Jet Age Museum - Mini Tour
19The Jet Age Museum is now a host of the Gloucestershire Airport Live Stream.
The jet engine was designed by British engineering genius Sir Frank Whittle (1907–1996). His son Ian is a patron of Jet Age Museum. Jet Age Museum opened its doors in August 2013, beginning a new chapter in the Gloucestershire Aviation Collection’s 30 plus year history.
Founded in 1986, by a group keen to preserve Gloucestershire’s aviation history, the Gloucestershire Aviation Collection is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity with about 500 members.
With intermittent opening to the public in several temporary locations between 1986 and 2013, the organisation persevered, amassing a unique collection of aircraft and artefacts charting the region’s aeronautical heritage. Fundraising activities reached a target of around £300,000 by early 2013, enabling the build of the first phase of the Museum’s permanent home. The organisation is, and always has been, staffed entirely by volunteers with around 170 freely giving their time to share a passion for aviation with our visitors or in supporting roles behind the scenes.
To build on the Museum’s initial success the Charity’s Trustees recognised that our facilities need to expand and planning approval was obtained for our Phase 2 building. This became a reality in 2019 but is still being fitted out. The long-term project is to provide a new engineering workshop, additional archive and display space and a classroom and audio-visual theatre.
Fund raising will continue to help us achieve our aim as soon as possible.
Jet Age Museum has membership of the Association of Independent Museums, Aviation Heritage UK, Cotswolds Tourism, Gloucestershire Museums Group, MODES Users Association, National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the South Western Federation of Museums and Art Galleries.
The Gloucestershire Aviation Collection (working name Jet Age Museum) is a Registered Charity No: 297818 and a Company Limited by Guarantee No: 2141333. The Registered Office is Pitt, Godden & Taylor LLP, Unit 3, Ambrose House, Meteor Court, Barnett Way, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL1 1BZ.