Aviation museum all jet set to reach for the skies
Plans for a huge new aviation museum full of fighter jets and historic aircraft have been revealed.
The South Wales Aviation Museum will be packed with aircraft, from twin-propeller planes from the 1950s to fighter jets that can fly at twice the speed of sound.
Based next door to the St Athan Ministry of Defence site, the museum aims to be a hands-on site to attract everyone from schoolchildren to ex-armed forces members.
The venture is the brainchild of aircraft engineers Gary Spoors and John Sparks.
Gary, a former RAF engineer, said: “This is all about bringing a busload of 11-year-old kids to come in and be inspired about aviation.
“One of the things that is killing this industry is that children these days aren’t getting into it.
“So we want to inspire them from a young age. In years to come there will be shortages in the industry if we don’t get them inspired young.”
It is hoped the museum, the only one of its type in south Wales, will be open by Easter.
Gary and John said they wanted the museum to be hands-on, rather than being “full of dusty old planes” with “old men looking around”.
Spread across a number of vast hangars on the Picketston Aerospace business park, the museum will include a number of interactive exhibits from ejector seats to pilots’ uniforms and various plane engines.
Gary, who runs GJD Services, which maintains aircraft, said: “It’s got to be a place families want to come.
“We don’t want planes just sat around, we want a lot of interactive stuff going on – it’s all about inspiring people to get into aviation.”
The main part of the museum will be the visitor centre, which will include dozens of aircraft and show information about the St Athan RAF base.
Several aircraft are already at the site, with more planned to arrive in the coming months.
A café, shop and outside play area are also planned.
Alongside the displays, the museum will include a training facility where students can work on aircraft.
John and Gary are now appealing for volunteers interested in working at the museum to get in touch.
Those interested can contact 01446 750284 or engineering@horizonaircraftservices.com