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Fleet Air Arm Museum

{{Short description|Museum devoted to the history of British naval aviation.}}

{{For|the Australian museum|Fleet Air Arm Museum (Australia)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}

{{Infobox museum

| name = Fleet Air Arm Museum

| logo =

| image = Fleet Air Arm Museum.JPG

| alt =

| caption =

| map_type = Somerset

| coordinates = {{coord|51.0150|-2.6368|display=inline,title}}

| former_name =

| established = {{start date|1964|05|df=y}}

| dissolved =

| location = RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, England

| type = Aviation museum

| founder =

| director =

| president =

| curator =

| website = {{URL|http://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum}}

}}

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|R09|6}} and {{HMS|Eagle|R05|6}}, fleet carriers which served the Royal Navy until the 1970s.

It is located {{convert|7|mi|km|0}} north of Yeovil, and {{convert|40|mi|km|0}} south of Bristol.

Exhibits

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{{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/events/flight-red-dragon-opening-1st-april-2023|title=Flight of the Red Drago|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}} and a Falklands Exhibition which brings together five aircraft which served during the 1982 Falklands War,{{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum/40th-anniversary-falklands-conflict-exhibition|title=40th Anniversary Falklands Conflict exhibition|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}} these are:

class="wikitable sortable"
TypeIdentityMarkingsNotes
Westland Wessex HAS.3XP142HMS Antrim CrestHall 1: Falklands Exhibition - Humphrey. Shrapnel damage to aircraft
Westland Wessex HU.5XT765JHall 1: Falklands Exhibition
Westland Sea King HAS.6XV663771 SAR 18 Rescue / RAF RescueHall 1: Falklands Exhibition - previously used by 825 NAS. Banana Split paint scheme.
BAE Sea Harrier FRS.1XZ493001/NHall 4: Falklands Exhibition
Westland Lynx HAS.3 (GMS)XZ720HMS Gloucester 410Hall 4: Falklands Exhibition - Paint scheme from the 1991 Gulf War

The museum's main display is divided into four areas:

=Hall 1=

File:Fleet Air Arm Museum hall 1 undergoing rebuilt.JPG

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:

class="wikitable sortable"
TypeIdentityMarkingsNotes
Short S.27NilReplica An aircraft similar to this was used to make the first takeoff from a moving ship in 1912.
Short 1848359NilFuselage only. Museum piece bombed during WW2
Sopwith BabyN2078The JabberwockAs flown by Sub Lt Hyams. Composite of 8214 & 8215
Supermarine WalrusL2301Nilone 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.5VX595Nil
Westland Wessex HAS.3XP142HMS Antrim CrestFalklands Exhibition - Humphrey. Sharpnel damage to aircraft
Westland Wessex HU.5XT765JFalklands Exhibition
Westland Sea King HAS.6XV663771 SAR 18 Rescue / RAF RescueFalklands Exhibition - previously used by 825 NAS. Left side in Royal Navy markings and the right side in yellow Royal Air Force Rescue scheme.

=Hall 2=

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:

class="wikitable sortable"
TypeIdentityMarkingsNotes
de Havilland Sea Vampire ILZ551/G(P)Prototype No. 3
de Havilland Sea Vampire T.22XA127NilPod only
Fairey FulmarN1854NilTwo-seat fighter. This is the Fulmar prototype, the only surviving example out of the 800 built.Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber Since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. {{ISBN|0-85177-861-5}}.
Fairey Swordfish IIHS618 wears P4139NilPreviously used by 834 NAS. Now represents P4139, a Swordfish Mk.1 of 813 NAS
Focke-Achgelis Fa 330Nil
North American Harvard IIIEX976NilAmerican trainer
Grumman HellcatKE209American single-seat fighter
Hawker Sea Fury FB.11WJ231115/OUsed by 802 & 810 NAS. Painted as flown by Lt D T McKeown of 802 NAS/HMS Ocean
Grumman Avenger ECM.6BXB446D-Day markingsAmerican torpedo bomber/reconnaissance
Grumman Martlet IAL246Nil
Vought CorsairKD431431 SThis has had subsequent repaints removed to expose the original 1944 finish.{{cite web|url=http://www.fleetairarm.com/exhibits/planes.asp?plane=153|title=Corsair KD 431 - A Ground Breaking Project|publisher=Fleet Air Arm Museum|access-date=2008-12-31}}
Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka IIBAPC 58NilJapanese Kamikaze aircraft designed to be carried to its target by a converted medium bomber
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15NilSoviet jet fighter
Westland Dragonfly HR.5WN493Nil

=Hall 3=

File:Fleet Air Arm Museum Carrier Deck.JPG

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|R09|6}} 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. 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. {{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum/aircraft-carrier-experience-airfield-sea|title=New: Aircraft Carrier Experience – Airfield at Sea|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}}

The aircraft include:

class="wikitable sortable"
TypeIdentityMarkingsNotes
British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA.2XZ499003
Blackburn Buccaneer S.1XN957630/LM
de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2XS590131/E
McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1XT596Nil
Sopwith PupN6452NilReplica
Supermarine Attacker F.1WA473102/J
Supermarine Seafire F.17SX137NilNaval version of the Supermarine Spitfire
Westland Wessex HU.5XT482Z-M 19Gilbert
Westland Wessex HU.5XT769NilEntrance to Hall 3
Westland Wyvern TF.1VR137NilBare Metal

=Hall 4=

File:Fleet Air Arm Museum hall 4.JPG 002, Bristol Scout, BAC 221 and Hawker Hunter T8M]]

The aircraft on display:

class="wikitable sortable"
TypeIdentityMarkingsNotes
BAC 221WG774NilAlso built as part of the Concorde programme, to explore the high-speed characteristics of the ogival delta wing.
BAC ConcordeG-BSSTBritish 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum/concorde-002|title=Concorde 002|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}}
BAE Harrier GR.9AZD43345ANaval Strike Wing - Afghanistan war markings
BAE Sea Harrier FRS.1XZ493001/NFalklands Exhibition
Bristol Scout DN5419NilReproduction. Displayed without any of the fabric covering, originally powered with a vintage Le Rhone 9C rotary when flown in the USA
Hawker Siddeley P.1127XP980NilBuilt as part of the development process that led to the Kestrel, Hawker Siddeley Harrier and Sea Harrier.
Westland Sea King HC.4ZA298Y{{cite web|url=http://www.fleetairarm.com/exhibition/sea-king-za298-veteran-king-of-the-junglies-to-join-national-collection-at-the-fleet-air-arm-muse/8-52.aspx|title=Sea King ZA298|publisher=FAAM|access-date=3 August 2016|archive-date=21 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021111626/http://www.fleetairarm.com/exhibition/sea-king-za298-veteran-king-of-the-junglies-to-join-national-collection-at-the-fleet-air-arm-muse/8-52.aspx|url-status=dead}}
Westland Lynx HAS.3 (GMS)XZ720HMS Gloucester 410Falklands Exhibition - Paint scheme from the 1991 Gulf War

=Other displays=

In addition to the four main exhibition halls, there are a number of smaller displays. These include:

  • "Barracuda Live - The Big Rebuild", showing the active restoration of Fairey Barracuda DP872{{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum/barracuda-live-big-rebuild|title=Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}}
  • Battle of Taranto, the Fleet Air Arm's most celebrated exploit in World War II. The display includes a Fairey Swordfish, which can also be seen from the link between halls 1 and 2.
  • "Merlin Experience", which explains modern anti-submarine techniques.
  • "Operation Skua", a reconstruction of the recovery of Blackburn Skua L2940
  • "Pioneers to Professionals: Women of the Royal Navy"{{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum/pioneers-professionals-women-royal-navy|title=Pioneers to Professionals: Women of the Royal Navy|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}}
  • "Saved! 100 years of Search and Rescue" featuring three helicopters and a new soft play area{{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum/saved-100-years-search-and-rescue|title=Saved! 100 years of Search and Rescue|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}}
  • "Welcome Gallery"{{cite web|url=https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum/welcome-gallery|title=Welcome Gallery|publisher=NMRN|access-date=12 August 2023}}

=Reserve Collection=

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:

{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|

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=Engines on display=

File:Clerget 9B FAAM.JPG rotary engine on display]]

The museum possesses a number of aero engines located throughout the halls.

Other activities

=Restoration=

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.

=Archives=

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is the home to an archive of material related to naval aviation.

=Visitor facilities=

File:Adventure playground at Yeovilton Fleet Air Arm Museum.jpg

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.

See also

;Naval aviation museums

;British military aviation museums

;Other

References

=Notes=

{{reflist}}

=Bibliography=

  • {{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=K |title=Wrecks & Relics - 24th Edition |year=2014 |publisher= Crecy Publishing |location= Manchester, UK |isbn=978-085979-1779 }}

External links

{{commons category}}

  • {{official website|https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum}}

{{NMRN}}

{{British Aviation Museums}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Aerospace museums in England

Category:Military aviation museums in England

Category:Naval museums in England

Category:Museums in Somerset

Category:Fleet Air Arm