A specialist team of Dustbusters with a head for heights are carrying out the annual suspended aircraft spring clean at the RAF Museum Midlands.

Suspended from the ceiling, up to 100ft in the air, eight aircraft including a Vulcan bomber, will all be given a light dusting this week as part of the annual clean and inspection. Other aircraft being spruced up include a Canberra, Meteor, Sabre, Hunter, Lightning, Dakota and Javelin, all displayed within the Museum’s National Cold War Exhibition.

Strapped into harnesses and with nerves of steel, the specialist cleaning team climb the rafters of the building and abseil down to access the aircraft. No cleaning solutions are used on the aircraft, just a good dusting using large soft fibre mops. In addition to cleaning the aircraft, the team are also conducting safety inspections of the suspension cables supporting the aircraft in their flying display positions.

As part of this year’s spring clean, some of the Museum’s older aircraft in other display hangars have also been given a light dusting, including a Second World War Wellington bomber. Additionally, other harder to reach aircraft including the Lincoln, TSR2, JU88, Bristol M.1c, and Hart, have all been dusted down to keep them looking their best.

Tom Hopkins, Curator at RAF Museum Midlands said:

‘Each aircraft in our collection has its own story and maintaining them properly is essential to ensuring those stories can continue to be shared with future generations. The suspended displays are some of the most striking in the Museum, but they also require a very specialised approach to care. It’s fantastic to work with a team that can safely access these aircraft and carry out such work with precision, helping us keep them in excellent condition for everyone who visits.’

During the clean the Museum will remain open to visitors who can see the high-flying team from Totally Wild Access, industrial rope access specialists, in action.

The Museum is open daily from 10.00am and admission is free.