Imperial War Museum Duxford

RAF Duxford, a [[Royal Air Force]] fighter station had been declared surplus to requirements by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] in 1969, and the museum duly requested permission to use part of one of the airfield's hangars as temporary storage. Duxford featured three double bay hangars of First World War vintage, which together provided over {{convert|9000|m2}} of space. Within two years, ten of the museum's aircraft had been brought to Duxford, and were being restored by volunteers of the East Anglia Aviation Society. While the museum's own aircraft were not restored to flying condition, by cooperating with private groups the museum was able to mount its first airshow in 1973. Further air shows followed, with a display in June 1976 attracting an audience of 45,000 people. The runway was bought by [[Cambridgeshire County Council]] in 1977. The success of these shows provided a valuable source of revenue, and complemented the efforts of volunteers, so that the museum applied for the permanent transfer of the entire site to its use. Permission was received in February 1976 and Duxford became the first outstation of the Imperial War Museum. Initially open from March–October, Duxford received 167,000 visitors in the 1977 season, and 340,000 in 1978. Two million visitors had been received by 1982<ref>Frankland (1999) pg. 205–208.</ref> and Duxford welcomed its ten millionth visitor in August 2005.<ref>[http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/ National Museum Directors' Conference] (September 2005) [http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/media/documents/newsletters/newslettersep05.doc Newsletter] No.48. Retrieved 21 October 2009</ref>

RAF Duxford, a [[Royal Air Force]] fighter station had been declared surplus to requirements by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] in 1969, and the museum duly requested permission to use part of one of the airfield's hangars as temporary storage. Duxford featured three double bay hangars of First World War vintage, which together provided over {{convert|9000|m2}} of space. Within two years, ten of the museum's aircraft had been brought to Duxford, and were being restored by volunteers of the East Anglia Aviation Society. While the museum's own aircraft were not restored to flying condition, by cooperating with private groups the museum was able to mount its first airshow in 1973. Further air shows followed, with a display in June 1976 attracting an audience of 45,000 people. The runway was bought by [[Cambridgeshire County Council]] in 1977. The success of these shows provided a valuable source of revenue, and complemented the efforts of volunteers, so that the museum applied for the permanent transfer of the entire site to its use. Permission was received in February 1976 and Duxford became the first outstation of the Imperial War Museum. Initially open from March–October, Duxford received 167,000 visitors in the 1977 season, and 340,000 in 1978. Two million visitors had been received by 1982<ref>Frankland (1999) pg. 205–208.</ref> and Duxford welcomed its ten millionth visitor in August 2005.<ref>[http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/ National Museum Directors' Conference] (September 2005) [http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/media/documents/newsletters/newslettersep05.doc Newsletter] No.48. Retrieved 21 October 2009</ref>

In 2021, it was reported that the museum was considering loaning 50 land vehicles to the [[Pima Air & Space Museum]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Land Warfare Collection fears unwarranted, says IWM |url=http://www.keymilitary.com/article/land-warfare-collection-fears-unwarranted-says-iwm |access-date=9 July 2025 |work=KeyMilitary |date=23 February 2021}}</ref>

The museum began a major renovation of the AirSpace hangar in 2025. More than 100 aircraft are to be relocated as part of a plan to convert the space to a dedicated Cold War exhibition.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aguiari |first1=Moreno |title=Transforming IWM Duxford: A New Era for Britain’s Historic Airfield |url=http://www.vintageaviationnews.com/aviation-museum-news/transforming-iwm-duxford-a-new-era-for-britains-historic-airfield.html |access-date=9 July 2025 |work=Vintage Aviation News |date=20 February 2025}}</ref>

The museum began a major renovation of the AirSpace hangar in 2025. More than 100 aircraft are to be relocated as part of a plan to convert the space to a dedicated Cold War exhibition.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aguiari |first1=Moreno |title=Transforming IWM Duxford: A New Era for Britain’s Historic Airfield |url=http://www.vintageaviationnews.com/aviation-museum-news/transforming-iwm-duxford-a-new-era-for-britains-historic-airfield.html |access-date=9 July 2025 |work=Vintage Aviation News |date=20 February 2025}}</ref>