| Status: | Active, full but can join waiting list |
| Contact: | |
| When: | Monthly on Monday mornings 10:00 am-12:00 pm Second Monday of the month |
| Venue: | Odiham and Greywell Cricket Club |
| Cost: | £10 per year |
Note:
Further down the sections contain 'Snipits' from Yateley u3a Aviation Section and other occasional items:
- NEW From April '26 - A brief resumee of recent meetings and trips or visits
- Snipits May 2026 - Historical ones available on request
- May 2026 update on 'The People's Mosquito' - Testing new components
- BA Heritage Magazine - Concorde 25 years edition follows Mosquito section
- Events for the next few months:
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- June 8th: - Speaker Andy Richardson on Britain's V-Bombers
- July 15th: - NOTE - DAY OF WEEK CHANGE to WEDNESDAY.
- Visit to the de Havilland Museum - Joining details nearer the visit.
- July 31st: RAF Families Day at RAF Odiham - Group will attend with details to follow
- Expected to include a vehicle display
- August - No planned meeting - Summer Break
- September 14th: TRL Talk
- October 12th: Route 66 talk by members Michael Drayton and John Lymer
- November 9th: Talk - Tale of 2 Comets - Tim Frawley of B'stoke u3a.
- December 14th: Christmas quiz and refreshments
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This group is for those interested in the history and development of aviation and road transport.
Its programme is a mixture of talks and visits, balanced to accommodate the interests of both aviation and road transport enthusiasts.
This advertisement appeared in the UK motorcycle press in 1951.
Douglas was a long established manufacturer. They supplied machines for WW1 dispatch riders, and were still producing high quality medium-capacity bikes in the 1950's.
They were the first to recognise the significance of the scooter boom, making the Piaggio Vespa under licence in Bristol.
Would any advertiser nowadays, in a two-wheeler marketing campaign, dare to cite the work of an early twentieth century French philosopher?
Classic Motor Hub at Bibury
Atwell Museum at Calne
Tangmere Museum
Recent Trips Summary
Visit to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum - May 12th 2026.
The Museum was opened by a group of aviation enthusiasts in 1982 to promote public awareness of the United Kingdom’s military aviation heritage, to educate present and future generations in military aviation and to serve as a memorial to airmen and airwomen who gave their lives in the service of this country. Since that time it has been managed and run mainly by volunteers and in 2017 was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Our visit to Tangmere started with a welcome briefing from two of the volunteers at this wonderful small museum; Trevor (ex Lightning pilot) and Ian (retired airline pilot). The talks covered the fascinating history of Tangmere from 1918, its part in the Battle of Britain and D-Day plus various roles post-war up until Fighter Command left in 1958. Trevor also gave us some interesting insights into his career and what it was like to fly the Lightning. We then had a tour of the museum including their Lightning; much bigger than you imagine when you’re standing next to it!
There are aircraft on display associated with Tangmere’s history plus several comprehensive rooms with displays and memorabilia stretching from the First World War to the Cold War.
The actual Meteor F4 that set a new world speed record of over 615mph in 1946 is on display. Post war a small team was based at Tangmere solely to develop aircraft for speed record attempts – must have been fun! A replica Westland Lysander is also on display along with detailed information illustrating Tangmere’s role supporting the Special Operations Executive (SOE); many night-time ‘pick-up’ operations being conducted from Tangmere into occupied France.
The museum also has a (volunteer) Special Projects Team. These clever people have built, among other things, several flight simulators. A couple of us tried out their Lightning simulator; great fun whizzing around the South coast and the IOW. My colleague managed to land back at Tangmere, although yours truly arrived in a field just short of the runway. Slow speed handling of a Lightning is not easy – that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!
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9th Sept 2025. Our group visited 'The Classic Motor Hub', Bibury Gloucestershire, and later on to The Atwell-Wilson Museum at Calne, Wiltshire.
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- Recent Meetings
- May 2026. A fascinating talk by Ian Whittle, pilot and raconteur, son of Sir Frank Whittle, credited with inventing the jet engine and pioneering their development as a pilot. A talk greatly enjoyed by all
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Snipits
These are courtesy of our friends at Yately u3a, Aviation Group
Snipits can be downloaded as a PDF but please do not distribute without agreement by the Aviation Group of Yateley u3a.
Snipits for December 2025
This edition includes a detailed description of events at RAF Odiham during WWII , into the jet age and up to the cessation of its role as a fighter station. Next months edition will continue the history
Download button below...
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Snipits for May 2026
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The People's Mosquito:
- There is a very informative website for the charity restoring 'The People's Mosquito'
- www.thepeoplesmosquito.org.uk
- Any one with a special interest can register for newsletters and information, and give support as appropriate
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Mosquito Update May 2026
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BA Heritage Centre Magazine
- BA Heritage have kindly allowed us to include their January 2026 magazine on Concorde memories.