Thought I'd try the brains trust to get personal or other recommendations for "must see" aircraft displays & museums in UK. I plan a mid-year visit and will be pretty much covering the whole country over a month from top to bottom... BUT with (disinterested) family in tow, and a Goodwood Day already shoehorned in amongst dozens of castles & churches I need to do any visit in reasonable time but see a lot if I can.. I'm sorry I'm not more knowledgeable on places to visit given my interest in things flying but that's why I thought I could rely on informed f-chatters to help point the way! btw my interests are wide: everything from Concorde to WW2.. Ideally I'd like to see a Concorde AND a Spitfire in one place.. and the UK equivalent of Smithsonian would be good candidate as well.. impossible?
My choices are as follows: 1. Imperial War Museum at Duxford 2. Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon 3. Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden Aerodrome in Biggleswade 4. Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton 5. Royal Air Force Museum at Cosford 6. Science Museum in London 7. Imperial War Museum in London 8. de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre in Hertfordshire 9. Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare (which I've never visited) You should be able to find information on any of these by doing a Google search. I know that Duxford and Yeovilton both have Concordes on display.
Duxford, Duxford, Duxford! Check their airshow schedule, and make sure you get into ALL the buildings. The restoration shop is unbelievable. Make enough time to browse all the books in the gift shop. Start at the far end and work your way back to the gate, but check the hours of the small restaurant - the hot lunch sells out quickly. Walk behind the American Museum building and look at the glass panels with the aircraft tolls from WWII. Concorde is not open to walk through all the time, so check on that through their website. Lots of unscheduled things, too. One time as I was driving up, an F-86 buzzed the field and landed - just practicing. Next time, an Apache helicopter was out over the field hovering. http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/ http://www.fleetairarm.com/ http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford - download the map http://www.madingleyamericancemetery.info/ - very somber place http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/ So many small airfields and tiny museums in the East, where the bomber and fighter wings launched from.
Duxford certainly looks to have it all.. Concorde, Spitfire, P51.. and more.. and also very convenient logistics wise as it happens! Will look up these other places too - thanks!
Duxford! It's been over a decade since I visited the museum, but I still remember the trip. Very cool planes on display.
And for those who care, Duxford even has a building filled with tanks and other military vehicles. Also, a V-1 "buzz bomb" on its launching rail.
I should also put in a word about Cosford. Its collection includes some fascinating aircraft including several prototypes (such as the Saunders-Roe SR.53) and experimental aircraft (such as the Meteor used for prone-pilot trials), as well as aircraft like an Avro Lincoln, Kawasaki Ki-100 and Messerschmitt Me-410. And you don't have to drive there; it's about a mile walk from a railway station.
Some of the museums out in the country are "outstations" for the same museums' London locations, where the aircraft that won't fit in their city locations can also be put on display. Generally, the "outstations" can be more spectacular than the parent location! The Imperial War Museum's is at Duxford; the Royal Air Force Museum's is at Cosford, and the Science Museum's is at Wroughton, but at the moment, that one is open by appointment only. (An American analogy would be the NASM's Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport.)
Duxford closed for snow yesterday. "We're sorry to say that due to the snowy conditions, IWM Duxford is closed today. We'll give daily updates while the snow is with us!" Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
