London Photo Gallery - RAF Museum Part 2

The idea of a Royal Air Force Museum began in 1962, with a site chosen in northwestern London for it. The Queen opened the museum in 1972 near Colindale in the Hendon area with 36 aircraft. It's a much bigger museum today that is spread across a few buildings, and all of it is free admission. Heading outside, there are a few RAF Marine Craft boats on display from after World War II. Hangar 2 includes a historic building and is dedicated to World War I. The Avro 504K first appeared in 1913 and was a good training aircraft. This Rolls-Royce Eagle IX was developed after World War I as a variant of a military engine. This was painted on a bomber aeroplane in 1917 to mark the number of bombing raids the plane made. The iron cross insignia dates from 1917 and was a German aircraft marker. The Royal Air Force was formed in 1918 after the Germans bombed London the year before. The Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps were merged together and became the most powerful air force in the world by the end of World War I. Hangar 6 showcases recent history as the RAF responds to technological change and conflicts from the 1980s and onwards. This Air Transportable Isolator is used to transport patients with a highly-infectious disease.