History of NEAM
The full history of the NEAM is detailed in the official museum guide which can be purchased from the museum shop. Below is a brief summary of significant events.
- March 1974 - A group of vintage aircraft enthusiasts began to meet at Sunderland Airport (formerly RAF Usworth) to exchange views, slides and information about their chosen interest. To this aim the informal gathering became formalised as the North East Vintage and Veteran Aircraft Association or NEVVAA, a pun in there never being any opportunity to see vintage aircraft in the region. The group establishes a site in Lambton Pleasure Park.
- March 1975 - A Dragonfly helicopter is purchased from Hughes scrapyard in Richmond, North Yorkshire and moved to the new site.
- May 1975 - A Meteor F.8 is purchased from the M.O.D and moved to the site on the 3rd May 1975 becoming the first jet fighter to travel through the Tyne Tunnel (albeit on the back of a lorry!). Further airframes arrive by the end of the year. Namely a Jet Provost T.5 fuselage from RAF Leeming and a Luton Minor with a Brown Helicopter which were found locally in a derelict barn and donated to the museum.
- February 1977 - An ex Danish AF Hawker Hunter F.51 is the first airframe to arrive at the new site established now at Sunderland Municipal Airport.
- May 1977 - NEVVAA changes its name to the Northumbrian Aeronautical Collection (NAC).
- February 1978 - The NAC adds a F.100 Super Sabre to its collection
- August 1978 - Another American jets arrives in the shape of a Lockheed T.33 Shooting Star.
- 1979 - A Vickers Valetta which had been a long term resident at the airport is placed under the care of the NAC.
- 1980 - The NAC adds a Mystere IVA to the collection. Its also changes its name again. This time to the name it continues to use today - the North East Aircraft Museum (NEAM)
- May 1981 - The museum successfully negotiates the loan of two historical airframes. A Bristol Brigand and the Supermarine Swift which broke the world air speed record in 1953 (WK198). By the end of the year the collection had been expanded further by the arrival of a DH Sea Venom from Belfast.
- 1982 - The nose section of a Canberra arrives
- January 1983 - A significant part of the airport and museum history is made when on the 21st a Vulcan B2 touches down at Sunderland airport to join the NEAM.
- April 1984 - Sunderland council announce that Sunderland Airport is to close to make way for a car factory. The future of the museum remains uncertain until late in to the year when the council offers a long term lease on a four acre site just outside the boundary of the former airfield. Two more exhibits for the museum arrive in the form of Whirlwind HAS.7 and the cockpit of a Comet.
- October 1985 - A F-84F Thunderstreak arrives by road from Greece. The nose section of a Meteor NF.11 follows.
- 1987 - NEAM decides to open the museum on a full time basis. A F-86D Sabre arrives from Greece.
- 1988 - British Aerospace donates a Canberra TT.18 to the museum.
- December 1988 - An early military Gazelle (3rd prototype) arrives and is displayed alongside its civil counterpart G-BAGJ which had arrived the year before.
- 1989 - A project is started centred on raising the necessary funds to place a number of airframes undercover. In April an ex Saudi AF Lightning F.53 arrives at the museum. The Comet nose is removed by its owner, but a replacement is found in the form of G-BEEX.
- 1991 - Planning permission is granted for a new display hangar. The development is celebrated by the arrival of a rare Vampire FB.5, a Whirlwind HAR.10 and a Jet Provost nose section.
- 1993 - The erection of a new display hangar is started and more exhibits arrive in shape of a Dove in January and Shorts SD330 in April. The cockpit sections of both the Canberra and Jet Provost are transferred to another museum. In September an ex Argentine AF Pucara arrives followed by two helicopters. The helicopters were the first exhibits to be placed straight into the new hangar.
- 1994 - The original and badly corroded Pucara is replaced with a much better example from the Fleet Air Arm.
- January 1997 - Disaster struck, when the Valetta C2 was destroyed by arsonists.
New site under construction.
Progress is made on the new hangar.