Southend Historic Aircraft Museum

04/10/2026

Just discovered another surviving inmate, now residing at the Midland Air Museum, Humber monoplane replica BAPC 9.

27/09/2026

Photographed on my last visit to the Museum, just days before the 1983 closure, the 1942, Canadian-built Harvard was displayed in the scheme it would have worn in the USAAF. It saw service with the Royal Canadian and Danish Air Force too, before civilian ownership in Norway as LN-BNM.

It is reported to have arrived at the museum in May 1972 and wore two different US colour schemes while on display. Sold at the auction to the Whitehall Theatre of War, it would eventually end up with the RAF Museum by 1985 dismantled, and would be displayed at Cardington and loaned to Newark Air Museum briefly in the early nineties. Now on display at Hendon, wearing her original RCAF serial of FE905.

06/09/2026

Not in the easiest position to photograph but under cover and well looked after, the Museum’s Saab J29 Tunnen at the Midland Air Museum today.

02/09/2026

The first post-aircraft use of the Museum was ‘Roller City’….

01/09/2026

Amassed quite a bit of museum memorabilia, which still comes up on eBay from time to time…

31/08/2026

Tucked away in the same Science Museum hangar at Wroughton, the DH84 Dragon, G-ACIT, was registered 88 years ago to Scottish Airways Ltd.

31/08/2026

No longer publicly accessible at the Science Museum store at Wroughton, the former Marconi Piaggio

06/08/2026

Another former resident. It was loaned to the Southend museum but has been at The Helicopter Museum (Official) for many years. Just relocated to a new part of the museum…. XL811

Our Skeeter Helicopter on public display in its new permanent location in bay one of the museum.

26/07/2026

Some early pics from Dave Heaney, probably 1971-72 vintage. The Vampire was obviously a new arrival then….

31/05/2026

Another one tracked down - well, sort of!

The Museum’s Fiesler Storch was photographed by Hitchman back in 2015 at New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

There‘s always been some confusion over its whereabouts and is often mentioned at Kermit Weeks’ Fantasy of Flight but, having spoken with him personally, I can confirm that that is not the case and his ‘N156FS’ is an altogether different airframe.

The Flypast Forum suggests the following: - “According to Peter Cohausz's superb work "Deutsche Flugzeuge bis 1945" this machine surfaced in Florida as N156FS being w/n 110064 and at one time "CB+VD", D-EKMU, OE-ADR, Fv3812.

However, according to the renowned website Preserved Axis Aircraft, the listing of surviving Fieslers shows a slightly different origin for w/n 110064 i.e.:

N2405P, exN156FS and it comments that" Aircraft has probably been sold again and re-registered. Ex Propeller Service of Miami, ex CB+VD, Fv 3812, N464FB, D-EYWB."

It is believed that the airframe has, indeed, been sold and is now in Minnesota, which I’m trying to confirm.

The really sad amongst you might recognise the colour scheme that featured on the Airfix aircraft kits of the aircraft.