The James McCudden Flight Heritage Centre

The James McCudden Flight Heritage Centre will open in 2014 with the aim of encouraging air-mindedness in RAF recruits, ATC cadets, school children and other visitors. The project has been made possible throught the generosity of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Rolls Royce Heritage Trust. Their donations haveenabled us to acquire a first-class flight simulator, install a purpose built display stahd and to embark on other technically demanding tasks to show the mechanics of flight and aircraft equipment.

The centre is to be named after James Thomas Byford McCudden (28 March 1895 – 9 July 1918), who came to Halton in 1913 as an engine mechanis with 3 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. By the time of his death he had served as an observer, learned to fly and had risen through the ranks to be a major who had won a VC, 2 DSOs, 2 MCs and a MM. Throughout his career inthe RFC he showed the greatest professionalism, consideration for his subordinates and had retained and practiced his mechanical skills.

James McCudden was the most decorated WW1 fighter pilot.