On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:51:12 -0400, Indrek Aavisto wrote:

I am planning a visit to Duxford.

Can anyone advise me about the lighting conditions at the museum? I do have
a tripod, but it is quite heavy, and the airlines have some pretty low
baggage weight limits. That being the case I am considering leaving the
tripod at home. Hand held, I can probably get down to about 1/30 second
exposure without a lot of blur due to camera shake.

Thanks,

Indrek Aavisto

My experience was that lighting levels weren't problem. What was a
problem was 'planes crammed in, with little room to stand back & get a
good shot. Parts of the museum are darker - such as around the SR 71 and
Phantom in the US Airforce hangar - but even then a 'standard' camera
should be able to get a reasonable shot. I haven't been since they opened
the British aviation hangar, where the TSR 2 & Sunderland are located.

Assuming you'll be in London you can add the RAF Museum at Hendon (free
entry; Duxford is not free) to your list - several of the halls there
*are* dark, but you might be better off taking a good flash unit than a
tripod. The Imperial War Museum (no idea if it is free - it wasn't when I
last visited, but that was before museums were generally made free) in
?Elephant & Castle? has a few aircraft, as does the Science Museum in
Kensington (free entry, but an imposing presence to encourage 'voluntary'
donations); and within 'easy' reach of Duxford is Shuttleworth (but I've
never been there).

Travel within the UK isn't cheap, whether by European or US standards.
Petrol is also relatively expensive, at c. £1 a litre.