Get Involved 2026

Cost of restoring and converting Jenny into a Simulator

There is some structural work to do on Jenny, some riveting and the interior to put together though this is more a case of some hands on work more than financial. However when it comes to converting her into a simulator we are looking in the region of between £12k to £15k. Once we have a more exact figure we will be starting a fund raising campaign. As much as we would have liked to have her on a trailer to become a mobile simulator the engineering involved would likely double the above cost.

Cost of restoring and getting our dart engine mounted on a trailer and running

In terms of our Rolls Royce Dart engine, if we could get her running then this would be the only Dart engine in preservation in the UK. The Turbo Prop engine runs and sounds completely different from the likes of the Rolls Royce Merlin.

We are missing a few larger parts of the engine such as the exhaust cone and a propeller. We are looking for people with engineering experience around engines though not specifically aero engines to help prepare her to have power applied once more and fuel running through her veins again.

Exhibit Purchases

As you can imagine, the civil aviation sector is massive and with both Airbus and Boeing having a wide range of airliners plus all the smaller manufacturers past and present there is a huge selection of exhibits on offer and many the public never get to see up close. This includes the early piston engines through to today's modern fuel efficient jet engines.

We can ask some of the airlines/manufacturers if they could donate large or small but this is time consuming and again this is where your help is needed. Items such as escape chutes, lift rafts, galley equipment, seating, black boxes, the list goes on. There are also smaller historic aircraft we can loan from other museums and the RAF Museum but for that we would need to become an accredited museum.

The team aims to provide maximum public access to promote knowledge and understanding whilst making the museum as interactive as possible for all generations to enjoy, from engine displays to moving undercarriage and much much more. The Museum will be located in East Sussex and open to the public and to schools and colleges. It will operate mostly through volunteers and technical assistants who may also act as guides to visiting members of the public.

Some volunteers will also be involved in preparing, organising and maintaining a variable collection of artifacts, and will also offer special conservation and repair skills training to enrolled volunteers, where appropriate.

As ever, we thank you for your continued support. Without you we would not be where we are now. However the team is small and if we can expand it with people who will get their hands dirty (not throwing spanners around, but actually running the project, that is our role), we can do and achieve more.

As we said above, the team is small and if we can add more good people to it, then more can be achieved. If you want to get involved, please let us know. We still need plenty of help with:

• content creation

• social media admin

• video creation for YouTube and socials

• web support

• event planning

• accounting

• the shop

• other funding initiatives and approaches (grant research and writing etc)

• and so on

The list is endless and these things are all currently being done by an overstretched small team of non-expert volunteers. We like to think that we punch well above our weight, given none of us has ever had any formal training in any of it. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement and being able to do more. These are all vital roles that ensure the charity can not only operate and function, but also grow. They can't all be done by a handful of people! So to help, please get in touch.

Info@civilaviationtrust.org

We need volunteers to help support, fundraise, restore, tinker and generally keep us going - can you spare a few hours a month to help? Find out more below...