Newark Air Museum News Release
Cockpit-Fest 25 - "Over & Out!"
Over the weekend of 21st and 22nd June, 2025, Newark Air Museum (NAM) hosted its twenty-fifth (25th) annual Cockpit-Fest event at its site in eastern Nottinghamshire; close to the border with Lincolnshire.
During the Sunday Awards Ceremony, the museum trustees made the sad announcement that this was to be the last time that NAM was hosting Cockpit-Fest. Museum member Bill O'Sullivan originally came up with the Cockpit-Fest idea back in 1999, and was its main organiser for several years; a role eventually taken over by museum trustee, Colin Savill.
Cockpit-Fest became a fixture on the aviation calendar and each year attracted visiting cockpits and associated displays; this year there were more than forty (40) visiting cockpits attending the event, including military jet cockpits, helicopters and civilian aircraft types. In addition, nineteen (19) visiting aviation related exhibits will be displayed inside; with twenty (20) special displays outside in different parts of our 16-acre site. Cockpit-Fest has always provided the owners the chance to display their prized exhibits to their fellow enthusiasts and to the general public.
The winning entries this year were announced in a short ceremony on the afternoon of Sunday 22nd June.
Grand Champion (Visitors Cockpit) - Tony Collins' Air Force (display of 6 cockpits)
Cockpiteers Cockpit Award - Tony Collins' Air Force (display of 6 cockpits)
Newark Air Museum Special Awards - Bill Fern's Air Force (display of 18 cockpits)
Visitors Non-Cockpit Award - Scott Bouchard, Lightning interactive display
Cockpiteers Non-Cockpit Award - Martyn Steele, Ian Hodgkiss & Joe Blackburne, control column display
Ken Ellis - Spirit of Cockpit-Fest Award - Marcus Cordran, Buccaneer XN979
Ken Ellis - Spirit of Cockpit-Fest Award - Bob Sloan, Blackburn Botha
Ken Ellis - Spirit of Cockpit-Fest Award - Matt Gilby, Sea King ZG875
"Firstly, we would like to thank everyone who has supported Cockpit-Fest over the years. It was a conscious decision not to advise in advance, that this year's event was to be the last." commented museum trustee, Howard Heeley, he continued. "We are proud to have finished on a high with the most visiting cockpits ever displayed; a record number of visiting displays and with combined visitor figures over the weekend in the top five that we have ever recorded."
"Various factors have combined to guide us toward deciding to stop running Cockpit-Fest. These include: museum volunteer organisers retiring; indications from some cockpit owners that this was to be their last event; and ever more onerous Event Safety Planning guidelines."
He concluded, "At the moment the museum's plan is to continue with single day events like Aeroboots, and perhaps specific aircraft related events and gatherings. However, we are mindful and watchful, that the ever increasing wave of regulations around Organised Events, could impact on plans for future events."
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