Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset |
| Sited beside Royal Naval Air station (RNAS) Yeovilton, AKA HMS Heron, this large museum occupies four halls with plenty of naval aircraft and several unique experimental aircraft unrelated to the navy. Hall 3 is the Carrier experience which for drama is a night scene, meaning almost total darkness and very difficult photography, and Hall 4, with the Concorde, also features dramatic (ie difficult) lighting. Still, the collection is excellent, the staff are welcoming and friendly, and there are one or two cafes, depending on the season. Well worth a visit - mine was on 10 September. |
| Aircraft | Reg'n | Thumbs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAC 221 | WG774 |
 |
Ogival delta wing high speed research aircraft converted from one of the two speed record-breaking Fairey Delta 2s. Flying from 1964 to 1973, it validated Concorde's wing shape, reaching Mach 1.6. |
| BAC Sud Aviation Concorde | G-BSST |
 |
Second prototype and first British example. First flight 9 April 1969, last flight 4 March 1976 when it flew to Yeovilton. |
| BAe Harrier GR9A | ZD433 45A |
 |
Afghanistan veteran. First flew as a GR5 in August 1989, converted to a GR7 in 1990 and to a GR8A by 2008, and delivered to the museum in 2010. |
| BAe Sea Harrier FRS1 | XZ493 N-001 |
 |
Falklands veteran, ditched in the Adriatic in 1994 and restored in its early high-viz scheme. |
| Blackburn Buccaneer S1 | XN957 LM-630 |
 |
This is the only museum with both an S1 and an S2. |
| Blackburn Buccaneer S2B | XV333 H-234 |
 |
Served with the FAA and RAF before returning to the FAA museum. |
| Bristol Scout D replica |
 |
Built in the USA as N5419, flown once. | |
| De Havilland DH-100 Sea Vampire F1 | LZ551-G |
 |
Third prototype, flown by Eric 'Winkle' Brown in the 1st jet carrier at sea (on HMS Ocean) in 1945. |
| De Havilland DH-110 Sea Vixen FAW2 | XS590 E-131 |
 |
First flew in February 1966 and withdrawn in 1970. |
| De Havilland DH-112 Sea Venom FAW21 | WW138 Z-227 |
 |
Served 1955 to 1969. |
| Fairey Fulmar II | N1854 |
 |
Preceded by versions of the P4/34 day bomber project, this was the first production Fulmar fighter/ recce aircraft, (first flight January 1940), used by Fairey for development and, after WW2, as company hack G-AIBE, and now the sole surviving Fulmar. |
| Fairey Gannet COD4 | XA466 LM-777 |
 |
COD = Carrier Onboard Delivery Aircraft. Served from 1957-78, one of six COD4s, all converted from AS4s. |
| Fairey Swordfish II | HS618 |
 |
Delivered 1943, wrecked in bad weather in the hangar of escort carrier HMS Hunter by a loose Seafire. Marked as Swordfish 1 'P4139' |
| Focke-Achgelis Fa330A-1 Bachstelze | 100545 |
 |
Bachstelze = wagtail. Rotor kite carried by U-boats. |
| Grumman Avenger ECM6B | XB446 |
 |
Ex US Navy 69502. |
| Grumman Hellcat II (F6F-5) | KE209 |
 |
Ex US Navy 79779. |
| Grumman Martlet I (F4F-4) | AL246 |
 |
The sole remaining F4F-4 of a batch ordered by France but diverted to the Royal Navy, delivered in August 1940. |
| Handley Page HP115 | XP841 |
 |
Low-speed slender delta research aircraft for Concorde development - flew from 1961 to 1974. |
| Hawker P1127 | XP980 |
 |
Fifth prototype P1127, having tailplane anhedral and a taller fin than the previous Four. |
| Hawker Sea Fury FB11 | WJ231 O-115 |
 |
Served 1951-65. |
| Hawker Sea Hawk FGA6 | WV856 163 |
 |
Delivered in 1954 as an FGA4, converted to FGA6 in 1957, retired to the museum in 1967. |
| LIM-2 (MIG 15 bis) | 01420 |
 Polish AF 01420 ex G-BMZF 1.jpg)
 Polish AF 01420 ex G-BMZF 3.jpg) |
Polish AF, ex G-BMZF, in false North Korean markings. |
| McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG1 (YF-4K) | XT596 |
 |
One of two prototypes of the F-4K produced for the Royal Navy. Flown to the museum in 1988. |
| North American Harvard IIA (AT-6D) | EX976 |
 |
Ex USAF 41-33949, was Portuguese AF 1657 from 1956 to 1979. |
| Short 184 remains | 8359 |
 |
1916 airframe, went to the Imperial War Museum but damaged in London during the blitz. |
| Short S-27 replica | BAPC.149 |
 |
Built in the 1970s by the museum. The S.27 of 1910 played a part in encouraging the Navy to take aviation seriously. |
| Sopwith Baby | 'N2078' BAPC.442 |
 |
Jabberwock. Composite of airframes 8214 and 8215 and fitted with dummy Le Prieur rockets for attacking airships. |
| Supermarine Attacker F1 | WA473 J-102 |
 |
The FAA's first jet fighter. This served 1951-54, then on a pole at RNAS Abbotsinch from 1957 to 1963 when it was moved to the museum. |
| Supermarine Scimitar F1 | XD317 |
 |
Served from 1959 to 1969 when it came to the museum. |
| Supermarine Seafire F17 | SX137 |
 |
Entered service in September 1945. Was moved to the museum in 1954 and used in several exhibitions including the Royal Tournament in 1962. |
| Supermarine Walrus I | L2301 |
 |
Built in 1939 and served the Irish Army Air Corps as N18 until 1947. Ex EI-ACC and G-AIZG. Rescued from a dump in 1963. |
| Vought Corsair IV | KD431 E2-M S |
 |
Served from January 1945 until July 1946. Then with Cranfield College until it came to the museum in 1963. |
| Westland Dragonfly HR5 | VX595 |
 |
1st production HR1 (1949), converted to HR5 in 1956. |
| Westland Dragonfly HR5 | WN493 |
 |
First flew as an HR3 in March 1953. Converted in 1958 and retired to the museum in 1966. |
| Westland Lynx HAS2 | XZ699 |
 |
Served from 1980 to around 1999. |
| Westland Lynx HAS3GMS | XZ720 GC-410 |
 |
Falklands and Gulf war veteran (GM stands for Gulf Modification, and the S may relate to secure radio). First flew in 1980, retired 2009 and returned to its Gulf war configuration & markings. |
| Westland Sea King HAS6 | XV663 18 |
 |
Served 1970 to 2012. "Banana split" markings: left side Royal Navy, right side RAF. |
| Westland Sea King HC4 | ZA298 U, Y |
 |
Falklands, Gulf, Bosnia and Afghanistan veteran, and delivered the flame in the 2012 London Olympics. Retired to the museum in 2016. |
| Westland Wessex HU5 | XS508 |
 |
Served 1964 to around 1988 when it went to the FAA Air Engineering School. Came to the museum in 1993. |
| Westland Wessex HU5 | XT482 VL-ZM 19 |
 |
The entrance to the Carrier hall via the shaking helicopter "experience". |
