Get up close and personal to the planes and the people who make up the Royal Air Force at the Royal Air Force Museum in London. At this free-to-enter museum, visitors can delve into the history, the objects and the individual stories behind the flying pride of Britain through the museum’s extensive collection of aircraft, exhibitions and interactive displays set across six humongous aircraft hangars (with family trails full of fun throughout);
Hangar 1’s introductory exhibition explores the first 100 years of the RAF, beginning with its formation in 1918 as the world’s first independent air force. The exhibition looks at the human stories in the personal accounts of servicemen and women, as well as hundreds of objects including log books, maps, survival rations and mascots alongside the aircraft, vehicles and boats that these brave people piloted. You can get hands-on with interactive exhibits (including interactive exhibits and experiences for children under 5) such as pilot reaction-time tests and the opportunity to set plots on an interactive WWII operations table.
Hangar 2: The First World War in the Air - during the First World War planes first played an essential reconnaissance role as the British army’s ‘eyes in the sky’, and later came to be used for bombing and for fighting in a new arena high above the ground. This exhibition explores the vital work carried out by RAF servicemen and women both on the ground and in the air during those daring days just 11 years after the first ever powered plane took flight. You will find personal artefacts including medals, letters and uniforms that really bring these early days of the RAF to life, alongside the finest collection of First World War aircraft anywhere in the world.
Hangars 3, 4 and 5 tell the stories of war in the air from 1918 to 1980 through their collection of impressive aircraft exhibits; Hangar 3 displays the ‘Fighter Four’ - a Battle of Britain Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1A, a Hawker Hurricane Mk 1, a Messerschmitt Bf109E-4/B ‘Emil’ and a Fiat CR42 Falco (Falcon) - which all took part in the famous Battle of Britain. This is often called the finest hour of the RAF when, despite taking heavy losses, the British airforce repelled the German Luftwaffe in 1940. Hangar 4 then looks at the early ‘auto-giros’ through to the modern helicopters used today, and in Hangar 5 you’ll learn about the Bomber Command of the Second World War by exploring aircraft including those used in the daring and now iconic ’Dam Buster’s Raid’.
Hangar 6, which is often used as a venue to entertain guests, boasts a stunning display of suspended aircraft and split-level viewing of the state-of-the-art technology used by the RAF since 1980.
As well as all this, the RAF Museum in London offers expertly-guided tours and some truly fantastic experiences, like the RAF Flight Simulator, the opportunity to fly a drone and the Spitfire Experience (where visitors can sit in the actual cockpit of the iconic WWII plane)!. You can also explore figurative depictions of the people, roles and social life in the RAF in the museum’s very own art gallery (also free to enter). Plus, if you get hungry, you have the Hendon Kitchen and the Sunderland Cafe where you can grab anything from a light sweet to a full lunch, and kids can let their imaginations fly in the outdoor playground, complete with mini-aircraft!
It’s a full and fun day out for all the family, with enough for history buffs and whizz kids - and it’s free!
Note: while entry is free, you should book a time slot to ensure you enjoy yourself and get the full RAF experience
Details
- Address:
- Grahame Park Way
- NW9 5LL
- Contact:
- https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=rtv06&utm_content=bnd&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwgfm3BhBeEiwAFfxrG2HNZeE3Z9uqbDG5KHopcZ_CU0D4kvoCE0CVKsXi5Ess1YHFFSoX6RoCSpAQAvD_BwE
- 0208 205 2266
- Transport:
- Mill Hill Broadway (on the Luton/King's Cross/Thameslink line)