A rewarding visit to the Gloucester Jet Age Museum

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Run by volunteers and donations one of the jewels in Gloucester’s visitor attractions is the free Jet Age Museum. Set in the city where Sir Frank Whittle built the first proper jet powered fighter plane, the Meteor, the site is a celebration and collection of all things jet related and it tells the tale of how we came to have this remarkable piece of engineering. It’s one of the many reasons why life in and around Gloucester is so good and makes Gloucestershire Park Homes such a popular place to settle after your retirement.

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WIth 22 planes on site, some of which you can even sit in and see what it was like to be a pilot, the Museum has a huge array of memorabilia and archives around the development of the jet engine and its early service with the RAF. Many of the volunteers work firsthand on the project or where involved with later improvement. You might catch a sight of them working on a restoration project.

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One of the highlights of the Museum is the chance to sit in the cockpit of the famous Vulcan bomber. At one time this mighty plane was the backbone of our country’s nuclear defence. You can sit in the pilot and co pilot’s seat, and see how cramped it was.