Solent Sky facts for kids
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| Location | Southampton, Hampshire |
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| Type | Aviation museum |
Solent Sky is an aviation museum in Southampton, Hampshire, previously known as Southampton Hall of Aviation.
It depicts the history of aviation in Southampton, the Solent area and Hampshire. There is special focus on the Supermarine aircraft company, based in Southampton, and its most famous products, the Supermarine S.6 seaplane and the Supermarine Spitfire, designed by R. J. Mitchell.
There is also coverage of the Schneider Trophy seaplane races, twice held at Calshot Spit, and the flying boat services which operated from the Solent. In December 2019 the Calshot Spit lightship was relocated next to the museum in order to be converted into part of the museum’s cafe.In September 2020 3 of Southampton’s former trams were moved to the museum site where it is planned they will undergo restoration before going on public display.
Contents
Exhibits
Aircraft on display
Aircraft on display at the museum include:
- Avro 504J - Replica
- Britten-Norman BN-1
- de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW Mk.1 - XJ476
- de Havilland Tiger Moth
- de Havilland Vampire
- Folland Gnat
- Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 - Cockpit section. Modified to resemble Harrier FRS.1
- Mignet HM.14 Pou-du-Ciel
- Saro Skeeter (x 2)
- Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 - TG263
- Short Sandringham S.25/V - VH-BRC, Beachcomber
- Slingsby Grasshopper
- Slingsby Tandem Tutor
- SUMPAC
- Supermarine S.6A - N248, competed in the 1929 Schneider Trophy
- Supermarine Seagull - Nose section only
- Supermarine Spitfire F.24 - PK683
- Supermarine Swift - Cockpit section
- Wight Quadruplane - Replica
Engines on display
- Alvis Leonides
- Alvis Leonides Major
- Bristol Siddeley Orpheus
- Bristol Proteus
- de Havilland Gipsy Major
- Gnome Monosoupape
- Metrovick Beryl
- Napier Gazelle
- Napier Lion
- Napier Naiad
- Napier Sabre
- Napier Scorpion
- Rolls-Royce/Continental 0-300
- Rolls-Royce Derwent
- Rolls-Royce Merlin
Police and Fire Heritage Collection
In 2017 an exhibition by the Hampshire Police and Fire Heritage Trust was added to the museum.
Charity
The work of Solent Sky is supported by a registered charity, the R. J. Mitchell Memorial Museum Limited, whose objects are "to advance the education of the public in matters relating to aviation by establishing and maintaining a museum as a permanent memorial to R. J. Mitchell, the designer of the Schneider Trophy S6B seaplane and the Spitfire."
