Puma Farewell Flypast – Thank You
Updated 28.03.25
Update 28.03.25: A special thank you to the Puma crews who provided us with a wonderful flypast and to the RAF personnel who were able to include the museum in this memorable day. A further thank you to everyone who visited the museum to share this special event with us, and to our staff and volunteers who worked hard to make sure it went off as planned. Also thanks to museum members Andy Smith for this great photograph captured over our Memorial Garden!
Update 26.03.25: Brilliant update message just received from the Puma Farewell Flypast team including the following comment: “... Due to the level of passionate engagement and ties to XW208 the flypast is a high priority on our list of 34 locations!”
The museum trustees are pleased to advise that the museum has been included on the Puma Farewell Flypast Route which will see a flypast take place over the museum site on Thursday 27th March, 2025 at 13.55 hours.
The museum is not responsible for the precise route where the Puma Flypast will take place, or the serviceability of the helicopters involved.
To minimise potential traffic issues on the surrounding roads we will be opening up the Southfield Site for visitor parking, from 11.30 hours.
To access the museum’s parking area visitors will need to follow the museum’s normal brown and white tourism signs off the A1, A46 & A17 roads along Drove Lane to the museum site. Once off Drove Lane, visitors will be directed along the former airfield taxiway, past Motor Auction car storage site, past the Museum Shop and into the parking area.
Museum staff and volunteers will be on hand to direct traffic and we respectfully request visitors to follow their directions; this will help keep the routes clear and safe. The car parking area should provide opportunities to photograph the flypast with the sun behind everyone.
The museum will be open as normal if anyone wishes to visit and normal admission rates will apply.
For those visitors that just wish to park in the Southfield Site, the museum will not be making a charge. However voluntary donation buckets will be located at the entry point if anyone wishes to contribute to the vital restoration work being undertaken at the museum.
We are confident that the deluge of rain on Saturday should not impact on our ability to use the grass areas for car parking, but we will monitor the situation next week.
To reconfirm: Further details /alterations to timings etc. will be added here if they become available. We would also reiterate our request not to park on the local roads, but to use the parking facility that we are providing.
The Museum Shop will also be open for anyone wishing to make any aviation purchases. You do not have to pay an admission fee if you just wish to shop.