Manx Airlines G-MAUD exhibit opens at Aviation and Military Museum

Visitors can now step aboard a restored aircraft, celebrating Manx Airlines' history

A new exhibit celebrating Manx Airlines is now open at the Manx Aviation and Military Museum, with visitors invited to step aboard the restored G-MAUD aircraft.

The former turbo-prop aircraft, which never flew for Manx Airlines but has been repainted in the original colours, allows guests to experience what travelling with the carrier would have been like.

G-MAUD was the first advanced turbo-prop aircraft and became part of Manx Airlines' fleet expansion in the late 1980s.

Although more than 20 different registrations were used by the company over the years, former staff voted for G-MAUD to be chosen for the exhibit.

The aircraft had been stripped for spare parts and faced being scrapped before it was acquired by the Trust for less than a pound, on condition it would never fly again.

Museum Director Ivor Ramsden said restoring it had been a 'long but rewarding process.'

The exhibit is open every weekend throughout the year and daily from TT Practice Week until the end of September.

Entry to the museum, located on the Castletown side of the Airport, is free, though donations and volunteers are welcome.

Manx Radio's Chris Pearson spoke with Museum Director Ivor Ramsden and former Captain Paul Quine: