James, four, is a seasoned air traveller but was captivated by the passenger cabin of an historic Comet airliner when he and his dad, a weapons engineer, spent an afternoon at IWM Duxford.
The carefully laid dining table, complete with a lace tablecloth, harking back to a more exclusive age of air travel, fascinated him just as much as the huge B-52 Stratofortress or even the fastest ever Concorde, which still carries its testing equipment.
Screened next to the Lancaster bomber, wartime film footage of the famous bouncing bomb being tested also caught his eye. In fact when he went home and told his mum about it he explained – using his arms to demonstrate – how it was spinning before it hit the water.
The museum near Cambridge is home to an extensive range of historic aircraft and military equipment. Many are housed in two huge hangars – AirSpace and the American Air Museum, others in buildings that were in use when the airfield was a Battle of Britain fighter base.
In the land warfare building there is a fascinating walk through the battlefields of the First World War through to more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Uniformed mannequins dotted around the darkened displays were a little intimidating for James.
He’d been interested through the entire visit, with just the occasional reassurance that he could have a souvenir and an ice cream at the end if he was good. So the last stop was the gift shop and there was plenty of choice.
It’s a big site and there’s a lot to see, so make sure you allow plenty of time for rests and snack breaks. Work has also started on a huge new, inclusive play area outside the Armoury Café.
Visit iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford for ticket and opening information, family activity weekends, flying display details and an accessibility guide.