Alan from Redannick climbs aboard the de Havilland Sea Devon

Redannick residents, their family and carers recently visited the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre to view some of the vintage aircraft that were used in the 1950s through to the 1970s.

Alan, who is the caretaker from Redannick, was in his element. He sat inside the cockpit of a de Havilland Sea Devon XK895/G-SDEV and imagined he was a pilot from those long gone days… You can tell by the smile on his face that he enjoyed himself immensely.

Incidentally, this particular de Havilland Sea Devon was built in 1956 and was delivered to the Royal Navy on 17 April 1956. It was originally stationed at RNAS Lee on Solent but after a short time in storage at 5MU RAF Kemble, it was transferred to RNAS Culdrose Station Flight in 1981 where it spent the remainder of its military career. In 1990 it was sold to private owners and registered G-SDEV on 29/6/1990.

Among the male residents that visited the aviation centre was a former engineer who worked on the Lancashire bomber. The memories that this visit evoked were priceless to him.

Another attraction was the 1950s style retro café that the group visited. They were given free tea and coffee whilst they sat at the tables and admired their surroundings.

The Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre (CAHC) is a fantastic experience for all ages and it celebrates and presents Britain’s aviation heritage from an era when it proudly lead the World. The staff were so helpful, considerate and understanding that the staff at Redannick sent them a thank you card for their trouble.

The whole group had a wonderful day out and were talking about the trip for days afterwards. It was a truly memorable experience that we hope we can do again one of these days.