Duxford, United Kingdom. - Fitting out of the Imperial War Museum’s new AirSpace exhibition, created to commemorate British and Commonwealth aviation history and the contribution of aircraft manufacturers over the years, has commenced at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire, with support from BAE Systems. Work on the exhibition began with a de Havilland Mosquito being suspended from the roof, which has now been joined by 11 other aircraft. As one of the major sponsors of the £25m exhibition, BAE Systems has made a substantial contribution to the design and fit-out of the 12,000m2 AirSpace building, the largest of its kind in Europe.

Set to officially open in mid 2007, AirSpace will portray the past, present and future of aviation through a series of interactive exhibits and a timeline display demonstrating how Britain’s aviation companies came together to form what is now BAE Systems. The exhibit will showcase a total of 28 restored aircraft, including such famous names as Concorde, Vulcan, Canberra and Lancaster, among others, all of which can trace their roots back to BAE Systems’ predecessor companies. It also features a large new conservation space and restoration workshop to complement Duxford’s existing facilities.

In addition to commemoration and conservation, education will also be a key feature of AirSpace. BAE Systems is producing online curriculum resources to support the story of British aerospace and defence history, which will be available through an interactive resource centre at AirSpace and on-line at www.baesystems.com/education.

In parallel to its support of the museum, BAE Systems is also promoting careers in aerospace and engineering through a variety of education programmes and an interactive roadshow, which will visit over 10,000 pupils at schools close to BAE Systems’ sites throughout 2007.

Dick Olver, Chairman of BAE Systems, said: "BAE Systems is very proud to support the Imperial War Museum’s new AirSpace Museum, which gives us a fantastic opportunity to tell the story of the Company’s rich and diverse heritage. BAE Systems has been central to nearly all the major developments and achievements in the history of the UK’s aerospace industry and it is vital that we preserve this heritage, to both remember past achievements and inspire future generations of young engineers. AirSpace will be an additional resource we can use to demonstrate how exciting the aerospace and engineering sector can be.”

Richard Ashton, Director of the Imperial War Museum, said: “As the natural guardians of Britain’s aviation heritage, it is entirely appropriate that BAE Systems should join together in partnership with the Imperial War Museum Duxford to create AirSpace. The Museum is truly grateful for BAE Systems’ vision, commitment and support in making AirSpace a reality.”

Image Captions:
1) The Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 suspended in the new Imperial War Museum’s AirSpace exhibition
2) An Airspeed Oxford (above) and an English Electric Canberra suspended in the new Imperial War Museum’s AirSpace exhibition

Both images courtesy of the Imperial War Museum

Source: BAE Systems
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