We can all walk into any of the myriad aircraft museums dotted across the world and appreciate the wonderfully restored and preserved exhibits on display. But what about the many gems lovingly brought back to life and hiding away in people's garages, sheds, barns and gardens? With Gavin Hoffen's book you become a privileged spectator into a dedicated but often secretive world – to protect their security, names, projects and locations have been limited to the very basics. This is the nostalgic domain of the amateur restorer, hobbyist, and 'cockpiteer' of which Gavin is one. Here you will find complete coverage of over 20 projects worldwide with background histories of the aircraft, color photos of the restoration and full information and specifications – be it of cockpit, fuselage, or full aircraft. From Spitfire to Chipmunk, Vulcan to Buccaneer, Piper Aztec to B-52, this is a fascinating insight into an obsession with the romance that aviation once was. A must-see for every aircraft aficionado, and an inspiration for future preservers.
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Yes, you can access Restoration Force by Gavin Hoffen in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Military & Maritime History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
The English Electric Lightning was capable of flying twice the speed of sound and was the only all-British supersonic fighter to have been used by the Royal Air Force. Conceived to stand up against the threat of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, her incredible climb rate and operating ceiling of over 60,000 feet made the Lightning perfect for intercepting long-range Soviet reconnaissance and bomber aircraft.
Having operated as a front-line interceptor for 34 years, it is remarkable to consider that the Lightning did not record one single kill during her operational duties. In total 337 Lightnings were produced and they would go on to serve not only with the RAF but with the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Kuwait Air Force before retirement in the late 1980s. Although only an exceedingly small number of Lightnings fly today, there are numerous static airframes in museums all around the world. With over 30 years having passed since retirement, the Lightning remains a firm favourite with aviation enthusiasts around the globe.
For those wondering what the first thing is that you need to become an owner of a fast-jet cockpit (apart from deep pockets and a place to store it), Matthew has the answer: “You have to have a very understanding wife to have the nose of a Lightning in the garden.”
XR754’s first flight was on 8 July 1965 and she would go on to serve with 5 Squadron, 23 Squadron and then onto 11 Squadron. In September 1984 she suffered an engine fire at Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete whilst returning from armament practice camp at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. When she finally returned home to RAF Binbrook, she was adorned with the shark’s mouth markings on her nose. In May 1988 she was allotted to RAF Honington as a ground instructional airframe. After 3,893 flying hours she was eventually broken up for scrap and taken to Hanningfield Metals in Chelmsford, Essex, in February 1992. The cockpit section would pass through the hands of several aviation museums before Matthew purchased her in November 2013.
This photograph taken in November 2013 shows the extent of the restoration works required when Matthew took ownership.
Before Matthew’s Lightning would go on to become an award-winning exhibit at Cockpitfest (a twoday event held at Newark Air Museum that attracts exhibitors with cockpits and other aircraft artefacts from the UK and Europe), winning the Spirit of Cockpitfest in 2015, he had a mountain to climb in bringing the cockpit back to the condition it was in when she retired in the late 1980s. XR754 became not only a labour of love for Matthew but also became a member of his family.
When Matthew picked up the Lightning from Doncaster Air Museum, which had been her long-term home, she was in a good overall solid condition with all frames in place inside the cockpit (albeit missing most of the instrumentation). When she was scrapped at Hanningfield Metals, the nose section was removed from the wrong side of the transport joint leaving quite a mess, meaning Matthew would have to rebuild and tidy up 754’s spine. She was still wearing her grey paint scheme that she acquired in January 1983 when Matthew took ownership of her, and although it had stood the test of time well, it was missing its RAF markings and decals. After a few years and some extensive research, Matthew added the markings and the decals to the original paintwork to add to the overall impression of the cockpit section.
Matthew with his wife, Beccy and three children at Newark in 2019.
STEVE
FROM STONEYKIRK
The Avro Vulcan entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1956 as part of the country’s airborne nuclear deterrent during the height of the Cold War. Designed primarily to carry nuclear weapons, the Vulcan was also capable of carrying a conventional bomb load, a task that she successfully carried out during the Falklands War participating in the much-celebrated Black Buck operation. The Royal Air Force retired the Vulcan in 1984, and although the iconic aircraft would no longer serve in an active capacity, one Vulcan, XH558 would continue to thrill air show crowds up until as recently as 2015 when the last flying Vulcan was grounded due to mounting maintenance costs and lack of surplus spares to keep the aircraft in the sky.
To say that Steve’s collection is impressive is somewhat of an understatement. You would be forgiven for thinking that this was a mainstream museum, but it is in fact a private collection housed in his barn, although visitors are welcome by prior arrangement.
The view from inside Steve’s barn that is home to six fully restored cockpit sections.
Perhaps the star of the show is Steve’s Avro Vulcan cockpit section, which is one of only two forward sections of a MK1 Vulcan remaining. XA903 was the only MK1 Vulcan to carry the Blue Steel stand-off missile (part of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent) and did so to test the missile and the Vulcan’s ability to use it. She was used as a flying testbed for the Concorde Olympus engines and performed extensive testing of the engine prior to Concorde flying. After her last flight, 903 survived for some time at Farnborough becoming more decrepit until she was finally scrapped. She passed through the hands of several Vulcan enthusiasts before being acquired by Steve. Steve, being the perfectionist that he is, brought the aircraft to his residence in Scotland and set about bringing her back to her former glory days.
Inside the cockpit of XA903.
Another one of Steve’s impressive exhibits is the cockpit section of Canberra WE191. The Canberra was a high-altitude and high-speed jet-powered medium bomber that set a world altitude record of over 70,000 ft in 1957. The Royal Air Force retired its Canberra fleet in 2006 having been in service with them for over 50 years.
Built in 1954, WE191 flew with the following Royal Air Force units: 231 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), 237 OCU and 54 Squadron. She was then converted for sale to the Indian Air Force, but the sale did not proceed; the aircraft was eventually sold to the British Aircraft Corporation in 1978. She remained in storage until purchased by Dumfries Aviation Museum in 2001. Steve purchased t...
