A Conservation Workshop Rewind: 2024 in Review

As 2024 comes to a close, Aerospace Bristol looks back on the year in the Conservation Workshop, filled with significant restoration milestones, important visitors, and festive makeovers.

June: The tailplane was successfully fitted to the Bolingbroke 9048.

July: Lindsay Fenwick visited the museum and shared that his first flight with the Royal New Zealand Air Force was aboard the museum's Bristol Freighter.

August: A key milestone for the Bolingbroke 9048 restoration was reached as volunteers reattached the fin, with Tim Nutt crafting a custom rudder support structure.

September: Former Royal New Zealand Air Force members and Bristol Freighter pilots, Graham Stagg and Bryan Franklin, visited the workshop and were both thrilled to see the aircraft being preserved.

September (Continued): Restoration work on the Bolingbroke progressed further with the sternpost being bolted into place, while work on the cockpit and propellers continued.

November: Conservation volunteers moved the Bolingbroke across the hangar, marking the first time in half a century that the aircraft had been moved as a whole.

December: The Bristol Freighter was transformed into a Christmas Workshop, adding a festive touch to the Conservation Workshop.

The year has been full of exciting developments and invaluable contributions, and the team looks forward to even more progress in 2025.