NEWARK AIR MUSEUM - News Release
Newark's MiG Makeover
Despite a slight delay due to the recent poor weather work has recently started on repainting the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23M “Flogger” 024003607 “07”, a former Soviet Bloc jet fighter that is currently on loan with the Newark Air Museum. A significant amount of surface preparation has already taken place and the first primer coat applied.
The work is being undertaken by a group of local aviation enthusiast who approached the museum via its website www.newarkairmuseum.org and the Air-Scene UK website www.airsceneuk.org.uk The enthusiasts are painters by trade, working for a company based in Nottingham. Whilst initially they are working on the MiG23 they eventually they hope to move on to the MiG27 that is also on loan at the museum.
The MiG23 will be painted in the markings of a Polish Air Force squadron to reflect the museum’s strong Second World War connections with Poland [The first operational squadrons at RAF Winthorpe in 1941 were 300 & 301 Polish Squadrons; Newark Cemetery has a large Polish war grave section; and the museum has Polish memorials displayed in its Exhibition Hall.]
The repainting team have liaised closely with the museum’s Restoration Manager to establish the framework for the project, which is working to similar standards as those employed by the regular volunteer workforce at the museum. Prior to commencement of work the airframe was surveyed and full details of the stencil markings were recorded. The museum trustees are known to be “…very appreciative of the offer that was made to undertake the work on the MiGs”.
