Established | May 1964 |
---|---|
Location | RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, England |
Coordinates | 51°00′54″N2°38′12″W / 51.0150°N 2.6368°W |
Type | Aviation museum |
Website | www |
The Fleet Air Arm Museum is devoted to the history of British naval aviation. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships (especially aircraft carriers), and paintings and drawings related to naval aviation. It is located on RNAS Yeovilton airfield, and the museum has viewing areas where visitors can watch military aircraft (especially helicopters) take off and land. At the entrance to the museum are anchors from HMS Ark Royal and HMS Eagle, fleet carriers which served the Royal Navy until the 1970s. It is located 7 miles (11 km) north of Yeovil, and 40 miles (64 km) south of Bristol.
As of summer 2023 the museum has two temporary exhibitions: Flight of the Red Dragon, about King Charles's time within the Fleet Air Arm [1] and a Falklands Exhibition which brings together five aircraft which served during the 1982 Falklands War, [2] these are:
Type | Identity | Markings | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Westland Wessex HAS.3 | XP142 | HMS Antrim Crest | Hall 1: Falklands Exhibition - Humphrey. Shrapnel damage to aircraft |
Westland Wessex HU.5 | XT765 | J | Hall 1: Falklands Exhibition |
Westland Sea King HAS.6 | XV663 | 771 SAR 18 Rescue / RAF Rescue | Hall 1: Falklands Exhibition - previously used by 825 NAS. Banana Split paint scheme. |
BAE Sea Harrier FRS.1 | XZ493 | 001/N | Hall 4: Falklands Exhibition |
Westland Lynx HAS.3 (GMS) | XZ720 | HMS Gloucester 410 | Hall 4: Falklands Exhibition - Paint scheme from the 1991 Gulf War |
The museum's main display is divided into four areas:
This hall contains a display about the development of naval aviation from the early days of airships and fabric-covered wooden biplanes to modern jet aircraft and helicopters, including the front section of the fuselage of Short 184 8359, built locally by Westland Aircraft in Yeovil and flown at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 before being put on display at the Imperial War Museum, where it was damaged during the Second World War when the museum was hit by a bomb. It is displayed in an unrestored condition.
Currently 2023 contains the following aircraft:
Type | Identity | Markings | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Short S.27 | Nil | Replica An aircraft similar to this was used to make the first takeoff from a moving ship in 1912. | |
Short 184 | 8359 | Nil | Fuselage only. Museum piece bombed during WW2 |
Sopwith Baby | N2078 | The Jabberwock | As flown by Sub Lt Hyams. Composite of 8214 & 8215 |
Supermarine Walrus | L2301 | Nil | one of the aircraft flown by the Irish Air Corps before being bought back by the Fleet Air Arm after the war for use as a training aircraft |
Westland Dragonfly HR.5 | VX595 | Nil | |
Westland Wessex HAS.3 | XP142 | HMS Antrim Crest | Falklands Exhibition - Humphrey. Sharpnel damage to aircraft |
Westland Wessex HU.5 | XT765 | J | Falklands Exhibition |
Westland Sea King HAS.6 | XV663 | 771 SAR 18 Rescue / RAF Rescue | Falklands Exhibition - previously used by 825 NAS. Left side in Royal Navy markings and the right side in yellow Royal Air Force Rescue scheme. |
Mainly devoted to the Second World War, with a side room containing a Kamikaze exhibit, which contains a Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka II (BAPC 58), models of Japanese aircraft and final letters from Kamikaze pilots. Two aircraft from the Korean War are also displayed. By the entrance to Hall 3 there is a collection of models of British aircraft carriers, illustrating the history of aircraft carrier design.
The aircraft on display include:
Type | Identity | Markings | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
de Havilland Sea Vampire I | LZ551/G | (P) | Prototype No. 3 |
de Havilland Sea Vampire T.22 | XA127 | Nil | Pod only |
Fairey Fulmar | N1854 | Nil | Two-seat fighter. This is the Fulmar prototype, the only surviving example out of the 800 built. [3] |
Fairey Swordfish II | HS618 wears P4139 | Nil | Previously used by 834 NAS. Now represents P4139, a Swordfish Mk.1 of 813 NAS |
Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 | Nil | ||
North American Harvard III | EX976 | Nil | American trainer |
Grumman Hellcat | KE209 | American single-seat fighter | |
Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 | WJ231 | 115/O | Used by 802 & 810 NAS. Painted as flown by Lt D T McKeown of 802 NAS/HMS Ocean |
Grumman Avenger ECM.6B | XB446 | D-Day markings | American torpedo bomber/reconnaissance |
Grumman Martlet I | AL246 | Nil | |
Vought Corsair | KD431 | 431 S | This has had subsequent repaints removed to expose the original 1944 finish. [4] |
Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka II | BAPC 58 | Nil | Japanese Kamikaze aircraft designed to be carried to its target by a converted medium bomber |
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 | Nil | Soviet jet fighter | |
Westland Dragonfly HR.5 | WN493 | Nil |
Improved for 2023: Instead of a traditional museum hall, the whole hall has been converted into a mock-up of the fleet carrier HMS Ark Royal as it would have appeared in the 1970s with the inclusion of historical aircraft such as the Supermarine Seafire. The entrance to this hall is through a converted vibrating Wessex helicopter from Hall 2. The hall itself is a simulation of a section of the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal. A large screen shows historical carrier based information. There is also a series of rooms simulating the carrier's island with projections and a simulated lift ride to the top of the mock carrier. [5]
The aircraft include:
Type | Identity | Markings | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA.2 | XZ499 | 003 | |
Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 | XN957 | 630/LM | |
de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 | XS590 | 131/E | |
McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 | XT596 | Nil | |
Sopwith Pup | N6452 | Nil | Replica |
Supermarine Attacker F.1 | WA473 | 102/J | |
Supermarine Seafire F.17 | SX137 | Nil | Naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire |
Westland Wessex HU.5 | XT482 | Z-M 19 | Gilbert |
Westland Wessex HU.5 | XT769 | Nil | Entrance to Hall 3 |
Westland Wyvern TF.1 | VR137 | Nil | Bare Metal |
The aircraft on display:
Type | Identity | Markings | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
BAC 221 | WG774 | Nil | Also built as part of the Concorde programme, to explore the high-speed characteristics of the ogival delta wing. |
BAC Concorde | G-BSST | British Aircraft Corporation - Aerospatiale France | The second Concorde to fly and the first British-built example. It was flown to Yeovilton in March 1976 and opened to the public in July of that year. It has been on display ever since. [6] |
BAE Harrier GR.9A | ZD433 | 45A | Naval Strike Wing - Afghanistan war markings |
BAE Sea Harrier FRS.1 | XZ493 | 001/N | Falklands Exhibition |
Bristol Scout D | N5419 | Nil | Reproduction. Displayed without any of the fabric covering, originally powered with a vintage Le Rhone 9C rotary when flown in the USA |
Hawker Siddeley P.1127 | XP980 | Nil | Built as part of the development process that led to the Kestrel, Hawker Siddeley Harrier and Sea Harrier. |
Westland Sea King HC.4 | ZA298 | Y | [7] |
Westland Lynx HAS.3 (GMS) | XZ720 | HMS Gloucester 410 | Falklands Exhibition - Paint scheme from the 1991 Gulf War |
In addition to the four main exhibition halls, there are a number of smaller displays. These include:
The museum's collection includes a number of aircraft which are currently being restored and are not on display, although public access is allowed at least once a year. These are housed in Cobham Hall, a climate controlled building across the road from the museum.
Aircraft include:
The museum possesses a number of aero engines located throughout the halls.
The museum also carries out various restoration projects. the last project was a Corsair KD 431 which in the summer of 2006 was unveiled as it would have appeared in 1944. In 2023 the projects underway are for a Fairey Barracuda and a Gloster Sea Gladiator. Visitors can see into (but not enter) the restoration workshop between Hall 3 and Hall 4.
The Fleet Air Arm Museum is the home to an archive of material related to naval aviation.
The museum's shop has the most extensive selection of naval merchandise in the area, including various themed books and documentaries such as Sailor .
There is an outside adventure playground for children in the museum's grounds and two cafés.
British military aircraft designations are used to refer to aircraft types and variants operated by the armed forces of the United Kingdom.
The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal.
The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design originated from earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk was the company's first jet aircraft.
Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent,, is a former Royal Naval Air Station located near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately 4 miles (6.44 km) west of Portsmouth, on the coast of the Solent.
The Fairey Flycatcher was a British single-seat biplane carrier-borne fighter aircraft made by Fairey Aviation Company which served from 1923 to 1934. It was produced with a conventional undercarriage for carrier use, although this could be exchanged for floats for catapult use aboard capital ships.
Royal Air Force Brawdy, or more simply RAF Brawdy, is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located 6.3 miles (10.1 km) east of St Davids, Pembrokeshire and 9.8 miles (15.8 km) south west of Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was operational between 1944 and 1992; it was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy (1946–1971), before the site was turned over to the British Army and renamed Cawdor Barracks.
Newark Air Museum is an air museum located on a former Royal Air Force station at Winthorpe, near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. The museum contains a variety of aircraft.
816 Squadron is a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron that started out as a Royal Navy unit, 816 Naval Air Squadron.
723 Squadron is a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron. The squadron was first raised in 1952 and throughout its history has served operationally during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and in East Timor. It currently operates as a helicopter training squadron and is based at HMAS Albatross at Nowra, New South Wales.
The Tangmere Military Aviation Museum is a museum located on the former site of RAF Tangmere, West Sussex. The museum was opened in June 1982. Many aerospace exhibits covering the First World War to the Cold War are on display including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and aircraft engines.
The Gatwick Aviation Museum is located in the village of Charlwood, in Surrey, United Kingdom on the boundary of Gatwick Airport.
The Australian Fleet Air Arm Museum, formerly known as Australia's Museum of Flight, is a military aerospace museum located at the naval air station HMAS Albatross, near Nowra, New South Wales. The museum was opened in 1990, although efforts to preserve artifacts related to Australia's naval aviation history began in 1974. The museum houses aircraft used throughout the history of the Fleet Air Arm, the naval aviation branch of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), along with other aircraft of relevance to Australia's aviation history, and memorabilia relating to Australian aircraft carriers. The museum includes 34 aircraft and helicopters in its collection. It is open to the public daily, except for major public holidays. The museum building is also home to Albatross Aero Club.
778 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. During the Second World War the squadron was a Service Trials Unit (STU) initially based at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, England before moving to HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Angus, Scotland on 6 July 1940. The squadron tested all types of aircraft that could be used by the Royal Navy. Key to this was testing new types for deck landing on aircraft carriers. Such aircraft included various types of Supermarine Seafires, Grumman Hellcats, Grumman Martlets, Grumman Avengers, and Vought Corsairs. The squadron was reformed on 5 November 1951 with Douglas Skyraider AEW.1 but was disbanded on 7 July 1952 to form the basis of 849 Naval Air Squadron.
728 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed at the beginning of May in 1943, as a Fleet Requirements Unit, at RN Air Section Gibraltar. It provided detachments at RN Air Section Tafaraoui, in Algeria and later at RAF Oujda in Morocco. Moving to HMS Grebe, RNAS Dekheila, in Egypt, during June, it then merged into 775 Naval Air Squadron during July. It reformed in August, again as a Fleet Requirements Unit, at HMS Grebe, moving immediately to RN Air Section Takali, Malta. It provided target towing both for the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet and the British Army, before later providing a detachment to tow targets for the United States Navy at Naples, Italy. The squadron remained on Malta, alternating between the airbases at Ta Kali, Luqa and Hal Far, until disbanding at the latter, in May 1967.
759 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was created on November 1, 1939, and was disbanded on December 24, 1969. It was initially intended as a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron but became a Fighter School and Pool Squadron in 1939, at RNAS Eastleigh. It operated out of RNAS Yeovilton from 1940 to 1946, as part of the Naval Air Fighter School. In 1943 a detachment operated out of RNAS Angle, working with 794 NAS and known as the Naval Air Firing Unit. It was again the Naval Air Fighter School upon reformation in 1951 and disbandment in 1954, firstly at RNAS Culdrose and then moving to RNAS Lossiemouth, in 1953. The squadron reformed again, this time at RNAS Brawdy in 1963, as the Naval Advanced Flying Training School, before finally disbanding in 1969.
781 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded at the end of March 1981. Planned as a Reserve Amphibious Bomber Reconnaissance squadron, it formed as a Communications Unit in March 1940 and operated a large variety of aircraft. It provided a Bristol Beaufighter conversion course which eventually became 798 Naval Air Squadron and also had a ‘B’ Flight at Heathrow and then Heston aerodromes before becoming 701 Naval Air Squadron. After the Allied invasion of Normandy the squadron flew to various Royal Navy units on the continent and established an ‘X’ Flight based in France and then Germany. In July 1945 the squadron disbanded into 782 Naval Air Squadron although the ‘X’ Flight was moved to 799 Naval Air Squadron.
787 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in January 1956. It formed in March 1941, at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, out of 804 Naval Air Squadron as a Fleet Fighter Development Unit. Almost every type of fighter was received by the squadron for testing and evaluation for naval use. A move to RAF Duxford in June 1941 saw it become the Naval Air Fighting Development Unit, attached to the Royal Air Force's Air Fighting Development Unit. The squadron undertook rocket projectile test, continuous development of fighter tactics and even helping Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadrons in evading fighter attack. Post Second World War it continued its trials task and also undertook Rebecca radar trials and ASH, US-built air-to-surface-vessel radar trials.
797 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded in October 1945 in Ceylon. Its role was a Fleet Requirements Unit which formed at HMS Ukussa, Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda, in Ceylon, in July 1942. The squadron moved to RNAS Colombo Racecourse in October 1943. It had a Communications Flight which became 742 Naval Air Squadron in December 1943 and the following summer it had an ‘X’ Flight deployed for target towing for a couple of gunnery schools in Bombay, India and which eventually moved to 722 Naval Air Squadron.
860 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II, which was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1946, and remains active.