Milestones of Flight - RAF Museum, Hendon, London, UK
N 51° 35.845 W 000° 14.263
30U E 691311 N 5719878
This plaque was placed to signify the opening of the "Milestones of Flight" exhibition hangar by the Duke of Edinburgh on 17th December 2003. The RAF Museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm and admission is free.
Waymark Code: WMNFMP
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/07/2015
Views: 2
The RAF Museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm with admission being free. Carparking is available but there is a charge. The nearest underground station is Colindale about a 10-15 minute walk away or a number 303 bus passes both the tube station and museum.
The plaque, is located within the hangar between the entrance and the main exhibition area. It reads:
Milestones of Flight
opened by
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip
Duke of Edinburgh KG KT
17th December 2003
The date for the opening was chosen as it marked exactly 100 years since the Wright Brothers made the first controlled, powered flight.
The RAF Museum website tells us:
The Milestones of Flight exhibition is a comprehensive display of the major events that took place in the history of aviation. Start from the early pioneer days before World War One when the Wright brothers completed the first ever flight in a powered aircraft, through World War Two, up to the modern age of flight and today's jet engines. Many different and unique aircrafts can be viewed at the Milestones of Flight exhibition, including foreign planes and the contribution made by the RAF to the history of aviation.
Experience the magic when you come face to face with some of the earliest aircraft to have ever been built, and compare them to the power and sophistication of the sleek Eurofighter of today. Both aircraft mark significant landmarks in the development of flight and the history of aviation.
Imagine the excitement felt by the Wright brothers as their plane flew for the very first time, making history when their aircraft stayed aloft for 12 seconds covering 120 feet. Since then, the history of aviation has seen an incredible rate of development with the jet engine replacing the propeller driven flight crafts of earlier years. See for yourself how the manufacture and style of aircraft has progressed at our Milestones of Flight exhibition at RAF Museum London.
The Milestones of Flight building was opened in 2003, 100 years after the first powered flight by Orville Wright. High viewing areas and state-of-the-art interactive technology take you through some of the most important milestones in aviation history.
The exhibition covers the great achievements in the first 100 years of flight, and in particular the major contribution made by the Royal Air Force, with many unique foreign aircraft used to illustrate the major steps in the development of aviation.
Visitors can get close to flying machines from an early airship gondola, a Blériot from 1909 and the most up to date aircraft, the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The Ten Minute Century and the Aviation History Timeline give you two different views of the development of flight. On the 3rd floor you can visit the 3D Aviation Cinema and the UK's only permanent Air Traffic Control exhibition.
The British Monarchy website tells us about the Duke of Edinburgh who performed the opening:
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921.
He was born the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece. His paternal family is of Danish descent - Prince Andrew was the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark.
His mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Prince Louis became a naturalised British subject in 1868, joined the Royal Navy and rose to become an Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord in 1914.
During the First World War Prince Louis changed the family name to Mountbatten and was created Marquess of Milford Haven. Prince Philip adopted the family name of Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British subject and renounced his Royal title in 1947.
Prince Louis married one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters. Thus, The Queen and Prince Philip both have Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother. They are also related through his father's side. His paternal grandfather, King George I of Greece, was Queen Alexandra's brother.