MEDWAY AIRCRAFT PRESERVATION SOCIETY Ltd
We restore and preserve historic aircraft and artefacts for public display.
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen
Note: This website has undergone a major restructuring and the editor has done his best to ensure that everything is correct and works well. Please let the editor know via the Contact Form if you have any comments or suggestions regarding the website and its operation. I am planning some further updates to cover the omissions on the Past Projects when time allows.
Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPSL) is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit company whose aim is the restoration and preservation of historic aircraft and artefacts for public display. It has completed the restoration of a large number of projects -- iconic aircraft, aero-engines and other aviation artefacts -- for a range of private individuals and public bodies like the RAF Museum since it was first founded as the Aviation Preservation Group of the Medway Branch of The Royal Aeronautical Society in 1977, becoming a company, limited by guarantee and with no share capital, in 1989. MAPSL is run solely by the MAPS Chaps, all of whom are members of the Branch.
MAPSL is based at Rochester Airport in Kent, just off the A229 Maidstone Road in Chatham. Visitors are always welcome to see restoration in progress and chat to our members about our current projects when we are open. Please explore these pages to see what we are doing, what we have done in the past and how you can help us continue our valuable work.
Our premises
Our workshop
Our assembly area
About Us
MAPSL is a company specialising in the restoration and preservation of historic aircraft and artefacts for public display. We rely on donations to undertake our valuable work. Please support us.
Over the years, MAPSL has successfully restored more than 20 iconic aircraft, engines and other aviation-related artefacts, mostly to museum standard. A number of these were for the RAF Museums at Hendon and Cosford and two are in the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Building at Manston. Others were for private owners or are owned by the company.
MAPSL is a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, having no share capital and solely comprising volunteers from the Medway Branch of The Royal Aeronautical Society. It is controlled by a Board of Directors, with four elected by the Medway Branch, RAeS and three elected by the members of MAPSL; additional assistant directors may be co-opted to support the Board of Directors. The AGM is normally held in June or July. All members of MAPSL must be paid-up members of the Medway Branch RAeS.
MAPSL is registered in England under the Companies Act No. 02331464.
Medway Aircraft Preservation Society Ltd, AFIS Unit, Rochester Airport,
Maidstone Road, Chatham, Kent, UK, ME5 9SD.
Visit Us
We are located at Rochester Airport.
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From M2 J3 (1 mile) or M20 J6 (4 miles) -- take the northbound A229 towards Chatham / Rochester
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From Chatham or Maidstone East Station -- take the 101 bus to Watson Avenue (frequent service)
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By Air to Rochester Airport -- fly into Kent's general aviation hub
The entrance to the Airport is from the northbound carriageway of the A229 between the Innovation Centre and the Holiday Inn. MAPSL is the first hangar building on the right after entering the gates. There is limited parking adjacent to the building but there are additional spaces in front of the new Hub Building and on the hard standing to the left of the access road. Visitors should use the single door when it is open, otherwise, go along to the double doors. Travelling is easy.
Important Information - Please Read
Our workshop is located in the grounds of Rochester Airport which is an operational airport having
24-hour 7-day per week security and 24-hour aircraft movements. However, access to our workshop, the cafeteria and aircraft viewing area do not require air-side access. Visitors are therefore requested:
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Do not cross the fences / gates to enter the active areas; a MAPSL guide will accompany any visitors who may need to access MAPSL's old workshops or other parts ofthe airport.
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Rochester Airport has CCTV which is recorded as well as monitored on site.
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Police and prison dogs regularly use the site for training purposes. (We wish not for them to be distracted.)
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Regional Special Branch Police officers and Customs and Immigration Services monitor the airport both on site and remotely with CCTV.
Can we help you?
MAPSL has the capability to undertake work for clients for the restoration of your aircraft or for supply of parts. It has a fully equipped workshop and skilled members who are willing and able to support your project. We do not charge for our members' time but require reimbursement for the costs involved with the purchase of materials and consumables and a contribution towards our overheads.
You are very welcome contact us to discuss your project and to visit us to see examples of our work. Our current projects are in our workshop and examples of our past projects can be seen at various aviation museums. Details of our current and projects that we have undertaken are included in this website, but it is not always possible to identify where some of our past projects now reside or if they are on public display.
Join The Team
We specifically have vacancies for a Health & Safety Manager and Guides
but we are always seeking enthusiastic new members.
Many people in Medway and North Kent have an interest in aviation and have developed skills that might be useful to our company. Although technical work on the aircraft involves the same skills that were used when the aircraft were made, our members can provide the necessary on-job training. There are also other roles within the company such as finance, purchasing, visitor guides, shop assistants, publicity, social media, fund raising, etc., where people can assist us.
If you think that you would like to help us in any areas, please contact us.
Coach Works
Carpentry
Electrics
Metal Workers
Support
We are very keen to take on both skilled and unskilled enthusiastic people of all ages who would like to join us; unskilled people will be able to develop skills by learning from those who have them. If you would like to join us, then feel free to come and discuss it with us when the workshop is open. You will see what we do and how we do it and get a better understanding of whether it is for you. Please contact us if you require further information. There is also a simple application form which you can download, complete and send to us, but please visit us first to see what we do and how you might fit in.
Work experience placements
We would be only too happy to accommodate you if we could but we are only open three mornings and one evening each week and therefore cannot accept work experience students. However, we would be delighted to see you as a visitor and explain to you how things are done.
Why not arrange a group visit from your school or college?
Your unwanted Books, Disks, Models and Tools
We are always willing to accept your surplus books and DVD's on aviation and related topics and aircraft models so that we can sell them to raise much-needed funds to keep us going. However, we cannot accept magazines other than bound sets or VHS tapes, as there appears to be no market for them.
We also accept tools that are in a reasonable condition; anything we cannot use will be passed on to groups who specialise in finding good homes for them. Please contact us about larger items.
Items needed for our current projects.
Short Scion
Main Wheels: Dunlop AH.365 with brakes and
intermediate pressure tyres
7 1/4 in x 7 3/4 in.
Tail Wheel: Dunlop AH.0292 with
5 in x 3 1/2 in tyres (heavy)
Yoke for tail wheel.
Hawker Hurricanes
The two Hurricanes in our workshop are badly corroded with many parts missing or damaged. If you can help with any parts, whatever their condition, please let us know.
Other Aircraft Parts
If you have any original aircraft parts which could be of value to us, especially instruments, please let us know.
Pobjoy Niagara engine
Should anyone know of a Pobjoy engine or parts lurking anywhere please contact us. In particular, most parts of the exhaust system are currently missing, along with the magnetos and one distributor. If necessary, we can scan parts and replicate them using a 3-D printer.
Organisation
Board of Directors
MAPSL is run by a board of seven directors helped by assistant directors; the current Board members are listed below. There is currently no Chair and that role is delegated to the Managing Director
Branch Appointed Directors
Philip Cole
Ross Dansey
Robin Heaps
Chris Webb
MAPSL Elected Directors
Ian Nicol
Peter Walton
Trevor Young
Assistant Directors
Chris Aylmer
Robin Brooks
Neill Devall
Terry Mitchell
Mike Morris
Functional Roles
Like all companies, MAPSL selects people to the various functional roles based on their expertise and experience. The current allocation of functional roles is listed below
Managing Director:
Company Secretary:
Company Treasurer:
Data Protection Officer:
Health & Safety Officer:
Facilities Manager:
Philip Cole
Robin Heaps
Mike Morris
Robin Heaps
Refer to Board
Refer to Board
Workshop Manager:
Fire Officer:
Shop Manager:
PR Officer:
Media Manager:
Website Manager:
Terry Mitchell
Refer to Board
Refer to Board
Robin Brooks
Billie Winwood
Robin Heaps
Team Leaders
Additionally, a Team Leader is allocated to each project. For our current projects. these are:
Short Scion Floatplane:
Hurricane BH238:
Hurricane Z5053:
Whitley Merlin X Engines:
Trolley Accumulators:
Models:
Robin Heaps
Alan Moore
Toby Daley (owner)
Peter Walton
Chris Aylmer
Position vacant
Current Vacancies
Vacancies exist for Health & Safety Officer, Fire Officer, Facilities Manager, Shop Manager and several other roles. If you are interested in supporting us in these areas please contact us.
Medway Branch RAeS
The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) is a Professional Institution founded for the advancement of knowledge and standards throughout the world-wide aerospace sector. It has around 16000 members, about half of whom are professionals working in all aspects the sector (e.g. industry, maintenance, services, support and academia) with the other half being students taking degrees or training in relevant fields. It organises lectures, seminars, conferences, provides learned input to the government and supports both employees and employers throughout the sector. Its headquarters are at 4 Hamilton Place in Mayfair, London.
The Medway Branch is one of about sixty Branches of the Society (about forty in the UK) which are run by local volunteers to provide an interface for the Society's members and the general public in the local area. The Branch was founded in 1937 with support from Short Brothers but closed in 1947 when the government forced Shorts to move to Belfast. It was re-founded in 1975 with support from Marconi-Elliott Aviation, now part of BAE Systems, at Rochester, Kent, and has continued to flourish, putting on seven or eight illustrated talks each year between October and June; these are non-technical talks on subjects such as aircraft, systems, operations, personalities, etc. across the spectrum of past, present and future in the commercial, military and space fields), so they can be enjoyed by anyone interested in aeronautical and related subjects. The current membership fee is only £10.00 per annum, or you can obtain temporary membership to come to the odd talk.
Use our Contact Form if you wish for further information on the Branch as there is a close connection between it and us; MAPSL was formed out of the Branch's Aircraft Preservation Group in 1989 and is run entirely by volunteers who are members of the Branch.
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