.
Supermarine S6A N248 Royal Navy High Speed Flight. Designed by RJ Mitchell as an S6, set a new world speed record of 332mph in 1929. Modified to an S6A, was part of the team for the Schneider Trophy contest at nearby Calshot in 1931, but didn't actually compete.
Supermarine Spitfire F24 PK683 RAF. Built in 1946, served the Singapore AF in 1951 but crashed the next year. Was a Gate Guard at Changi and returned to the UK in 1970.
Supermarine Swift F4 cockpit WK272 Or possibly WK282. WK272 crashed during spinning trials in 1955 (the pilot ejected safely). Used as a procedures trainer, still in very good condition.
Supermarine Swift F7 XF114 G-SWIF In the restoration bay. Sole surviving whole F7 (the nose of XF113 is in the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection). First flown in September 1956, XF114 was used by the MOD for aquaplaning tests, flying a total of 12 hours, and was retired in 1967.
Wight Quadruplane replica 'N546' BAPC.164 A private venture by J Samuel White & Co Ltd (Wight Aircraft) of the Isle of Wight during WW1, this was not a success, even after several variations were tried. In February 1918 the sole example crashed into a cemetery and was written off. This replica is of the original version, built by Wessex Aviation Society in the early 1980s.

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