Airshipsonline : The Trust

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History - "How to set up an airship museum"
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Membership Information

The Airship Heritage Trust was set up in 1985 by a group of dedicated enthusiasts and relatives of the original crew members. Over the last few years from its humble beginings the Trust has grown and worked very hard to where it is today, with it's membership of over 300 worldwide.

The work carried out by a dedicated band of enthusiasts can be followed in "History - How to set up an Airship Museum", which gives the full insight in to a lot of the little known trials and tribulations regarding how difficult the road we have travelled to get where we are today.

The Trust has now a band of "next generation" enthusiasts, whom are younger than the original members but are just as enthusiastic about Cardington, the Airships and belonging to an organisation dedicated to protecting the history for the future.

Many of the membership do not live in the Bedford area, however still help out in promoting the Trust with lectures and displays in their own locale.

Airship Heritage Trust - an Overview

Following the closure of the Royal Airship Works in 1936, it was the forethought of employee, Leslie Speed who worked on the airship programme, to salvage and store many of the original records, artefacts and photographs.

The Organisation:

Set up in 1985 by the relatives of the 1921-36 airship programme and originally known as F.O.C.A.S (Friends of the Cardington Airship Station).

The Trust has been determined to establish a national airship museum at a suitable location but changes in ownership and use of the airship sheds at Cardington has meant that the Trust has had to look elsewhere for a home.

An alternative venue at the nearby Shuttleworth Collection was explored but proved unsuitable. The Trust is now in active discussions with the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton for some of the Trust's collections to be incorporated into their displays - reflecting the historic links between British airships and the Royal Navy. Throughout this period, the AHT has been supported by the Rope Trust, a charitable organisation linked to the family of Sqn Ldr Michael Rope, a highly talented airship engineer who died on the R101.

With much of the original collection added to over the years, the collection includes many unusual artefacts and rare photographs and even includes gondola’s from the Skyship 500 prototype, Skyship 600 and K88. The AHT records and administers a major source of British airship history.