The Imperial War Museum tasked Plowden & Smith with a large housekeeping project at Duxford – to dust aircraft in the Airspace gallery. Several challenges were overcome, including working at height during gallery opening hours. Aircraft that hung from the roof posed complex access issues as even a slight hand would cause them to swing alarmingly. Of course the visiting public were interested in our work and it was important that they were kept at a safe distance, which was at times a difficult task!

AirSpace, the story of British and Commonwealth Aviation, is a very popular attraction and there are over 30 aircraft on open display, which leads to some time consuming maintenance programmes. However, housekeeping is an important task as over time dust builds up on the aircraft. This becomes an aesthetic issue and a conservation/preservation problem as dust is abrasive and hygroscopic, which can cause damage to metals, painted surfaces and plastics.