The Colindale museum is a feat of historical preservation and a site of great spectacle. Their extensive collection includes a myriad of aircrafts, artefacts, and attractions appealing to kids all the way up to elders. Displayed over six hangars, with each hangar targeting a different segment of RAF history, the North West London museum additionally contains a 4D cinema screen, a children’s play area, and a grassed picnic area to keep the kids busy while the elders explore the history in the hangars.
Hangar 1, which forms the main entrance to the museum, hosts two exhibitions: one details the first 100 years of the RAF from 1918 to 2018, delving into the people, technology, and partnerships via a series of stories, objects, film and games. The other, ‘RAF – First to the Future’, explores the stories of the people, equipment, partnerships, and innovations that maintained the RAF’s status as the worlds premier air force. Hangar 1 also contains the museum gallery and shop.
Hangar 2 unfolds the first story of the RAF: the First World War. Featuring the first aerial battles in a major war, these four years led to the supremacy of British aircraft and the formation of the RAF by the wars end. Hangars 3, 4, and 5 contains aircraft from 1918 to 1980, from the interwar period to WWII, arguably the period containing the highest rate innovation in aircraft design and technology. It’s in these hangars you’ll find the option to sit in a Spitfire (for a price).
Hangar 6 takes on a darker segment of RAF history, the Age of Uncertainty, where decades of extreme political and societal change altered the position RAF has in society, and how the RAF has utilised changes in technology to its advantage. There are few places in the country, let alone in London, where you can witness such a glut of British history with astounding, well-preserved aircraft to glimpse into the past.
Additionally, the museum’s 4D screen offers a motion picture journey through time, and the flight simulator gives attendees a look in to the daily life of a pilot and their workspace, but in a vessel that doubles as a high motion simulator and HD screen that makes you feel like you’re flying over the Lake District.
A spot for learning, understanding, and enlightening, while also an entertainment centre in its own right, the RAF Museum offers something truly great for everyone and anyone.
Details
- Address:
- Royal Airforce Museum
- NW9 5LL
- Transport:
- Colindale