Air Force Museum 
 See Historic Aircraft 

The Air Force Museum in London is one of the world's best and biggest Aviation museums. The museum is responsible for keeping and displaying Britain's aviation heritage including the history of the Royal Air Force.

The museum is very large indeed as you would imagine it would as it has to display real life sized aircraft. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes on your visit as it could last for over six hours, I know I was there for at least five.

The Air Force Museum is certainly suitable for families as there is so much space for kids to run around and enjoy all the exhibitions. The children I saw certainly looked like they were having a great day out.

Guide To This Page

• The Museum Exhibitions and Facilities
  
• What's On at the museum
  
• My Review

Opening Times and Admission

Admission is FREE to the museum. However there is a small charge for vehicles to be parked in the museums car park.

Opening Times: Daily 10am - 6pm
Closed: 24, 25, 26 Dec, 1st Jan. 
Closes for one week early January

Address: Grahame Park Way, London, NW9 5LL

Email: london@rafmuseum.org
Tel: 020 8205 2266

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

Free simulator ride (worth £2.75) and a 10% discount in the shop on a minimum spend of £10 at the Air Force Museum London

The Air Force Museum Exhibitions and Facilities

The air force museum is held in five huge buildings each covering a different aspect of aviation history. The areas covered are: 

Milestones of Flight

This first hanger contains aircraft from the past century which made huge jumps in the field of aviation. Some of the aircraft which can be seen are:

• Typhoon, otherwise known as the euro fighter
• Hawker Tempest
• Bleriot XI - aircraft which flew across the channel in 1909
• North American Mustang - built using a combination of American and British engineering and which made one of the most effective air crafts of the second world war.
• Messerschmitt - The first jet plane to enter battle.

Bomber Hall

Covers the history of bomber command in the RAF as well aircraft which follows the development of bomber aircraft. Aircraft on show include:

• Vulcan - A huge aircraft which dominates most of the hall
• Lancaster - Played several important roles in the second world war including the breeching of the Ruhr Dams using the bouncing bomb.

Historic Hangers

This hanger is the oldest part of the museum and was actually part of the original Hendon 
aerodrome, famous for being the place where British aviation began.

The hanger is split into different areas covering Helicopters, boat planes, Fighters and the RAF overseas.

Battle of Britain Hall

This hall is dedicated to this decisive battle in the Second World War. As well as the 
historic aircraft of the time there is also an opportunity to watch a amazing presentation of the battle of Britain.

There is a walk through depicting life in Britain during the Second World War.

Grahame-White Factory

This reconstruction contained within the original building of Britain's first aircraft 
factory. The hanger contains the oldest aircraft owned by the air force museum.

Aeronauts Interactive centre - This section of the museum is where visitors can get a hands on experience of how flight works from the science to the technology.

Shop and Cafe

A well stocked and enjoyable shop is available with something to tempt both young and old alike.

There are to places to eat at the museum. A small cafe called the Wessex cafe which is situated in and amongst the aircraft in the Historic hangers area. You can pick up sandwiches, cakes and refreshments.

The second is the Wings restaurant. Here you can enjoy a more substantial hot mean as well as some light snacks.

My Review

I have visited the Royal Airforce Museum In London many times as i was growing up and so it holds many fond memories for me. However I hadn't visited for some time and so I was really looking forward to seeing what had changed over the years.

The museum is laid out in such a way that you are lead through the exhibit in a organized order through history and this really helps to put everything into context.

The hangers are so impressive and being able to stand right next to these huge famous aircraft is so awe Inspiring, I always feel like a little kid once again.

I had forgotten just how much there is to see and just as I was beginning to flag I came across one of the museums cafe's which is situated right in the middle of a huge hanger amongst all the aircraft. It is a real experience to be able to sit and have a cup of tea whilst sitting amongst these giants of the air.

My visit lasted about five hours, during which time I saw every type of aircraft imaginable. Walked through an aircraft, experienced a light show and a walk around war torn Britain, fantastic. Kids and family member will love it, a great day out will be had by all.

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