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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251021
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251103
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20241023T133958Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251022T184147Z
UID:3447-1761004800-1762127999@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Kids' Halloween Hunt
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/kids-halloween-hunt/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/halloween_hunt_2025.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251012
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251013
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20250205T130706Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250525T170108Z
UID:3491-1760227200-1760313599@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2025. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nThis is also a chance to meet and talk to the members of “Squadron X“\, a WWII RAF Living History Group keeping alive the memories of the men and women of Bomber Command. For more information visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/101706636274240/ \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSunday 12th October 2025\nEngine Run at approximately 12noon\nWe know how much our visitors love hearing and feeling the magic of the Merlin engine. It’s the heart of what we do here at The Wings Aviation Museum — and keeping it running is a true labour of love. \nTo help cover the ever-increasing costs of maintaining and operating this historic engine\, we are introducing a small £5 per visitor surcharge for Merlin run experiences. \nEvery penny will go directly towards essential upkeep\, ensuring the Merlin can continue to roar for years to come. \nWe truly appreciate your support\, understanding\, and passion. Without you\, we couldn’t keep history alive. Thank you for standing with us at The Wings Aviation Museum. \n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-12th-october-2025/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250816
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250817
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20240202T124337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250814T114128Z
UID:3252-1755302400-1755388799@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:POSTPONED - WW2 Bomb Disposal - Talk and Demonstration
DESCRIPTION:*** PLEASE NOTE THAT UNFORTUNATELY THIS EVENT HAS HAD TO BE POSTPONED ***\nThis is quite an opportunity to witness the skills and ingenuity of the World War Two Bomb Disposal teams. \nBack by popular demand is our bomb disposal talk by Bomb Disposal historian Steve Venus. \nLet us take you back to 1940. An air raid took place in the night and the museum has an “unwelcome” visitor – a Luftwaffe 50kg bomb! \nWho better than Steve and museum curator Dan to demonstrate how bomb disposal would deal with unexploded bombs in WW2. \nTalks on German bombs\, fuses\, booby traps and Butterfly bombs – what more could you want? \n  \nThe session is scheduled for 11:30am. \nThere is no need to book\, just be here on Saturday 16th August 2025!
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/ww2-bomb-disposal-talk-and-demonstration/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/danger-uxb-a.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250802
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250803
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20250205T130324Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250525T170012Z
UID:3489-1754092800-1754179199@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2025. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nThis is also a chance to meet and talk to the members of “Squadron X“\, a WWII RAF Living History Group keeping alive the memories of the men and women of Bomber Command. For more information visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/101706636274240/ \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaturday 2nd August 2025\nEngine Run at approximately 12noon\nWe know how much our visitors love hearing and feeling the magic of the Merlin engine. It’s the heart of what we do here at The Wings Aviation Museum — and keeping it running is a true labour of love. \nTo help cover the ever-increasing costs of maintaining and operating this historic engine\, we are introducing a small £5 per visitor surcharge for Merlin run experiences. \nEvery penny will go directly towards essential upkeep\, ensuring the Merlin can continue to roar for years to come. \nWe truly appreciate your support\, understanding\, and passion. Without you\, we couldn’t keep history alive. Thank you for standing with us at The Wings Aviation Museum. \n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-2nd-august-2025/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250607
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250608
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20250205T125859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250607T092035Z
UID:3487-1749254400-1749340799@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2025. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts.\n \nSaturday 7th June 2025\nEngine Run at approximately 12noon\nWe know how much our visitors love hearing and feeling the magic of the Merlin engine. It’s the heart of what we do here at The Wings Aviation Museum — and keeping it running is a true labour of love. \nTo help cover the ever-increasing costs of maintaining and operating this historic engine\, we are introducing a small £5 per visitor surcharge for Merlin run experiences. \nEvery penny will go directly towards essential upkeep\, ensuring the Merlin can continue to roar for years to come. \nWe truly appreciate your support\, understanding\, and passion. Without you\, we couldn’t keep history alive. Thank you for standing with us at The Wings Aviation Museum. \n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-7th-june-2025/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250426
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250427
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20250405T194803Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250409T141554Z
UID:3632-1745625600-1745711999@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:MX-5 Owners Club Visit
DESCRIPTION:We are pleased to welcome the members and cars of the MX-5 Owners Club for a visit to the museum on Saturday 26th April. \nThis will be a perfect opportunity to meet a few of the club’s members in the informal setting of the museum\, and I’m sure they would be more than welcoming if you’d like to join them!
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/mx-5-owners-club-visit/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mx5-1a.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250412
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250413
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20250205T125300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250412T104446Z
UID:3483-1744416000-1744502399@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2025. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSaturday 12th April 2025\nEngine Run at approximately 2:30pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-12th-april-2025/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250302
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250303
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20250219T183032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250219T203659Z
UID:2552-1740873600-1740959999@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:West Sussex Area - Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS)
DESCRIPTION:Make a date for your diary! \nSunday 2nd March 2025 we are hoping (subject to weather) for the Military Vehicles of members of the West Sussex Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS) to attend the Wings Aviation Museum from around midday! \nThere has not been a better time to visit the museum! \n  \n \nThank you to Terry Gibbs from IMPS for allowing us to share some photos of some of the vehicles that can be expected.
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/west-sussex-invicta-military-vehicle-preservation-society-imps/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jeep-IMPS-protrait-a.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241027
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241028
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20240603T171739Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240603T171739Z
UID:3355-1729987200-1730073599@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2024. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSunday 27th October 2024\nEngine Run at approximately 2pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-6/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241026
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241027
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20240603T171511Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240603T171511Z
UID:3353-1729900800-1729987199@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2024. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSaturday 26th October 2024\nEngine Run at approximately 2pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-5/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240825
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240826
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20240603T171246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240730T063855Z
UID:3351-1724544000-1724630399@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2024. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSunday 25th August 2024\nEngine Run at approximately 2pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-4/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240824
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240825
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20240603T170908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240730T063820Z
UID:3348-1724457600-1724543999@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2024. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSaturday 24th August 2024\nEngine Run at approximately 2pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-3/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240707
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240708
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20240603T170459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240702T184030Z
UID:3346-1720310400-1720396799@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:CANCELLED - Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:Unfortunately\, due to unforeseen circumstances\, we are going to have to cancel this weekend’s engine runs. \nWe are sorry to disappoint anyone who was planning on attending. The museum will still be open as usual. \nThe next dates for a public engine run will be the 17th and 18th August\, subject to engine serviceability and weather on the day. \n  \nThe Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2024. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSunday 7th July 2024\nEngine Run at approximately 2pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run-2/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240706
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240707
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20240603T170330Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240702T183956Z
UID:3344-1720224000-1720310399@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:CANCELLED - Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:Unfortunately\, due to unforeseen circumstances\, we are going to have to cancel this weekend’s engine runs. \nWe are sorry to disappoint anyone who was planning on attending. The museum will still be open as usual. \nThe next dates for a public engine run will be the 17th and 18th August\, subject to engine serviceability and weather on the day. \n  \nThe Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2024. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSaturday 6th July 2024\nEngine Run at approximately 2pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/rolls-royce-merlin-engine-run/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240629
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240630
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20220603T090001Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240603T165834Z
UID:2504-1719619200-1719705599@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rolls Royce Merlin Engine Run
DESCRIPTION:The Wings Aviation Museum is very proud to announce that a 1943 Halifax Rolls Royce Merlin engine from Halifax JD150\, which was recovered from a bog in Germany in 2010\, will run at the Wings Museum on Special Engine Run Days in 2024. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of a Halifax Merlin engine complete with its “Saxophone” style exhausts. \nSaturday 29th June 2024\nEngine Run at approximately 2pm\n \nThe story of Halifax JD150 and her young crew:\nOn the night of 27th/28th July 1943 Halifax II JD150 DY-A (a veteran of 14 bombing operations) took off from RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire at 22.32 for the last time to bomb Hamburg in Germany. While on route to the target\, tragically the aircraft was met by a hail of cannon fire from the guns of a German Night Fighter\, Pilot Fw Hans Meissner and Funker Josef Krinner of II.NJG3 in an Me110 night fighter based at Schleswig in Germany. \nThe Halifax pilot\, Gordon Brown\, aged just 19\, battled with the crippled bomber\, but it was a battle he would ultimately lose when the aircraft struck the ground in a swampy area of Hobek near Rendsburg in Germany and the aircraft exploded. It was the crew’s third and final bombing operation\, becoming yet another set of statistics of RAF Bomber Command losses. \n  \nThe crew of Halifax JD150:\n\nPilot – Sgt Gordon Harry Brown – Aged 19\nFlight Engineer – Sgt John Alfred Tyler\nNavigator – P/O William Joseph Hitchcock (‘Jack’) – Aged 32\nAir Bomber – P/O Robert William Allison\nWireless Operator – Sgt James Wesley Rooke – Aged 22\nAir Gunner – Sgt Edward Gough\nAir Gunner – Sgt William Alexander Sinclair\n\n\nDiscovery of the forgotten bomber:\nIn 2010 a German historian named Nils Hempel was researching an air crash near to his home. With the use of a metal detector he discovered many fragments of a crashed British Halifax Bomber. \nThen one afternoon he discovered an unexploded 30lb incendiary bomb! \nHe immediately contacted the police and a German EOD unit was deployed to the crash-site. \nA full search of the area was conducted\, and many more bombs were removed. \nDuring this work four Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XX engines were discovered still buried in the soft peat. These forgotten Merlins were once part of a mighty war machine – a reminder of a different time when a young aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above Germany in 1943. \nNils Hempel conducted exhaustive research into the identity of the aircraft and finally it was confirmed\, through German Night Fighter reports\, that this was the final resting place of Halifax JD150. \nGerman Night Fighter Pilot Fw Hans Meissner states in his combat report that he shot down a Halifax 1km SW of Hobek at 01.01am at a height of 5\,500 metres. Meissner was later promoted to Oberleutnant and went on to score 20 victories becoming a Luftwaffe “ace”. \nOver the following months\, the German EOD unit\, together with Nils Hempel\, tried to find a home for the engines. No one in Germany was interested. \nEventually the Wings Museum in Sussex was contacted and needless to say were delighted to acquire the engines for display in the museum. \nIn 2011\, with the authority of the British Ministry of Defence\, a team from Wings travelled to Germany to bring the four Merlins home to England after 68 years. \n  \n \nRestoration to ground running condition:\nOnce the engines were safely back at the museum and preservation work was underway\, several volunteers joked “the condition is amazing it looks like they could run again!” \nThe museum curators began to contemplate this\, and it dawned on them that\, with the support of the museum volunteers and a few contacts\, it would be possible to return at least one of the engines into ground running condition. \nThe engine was completely stripped. The oil inside was like new. The engine sustained some damage in the crash so a number of parts were sent up to Flight Engineering in Leeds where specialist repair was carried out. \nAs the project gathered pace\, an obsession developed to save and reuse as much of the original engine as possible\, this was\, after all\, what was coming to be known as the “Bomber Command Memorial Merlin”. \nIt was necessary to replace a few items but at least 90% of the original engine was reused! \nThe original engine bearers were restored and even the crumpled “Saxophone” style exhausts were cut up\, reformed and reshaped by a skilled blacksmith. \nThese exhausts\, originally designed to hide the flame of the exhaust from sight of German Night Fighters\, would give the unique sound of the Halifax not heard since the war. \nFlight Engineering produced a special custom trailer which would provide a stable running platform\, together with the vital oil and fuel needed to run the engine. Even the instruments used on the control panel are original World War Two vintage. \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/merlin-engine-run-220709/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Halifax-JD150-Merlin-Run-CROP.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wings Museum":MAILTO:info@wingsmuseum.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230923
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230924
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20230901T111138Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230901T111707Z
UID:3201-1695427200-1695513599@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Special Event
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Saturday 23rd September 2023 in remembering “Operation Market Garden“\, 17th – 27th September 1944. \nFrom 14:30 the Perdido Players Swing Band will be entertaining us with sounds from the 1940s. \nA collection will be made in aid of St Peter and St James Hospice . \n \nWe also hope to have a selection of military vehicles\, and some US Paratrooper re-enactors to bring the day to life. \nAll of this alongside the usual exhibition including our Dakota fuselage. 1438 C-47/Dakota planes were used in ‘Market Garden’\, serving as paratrooper transport and glider tugs.
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/special-event/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/perdido-players-swing-band.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230521
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230522
DTSTAMP:20260425T095440
CREATED:20230303T200942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230520T091122Z
UID:3040-1684627200-1684713599@www.wingsmuseum.co.uk
SUMMARY:Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS)
DESCRIPTION:Make a date for your diary! \nSunday 21st May 2023 we are expecting (subject to weather) a group of Military Vehicles from the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS) to attend the Wings Aviation Museum from around 11am. \nThere has not been a better time to visit the museum! \n \n  \n 
URL:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/event/invicta-military-vehicle-preservation-society-imps/
LOCATION:Wings Aviation Museum\, Wings Museum\, Unit 1\, Bucklands Farm\, Brantridge Lane\, Balcombe\, West Sussex\, RH17 6JT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jeep-IMPS-protrait-a.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR