点评:We were returning from a few nights stay near Brampton and had decided to visit the Museum on our route home. We were there prior to official opening at 10.30am and consequently got a prime parking spot upon entry, right next to the reception building. A family ticket for two adults and our two grandchildren was £20 which is very affordable. We also were given the first booking to get a tour of the Vulcan bomber which is included in the entry fee.
The Vulcan is parked a short distance from the remainder of the aircraft so we walked across to have a look around it pending the arrival of our guides. It’s a huge plane which a large group could easily shelter under if it was raining!
Access to the Vulcan is up a couple of steep sets of metal ladders which the crew would have used when it was operational. Inside the aircraft one of the younger volunteer guides directed us how best to manoeuvre to get onboard and take our seats. It takes a little side-stepping to do so as the interior is very compact. We were not able to access the cockpit but you could step up and look inside. Our grandchildren were the navigator and communications officer, my wife an observer and I got the bomb release job. Our guide gave us background to how the crew would function; their missions; and how they would escape in an emergency. The pilots had ejector seats but the other crew members just needed to jump from the stairs we had come up! He also answered some questions we had which included how did they go to the toilet on these long missions (there was a bag for emergencies). We spent about 30 minutes onboard which was superb and didn't need to resort to the bag at any stage. Back on the tarmac our guide took a family photo using my mobile.
We then headed over to the collection of other aircraft, some of which we were able to board. There was plenty of interpretation boards with more information than you are likely to need unless you have specialist interest. The info included a history of the specific planes and where they had operated. After seeing these we headed back to the reception and got some snacks and drinks (reasonably priced) and given the hot drinks were from a machine they were okay. There are some tables and chairs to sit inside.
There is a shop selling lots of aircraft-linked material including models, military style clothing and some souvenirs.
The museum contains a huge amount of items and information and it would be easy to spend lots of time there looking over the details. It’s one for the technically minded for sure.
As the morning moved on it became relatively busy at the site but never to the extent that you couldn’t move around freely.
Overall we enjoyed the visit and thought it was good value for money.
翻译:我们刚在布兰普顿附近度过了几个夜晚,决定在回家途中顺便参观一下博物馆。我们在上午10点半博物馆正式开放前就到了,因此一进门就抢到了一个绝佳的停车位,就在接待处旁边。一张可供两名成人和两名孙辈使用的家庭票只需20英镑,价格相当实惠。我们还获得了优先预约的机会,可以参观Vulcan轰炸机,这项参观服务也包含在门票费用中。那架“火神”轰炸机停在离其他飞机不远的地方,因此在向导到来之前,我们步行过去仔细查看了一番。这可是一架庞大的飞机——要是下雨的话,一大群人都能躲到它的机翼下避雨呢!
要进入飞机,需要爬上几段陡峭的金属梯子,这些梯子在飞机服役期间供机组人员使用。在机舱内,一位年纪较轻的志愿向导指导我们该如何行动才能顺利登上飞机并找到自己的座位。由于内部空间非常狭小,要这样做需要稍微侧身才行。我们没能进入驾驶舱,但可以踩上去往里看。我们的孙辈们担任导航员和通信官,我的妻子则当起了观察员,而我负责投弹任务。导游向我们介绍了机组人员的分工、他们的任务内容,以及发生紧急情况时他们该如何逃生。飞行员们有弹射座椅,而其他机组成员只需要从我们进来的楼梯跳下去就行了!他还回答了我们提出的一些问题,比如在这些漫长的任务中他们如何上厕所(其实有一个用于紧急情况的袋子)。我们在飞机上待了大约30分钟,体验棒极了,期间也完全用不上那个袋子。回到停机坪后,导游用我的手机为全家人拍了张合影。
随后我们前往其他飞机的展示区。我们得以登上其中几架飞机。现场设有许多解说牌,上面的信息量很大,不过除非你对此有专门的兴趣,否则一般也用不到这么多信息。这些信息包括了每架飞机的历史及其曾经执行任务的地点。看完之后,我们回到接待处买了些零食和饮料(价格还算合理);由于热饮是从自动售货机里买来的,味道也还可以。室内还有一些桌椅可供休息。那里有一家商店,出售许多与飞机相关的物品,包括模型、军装风格的服装以及一些纪念品。
博物馆内陈列着海量藏品与资料,很容易让人花上大量时间细细浏览。对于喜欢技术相关事物的人来说,这里绝对是个好去处。
随着上午时间的推移,参观者逐渐增多,但依然不会拥挤到无法自由走动的程度。总的来说,我们很享受这次参观,觉得物有所值。