Clicky

The Royal Air Force Museum London

The Royal Air Force Museum London Our purpose is to tell the story of the Royal Air Force through its people and collections. Language. Please use appropriate language. Corrections. Privacy.

The RAF Museum encourages people to share their opinion and experience and engage into the debates and discussions in our Social Media networks. We welcome the constructive criticism and constructive comments and respect the freedom of speech; however, we would kindly ask you to follow our outlined code of conduct to ensure that everyone has a positive experience when interacting with the Museum’s

social media networks:

Respect. Please respect all our visitors, avoid posting any hateful, defamatory, obscene, threatening, abusive, or discriminatory comments. Any comments or posts that harass others or that could be deemed as offensive will be removed and the users who have posted them may also be blocked. Any comments that contain vulgar, obscene or indecent language or images will be removed and the users responsible may also be blocked. We always appreciate your corrections of the facts in the content, but the rules of respect apply here as well. Any disrespectful comments will be removed and the users responsible may also be blocked. Please do not post someone else’s personal details such as e-mail addresses, home addresses or phone numbers on our channels. Advertising. Please do not post comments that advertise or promote other organisations, businesses, goods, services or people. All comments used as advertising or promotional tools will be removed. Illegal activities. Please do not post material that advocates illegal activity or discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them. All such comments will be removed and the users responsible will be banned. Intellectual property. Please be aware that images, videos, texts and other creative content you are posting could be other people’s property, and subject to Intellectual Property Law, which you do not have a lawful right to share. Points of view. We would like you to remember that the views expressed by any of our users don’t necessarily reflect the RAF Museum’s position on a given subject. The Museum reserves the right to remove any and all materials from its social media channels that contravene its guidelines, and reserves the right, where appropriate to ban an individual posting such comments from its pages. We aim to monitor our main Social Media channels every day, but our core office hours are from Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm excluding national holidays. We aim to respond to all enquiries as quickly as possible, but please note that some enquiries can take longer to resolve particularly if posted to the Museum at weekends and on national holidays.

Operating as usual

 in 1983 : a new beginning for No. 617 Squadron as it is reformed as a  squadron. The famous  exchanged their  Vulcan bo...
01/01/2023

in 1983 : a new beginning for No. 617 Squadron as it is reformed as a squadron. The famous exchanged their Vulcan bombers after two decades.

The new Tornado was cutting edge with its automatic terrain-following radar, variable geometry wings, fly-by-wire and reverse thrust. The Tornado became the RAF's main strike platform for almost 4 decades, fighting over Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Kosovo.

A Tornado in the colours of is on display in Hangar 6. It's possible to get up close and look inside the cockpit: http://ow.ly/se4F50MffHP

The Dambusters now operate the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, the most modern weapon system in the RAF's inventory.

If you're a big Tornado fan like us, have a look at our Shop for several Tornado articles: http://ow.ly/fcKt50MffI0

Or hear from one of its test pilots just how impressive the Tornado was: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=309344166416943

617 Squadron Association Public Page
617 Squadron RAF 'Dambusters' History

01/01/2023

Good morning and Happy New Year!

The RAF Museum will be closed today 1 January 2023, but will reopen tomorrow at 10.00am. We look forward to welcoming you then.

31/12/2022

Afternoon all, the RAF Museum is now closed until 10.00am on January 2nd. On behalf of everyone at the Museum thank you for your support in 2022. We hope that 2023 will be as exciting a year for you as it will be for us. Happy New Year!

 in 1939 : First flight of the Consolidated B-24 'Liberator'  at San Diego, California. Over the next 5½ years, 18,500 B...
29/12/2022

in 1939 : First flight of the Consolidated B-24 'Liberator' at San Diego, California. Over the next 5½ years, 18,500 B-24s are produced, more than any heavy bomber in history.

Our Liberator is on display in Hangar 5 and is one of 1,900 supplied to the RAF, and mainly used in Middle and Far East.

Liberators were also deployed by RAF Coastal Command, playing a key role in the war against Germany’s submarine fleet. Liberators also saw service as transports. AL504 'Commando' became the personal aircraft of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

After the war our Liberator was handed over to the Royal Indian Air Force. It remained in use until December 1968. A couple of years later our flew from India to Britain. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/consolidated-b24l-20-fo-liberator/

 in 1967 : First flight of the Hawker-Siddeley  GR1, the world’s first military vertical/short take-off and landing comb...
28/12/2022

in 1967 : First flight of the Hawker-Siddeley GR1, the world’s first military vertical/short take-off and landing combat aircraft. It entered service in 1969.

Seen here is a Harrier in its natural habitat: hidden in a forest, capable of taking off from a short runway. This was a great asset during the Cold War, and would have allowed the Harrier to continue the fight when all airbases got 'nuked'.

The Museum has a GR9A on display in Hangar 6. Come and see it up close!

Also find out more about the role of the Harrier in the Falklands via this page
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/falklands40-harrier-london/

Good morning all, just an hour to go until we are open again. Yay! We will now be open daily at 10.00am from today until...
27/12/2022

Good morning all, just an hour to go until we are open again. Yay! We will now be open daily at 10.00am from today until end of play on 31 December, when we will close for New Year's Day. Pre-book your free timed ticket now at: http://ow.ly/BbRA50M968T It's going to be busy.

Morning all, just a quick reminder that we are closed today, Boxing Day - 26 December. But we will be open tomorrow from...
26/12/2022

Morning all, just a quick reminder that we are closed today, Boxing Day - 26 December. But we will be open tomorrow from 10.00am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after three days of festive fun. Pre-book your free timed entry now for tomorrow at: http://ow.ly/MwYj50M95No

So did Santa decide whether you were naughty or nice last night🎅? Let us know. We will be closed today, Christmas Day, a...
25/12/2022

So did Santa decide whether you were naughty or nice last night🎅? Let us know. We will be closed today, Christmas Day, and tomorrow but we will be open again from 10.00am on 27 December. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁🥂 Only 49 hours to go before we're open again 🤸🎉

Season's Greetings! 🍾🥂☃️Here are some more of our amazing cards designed by children. Thank you to all of you ! Merry Ch...
24/12/2022

Season's Greetings! 🍾🥂☃️

Here are some more of our amazing cards designed by children. Thank you to all of you ! Merry Christmas from everyone at the RAF Museum! 🎉❄️🎄🤶

Happy birthday to the Handley Page Victor, the last of three V bombers and one of the main airborne tanker aircraft of t...
24/12/2022

Happy birthday to the Handley Page Victor, the last of three V bombers and one of the main airborne tanker aircraft of the RAF.

The Victor was designed and served as a strategic nuclear bomber until the late 1960. Several Victors were converted to in-flight refuelling tankers and remained in service until 1993. Much use was made of them in the 1982 Falklands campaign and the 1991 Gulf War.

The cockpit section of a Victor K2 is on display in Hangar 5. It served a vital role as a tanker during the Black Buck raids during the Falklands war 40 years ago. Book your free ticket to have a peek inside. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/handley-page-victor-k2-nose-section/

Good morning all we hope that your preparations for tomorrow are going swimmingly. Just a quick note that we will be clo...
24/12/2022

Good morning all we hope that your preparations for tomorrow are going swimmingly. Just a quick note that we will be closed today, tomorrow (Christmas Day) and 26 December (Boxing Day). We will be open again on 27 December from 10.00am. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas from the RAF Museum ! 🤶🎉☃️❄️🥂Last month we asked children to design us a Season's Greeting card. We rece...
22/12/2022

Merry Christmas from the RAF Museum ! 🤶🎉☃️❄️🥂
Last month we asked children to design us a Season's Greeting card. We received a wonderful response. All the children had made amazing cards, some very artistic, some really original... 🎨 We wish we could show you all of them but here's just a little selection. 🎉☃️🎅

 in 1982 :  No. 44 Squadron, the last V—bomber squadron of the RAF, is disbanded at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. Just e...
21/12/2022

in 1982 : No. 44 Squadron, the last V—bomber squadron of the RAF, is disbanded at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. Just earlier that year, the Squadron had used its in long-range ‘Black Buck’ bombing missions to the occupied islands. Look back on the Falklands campaign and the role of the Vulcan in this specially created page for https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/falklands40-vulcan-london/

The RAF Museum has an Avro Vulcan on display, as well as a the cockpit section of a Handley Page Victor which participated in the Falklands war. If you want to see the mighty Vulcan for yourself, sign up for the Cold War Experience in which experts guide you around our Cold War aircraft. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/whats-going-on/experience-tours-london/

Such requests are made for the enjoyment and 'elf and safety of all of our patrons 😇
21/12/2022

Such requests are made for the enjoyment and 'elf and safety of all of our patrons 😇

MIDS: We told them not to cross the barriers but they have no elf-control!!

 in 1942 : The  ground-controlled blind-bombing system is first tested by Bomber Command in a raid on a power station at...
20/12/2022

in 1942 : The ground-controlled blind-bombing system is first tested by Bomber Command in a raid on a power station at Lutterade in the Netherlands by six de Havilland Mosquitoes of No. 109 Squadron. Although the accuracy was still low, the results were encouraging. Further development led to Oboe being responsible for far greater accuracy in bombing.

19/12/2022
Thank you for your support in 2022

2022 has been a momentous year for the Museum as we celebrate our fiftieth anniversary.

In this short film we look back at our achievements during 2022 and give a preview of what is in store for both our London and Midlands sites in 2023 and beyond.

We would not have been able to achieve what we have done without the support that we have enjoyed over the last 12 months.

So, we want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported the Museum, either through visiting us, by purchasing an item from our online shop, by making an online donation or recommending to colleagues, family and friends that they participate in one of our public or charitable events.

Without your assistance we would not have been able to keep flying during the past difficult 12 months.

Thank you.

https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/support-us/ways-to-give/

19/12/2022

The Royal Air Force Museum London will be open daily from 10.00am throughout the Festive Season apart from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day (24 - 26 December 2022 and 1 January 2023).

So, if the thought of hitting the sales or having yet another afternoon watching the goggle-box with your nearest and dearest leaves you cold, why not create a new festive tradition and drop in for a visit.

Admission to our Hangars and Galleries is free of charge.

Book your free entry now and get ready for a festive take-off!

https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london

Ready for the Festive Season! 🎉🥳😎 Our Large Object Volunteer Team have been giving our aircraft a good clean for your vi...
18/12/2022

Ready for the Festive Season! 🎉🥳😎 Our Large Object Volunteer Team have been giving our aircraft a good clean for your visit over the Christmas period. 🧹We are open every day except 24-26 Dec and 1 Jan. ☃️🎉

Yes, you guessed it - they had their Christmas Office Party last night and after too much celebrating decided to take .....
17/12/2022

Yes, you guessed it - they had their Christmas Office Party last night and after too much celebrating decided to take .... wait for it ... sElfies 🙇‍♂️😆

MIDS: Our naughty elves have left a small surprise for our IT team this morning... 🙈

We will be announcing quite a few exciting new developments at both of our sites over the coming months. Here is a sneak...
16/12/2022
RAF Museum turns to augmented reality as it celebrates 50th birthday

We will be announcing quite a few exciting new developments at both of our sites over the coming months. Here is a sneak preview of one such development, which we are confident will fire our visitors' imaginations and help their understanding of the trials and tribulations that Lancaster crews underwent during the course of their missions.

https://www.forces.net/services/raf/raf-museum-turns-augmented-reality-it-celebrates-50th-birthday

Forces News

The museum is using the latest tech to keep younger visitors interested in its historic aircraft.

This Christmas Gift Box from the Defence Catering Group, part of which is stored in our Reserve Collection at Stafford, ...
15/12/2022

This Christmas Gift Box from the Defence Catering Group, part of which is stored in our Reserve Collection at Stafford, was sent to RAF personnel serving in Iraq in 2004. This RAF tradition began in 1914 when Princess Mary supported the creation of a fund to pay for a Christmas Gift Box to be sent to every serving member of the UK Armed Forces. Originally made of brass, the box would have included smoking materials, chocolate and a photograph of the Princess.

Although the contents no longer include smoking materials, the Museum’s 2004 Christmas Gift Box contained food, toiletry and novelty items, echoing the sentiments behind the 1914 one, helping to maintain morale for those deployed away from home at Christmas.

Three of the items which are on display at our Midlands site and are available to adopt are: a Christmas card featuring the message ‘Fill your boots this Christmas’, a flashing red nose and a red rubber ball.

There were several other items inside this box including a face flannel, Father Christmas hat, magnetic pocket chess set, quick shot camera, pocket torch, handwarmer gel, bottle of shower gel, key ring spice dispenser, packet of butterscotch sweets, packet of mulling spices, packet of Worcestershire sauce, miniature Christmas cake, hot pepper sauce, apricot and almond bar, and a souvenir London bottle opener.

Adopting the Christmas Gift Box package is a timely reminder of the Christmases that many families have spent apart, and the importance bringing a touch of home and Christmas joy to the ones you love, where ever they may be.

To find out how to adopt this artefact, plus 64 others, please visit our website at: https://bit.ly/3PwaXI3

In the continuing adventures of our naughty elves, this is what they've been up today at our Midlands site
14/12/2022

In the continuing adventures of our naughty elves, this is what they've been up today at our Midlands site

The RAF Museum and King's College London are currently inviting applications for a fully funded (academic fees and maint...
14/12/2022
Museum announces fully funded PhD - RAF Museum

The RAF Museum and King's College London are currently inviting applications for a fully funded (academic fees and maintenance stipend) Collaborative Doctoral Award Studentship to research, write, and complete a dissertation on ‘Gender, Culture and Class Structure: The influence of women on the RAF’s development in the early 20th Century’.

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC and the London Arts and Humanities Partnership the project will examine the role of gender on the RAF’s culture and class-structure. Created in 1918, the RAF deliberately sought to create ‘new traditions’, its own unique culture (distinct from the older British armed services), and to promote ‘air mindedness’ to the British public. Historical narratives of the RAF have marginalised the role of gender in this process.

This project will identify a broader pattern of female influence in the early 20th Century which remains largely obscured within British historiography.

The lead supervisor will be Dr David Jordan (Freeman Air & Space Institute, Defence Studies Department, KCL). The supervision team will include Professor David Edgerton (Department of History, KCL), Dr Sophy Antrobus (Freeman Air & Space Institute, KCL), and Dr Harry Raffal (Royal Air Force Museum).

Candidates should fulfil the appropriate King’s College London admissions requirements for a PhD – Bachelor’s degree with 1st class or 2:1 Honours degree and a Master of Arts with Distinction or Merit in a related subject.

For further information on how to make an enquiry and to apply for this opportunity please visit our website at: https://lnkd.in/e5zCrDsY

The closing date for applications is 27 January 2023.

Image shows: Commandant Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan

The RAF Museum and King’s College London are currently inviting applications for a fully funded (academic fees and maintenance stipend) Collaborative Doctoral Award Studentship to research, write, and complete a dissertation on ‘Gender, Culture and Class Structure: The influence of women on the ...

 : the  Southampton in Hangar 4 at our London site. This flying boat was one of the most successful ever used by the RAF...
10/12/2022

: the Southampton in Hangar 4 at our London site. This flying boat was one of the most successful ever used by the RAF. In the interwar period they became famous for long-distance formation flights, ‘showing the flag’ to all corners of the Empire.
The most famous one was concluded in 1927. Four Supermarine Southampton flying boats of the RAF Far East Flight under the command of Group Captain HM Cave-Brown-Cave reach Singapore after a 2-month cruise over 27,000 miles from Plymouth via Egypt, India, Australia and Japan.

You can now adopt one of the Museum's most famous and treasured artefacts, Percy the Penguin as an unusual Christmas pre...
09/12/2022

You can now adopt one of the Museum's most famous and treasured artefacts, Percy the Penguin as an unusual Christmas present.

Flight Lieutenant Stan Chapman was the bomb aimer in Halifax HX333 ‘J Jane’ which was hit by flak over Berlin on 29 January 1944.

‘J Jane’ was badly damaged and, tucking his lucky mascot Percy the Penguin inside his flying jacket, Stan bailed out. Percy was confiscated when Stan was taken prisoner, but was later returned by his captors. Percy and Stan returned home together when the war ended.

To find out how you can adopt Percy and another 64 artefacts from our collection, please visit our website at: https://bit.ly/3Hnrs7l

Give a Christmas gift that gives twice.

Andrew Lim shared some of the sketches he has made of our aircraft. You can recognise the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, the Haw...
09/12/2022

Andrew Lim shared some of the sketches he has made of our aircraft. You can recognise the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S2B and the Bristol Bulldog Mk IIA.

The Royal Air Force Museum is saddened by the news that Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, MBE, DFM, the last of t...
08/12/2022

The Royal Air Force Museum is saddened by the news that Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, MBE, DFM, the last of the , has died at the age of 101.

Johnson was born in Lincolnshire, the sixth child of a farm foreman on 25 November 1921. He was sent away to a boarding school for children of agricultural families at the age of 13. War broke out just as he was leaving school and had begun work as a park keeper in Basingstoke. Deciding to volunteer before conscription, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. As he recalled ‘I had spent years up to my knees in mud and I heard some bloody awful stories about trench warfare’.

After being selected for pilot training, Johnson was sent to the USA. However, he proved not to have the makings of a pilot. He returned to the UK, where he retrained as an Air Gunner and was posted to No. 97 Squadron in July 1942. In December 1942, after several operations, Johnson retrained as a Specialist Bomb Aimer and returned to No. 97 Squadron. He joined a new crew whose pilot was Joe McCarthy. When this American pilot finished his tour of operations, he was recruited by Guy Gibson for a new squadron formed for a special operation. McCarthy consulted with his crew and despite not knowing what the special operation would entail, agreed to join.

Granted four days’ leave to get married, Johnson returned to No. 617 Squadron to begin an intensive period of low-level night flying in preparation for the still unknown target. The crews were only told that they would have to drop their ‘bouncing bomb’ at a precise height and distance from the target, practising at various lakes and reservoirs around the country. It would not be until the day before the Dams operations that the targets and bomb were revealed to the crews. A shock was in store for McCarthy and Johnson as their target, the Sorpe Dam, required a different approach to the Möhne and Eder dams. They needed to fly their Avro Lancaster AJ-T ("T-Tommy") down to the valley side and fly parallel, dropping their bomb, with no spin, right at the centre of the dam wall. All the training that had been undertaken had not accounted for this approach.

On the night of 16/17 May 1943, McCarthy and his crew set off for Germany in the second wave towards the Sorpe Dam. On their arrival over the target, it became apparent that none of the other aircraft had made it. McCarthy’s crew had taken off last due to an aircraft fault. Finding the target in bright moonlight at 0015, McCarthy, flying his Lancaster a little like a fighter aircraft began his first of ten bomb runs. Johnson called a ‘dummy run’ for the first nine. It was not until the tenth attempt that Johnson and McCarthy were satisfied and dropped the bomb which caused a fountain of water nearly 1000ft high. As the aircraft turned to observe the target it was obvious that it had not been breached, despite getting their bomb on target. McCarthy set course for home, landing at RAF Scampton at 0323, five and a half hours after take-off. Sgt Johnson was awarded an immediate Distinguished Flying Medal for his role in the operation and was commissioned in November 1943.

Johnson would complete a further 18 operations with No. 617 Squadron and McCarthy until April 1944. Johnson became an instructor on the advice of McCarthy, who suggested that he cease operational flying for the sake of his pregnant wife. He remained in the Royal Air Force after the war and retrained as a Navigator before retiring in 1962.

He then embarked on a new career as a teacher in primary and secondary schools, followed by a period teaching psychiatric patients at Rampton High Security Hospital. In 2017, was awarded an MBE by the Queen for services to Second World War remembrance, and the community in Bristol, where he lived.

As the last remaining , he was for a long time the focus for the remembrance of this historic event.

George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, MBE, DFM (25 November 1921 – 7 December 2022)

To learn more about the Dambuster raid of 1943 feel free to visit our Online Exhibition https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/617-squadron-and-the-dams-raid/

 : when a submarine becomes an aircraft carrier. This is HM Submarine M2 recovering   N255 around 1931. The Peto was a t...
06/12/2022

: when a submarine becomes an aircraft carrier. This is HM Submarine M2 recovering N255 around 1931. The Peto was a tiny biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed to be operated from submarines.

Although the design was successful, it was only used in trials, and given up when the M2 sank in 1932 when the hangar flooded while submerged.

The M Class submarines were originally built to carry a large 12” gun but were not successful. M1 was sunk in a collision in 1925, and M3 was broken up in 1932 once trials as a minelayer were completed.

Also other countries experimented with submarine aircraft carriers. The Japanese Navy built several. The I-400 class had a capacity to carry three light bombers, and they were to be used in daring raids such as on the Panama Canal. Eventually, the war ended before they could be used.

The Mk V was regarded by pilots as the best handling Spitfire, despite its very short development time. It was also the ...
03/12/2022

The Mk V was regarded by pilots as the best handling Spitfire, despite its very short development time. It was also the most widely produced, equipping over 140 RAF squadrons.

Entering service in February 1941, the Mk V was significant for introducing many design refinements, featuring an improved altitude performance and a wider range of armament configurations.

This Spitfire Mk Vb saw active service with five RAF squadrons between 1941 and 1943, Nos. 64, 118, 222, 242 and 611.

We are now offering you a chance to adopt the iconic Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb. With just 20 adoption places available, don’t delay and adopt now, by doing so you will be helping the Museum, an RAF Charity, to tell the story of the RAF.

For full details, please visit: https://bit.ly/3XSfUP6

Get ready for Christmas Jumper Day (Thursday 8 December) with our Christmas Spitfire Jumper, exclusive to the RAF Museum...
01/12/2022

Get ready for Christmas Jumper Day (Thursday 8 December) with our Christmas Spitfire Jumper, exclusive to the RAF Museum.

Only £25.00 plus postage and packing. Buy yours now at : http://ow.ly/WQbE50LQPKk

For any cat lovers out there this Transatlantic traveller might just be the purrfect adoption for you. The lucky charm o...
30/11/2022

For any cat lovers out there this Transatlantic traveller might just be the purrfect adoption for you.

The lucky charm of Arthur Whitten Brown, Twinkletoes flew alongside Brown and Captain John Alcock on the first ever non-stop transatlantic flight in a Vickers Vimy in 1919.

By adopting one of our iconic items you are playing a crucial role in helping us share the greatest stories ever told.

For further information on how to adopt Twinkletoes and the benefits of doing so, please visit our website at: http://bit.ly/3AYsZMV

This Christmas give a gift that gives twice.

 : English Electric Lightning T4 (XL628) en route to the SBAC Show at Farnborough, July 1959. The aircraft used for phot...
29/11/2022

: English Electric Lightning T4 (XL628) en route to the SBAC Show at Farnborough, July 1959. The aircraft used for photography was a Fairchild C-119 Packet with the rear doors removed. With a skilled test pilot flying the subject aircraft, stunning images could be obtained ... provided the photographer held his nerve.

The T4 was a two-seater training variant of the main RAF interceptor fighter jet of the Cold War. Our London site has a Lightning F6 on display. https://collections.rafmuseum.org.uk/collection/object/object-3418

 in 1940 : the RAF Museum's  Bf 109E-3 Werk Nr.4101 falls into Allied hands. After being attacked and damaged by a Spitf...
27/11/2022

in 1940 : the RAF Museum's Bf 109E-3 Werk Nr.4101 falls into Allied hands. After being attacked and damaged by a Spitfire flown by George P Christie
DFC of No. 66 Squadron, Leutnant Wolfgang Teumer of 2/JG.51 crash lands it at RAF Manston.

This rare and exceptionally well-preserved aircraft is on display in Hangar 3/4/5, come and see it up close. https://collections.rafmuseum.org.uk/collection/object/object-1804

Address

Grahame Park Way
London
NW95LL

The Royal Air Force Museum, London is a 7 minute walk from Colindale Tube Station. There is a regular bus service from directly in front of the Station, which drops you off right outside of the Museum. To do this, take the 303 heading to Edgware.

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

020 8205 2266

Products

Pay and Display Car Parking offered on site. Admission is free.

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Royal Air Force Museum London posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to The Royal Air Force Museum London:

Videos

Category

Our Purpose and Vision

Our purpose is to share the story of the Royal Air Force, past, present and future – using the stories of its people and our collections in order to engage, inspire and encourage learning.

The Royal Air Force has shaped our nation and our society. It has influenced how we live our lives today through its impact on world events, society and technology.

The Royal Air Force Museum was established as a legacy of the RAF’s fiftieth anniversary, opening our London (Hendon) site in 1972. From 1979, the Museum also managed the Cosford Aerospace Museum for the MOD, which had also been in operation since 1972. This was renamed the RAF Museum Cosford in 1998 when it formally became part of the Museum portfolio. The Museum also has two external stores, one in Stafford and another within RAF Cosford.

The Royal Air Force Museum is a National Museum, a Government non-departmental public body (NDPB) and a registered charity. Our collection is central to everything we are and do and comprises around 1.3m objects which we hold in trust for the people of the UK. Our RAF Centenary transformation in 2018 enabled the Museum to bring an additional 500 objects from our stores to share with our visitors – most of which had never been displayed before.


Other History Museums in London

Show All

Comments

Get moving to keep us flying! Only 10 more days before the start of the Vulcan Challenge 2022! Choose to complete 100km, 250km or 500km and fly your way to the virtual finish line. You will have 3 months to complete the challenge, it will close on the 14 April 2022.
McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2, firing flares. No. 1435 Flight, Falkland Islands. And on that note... Happy New Year from all at the RAF Museum !!
The Royal Air Force Museum is now closed until 10.00am on 2 January 2022. In the meantime we would like to wish our followers a Happy New Year. We look forward to catching up with you again from 2 January onwards.
: The North American B-25 Mitchell at the RAF Museum London. The was one of the best medium bombers of WW2. Almost 1,000 were used by the RAF, mainly in North Africa and the Far East. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/north-american-tb-25-j/
Today's final Adopt An Artefact window opens up on The Christmas Gift Box from the Defence Catering Group was sent to RAF personnel serving in Iraq in 2004. To find out more about this artefact please go to: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/support-us/adopt-an-artefact/christmas-adoption-gift-box/
The Royal Air Force Museum, London is now closed for the Christmas Holidays. We will be open again from 10.00am at both of our London and Cosford sites from 27 December, closing again for the day on 1 January 2022.

From all the team at the Museum, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas.
Today's Adopt An Artefact opens to reveal Scotch Jock the Teddy Bear is a mascot with a difference who brought luck to Lieutenant William MacLanachan, a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front. Adopt him now at https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/support-us/adopt-an-artefact/scotch-jock-the-teddy-bear/
The Royal Air Force Museum, London is now closed for the Christmas Holidays. We will be open again from 10.00am at both of our London and Cosford sites from 27 December, closing again for the day on 1 January 2022.

From all the team at the Museum, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas.
Today the Adopt An Artefact opens up onto a can of powdered eggs. An egg-sellent adoption for any budding chef. The tin contains a dozen eggs in powered form. Hydrating your eggs couldn’t be simpler, just add water! https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/support-us/adopt-an-artefact/powdered-egg/
Don’t miss out on adopting this object. This armoured windscreen from a Spitfire Mk 1 was damaged by machine gun fire during the Battle of Britain. A rare opportunity to adopt a piece from the Battle of Britain. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/support-us/adopt-an-artefact/spitfire-windscreen/ Adopt An Artefact
Don't lose the plot, get adopting! Plotting blocks were used to track the movements of incoming formations of enemy aircraft in the Operation Room. Don't miss your chance to adopt this piece from the Battle of Britain. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/support-us/adopt-an-artefact/plottingp-block-friendly-forces/ Adopt An Artefact
For any cat lovers out there this Transatlantic traveller might just be the purrfect adoption for you. The lucky charm of Arthur Whitten Brown, Twinkletoes flew alongside Brown and Captain John Alcock on the first ever non-stop transatlantic flight in a Vickers Vimy in 1919. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/support-us/adopt-an-artefact/twinkletoes-the-cat/ Adopt An Artefact
x

Other History Museums in London (show all)

The Royal Air Force Museum - RAFM, RAF Museum Royal Air Force Museum Royal Air Force Museum RAF Museum Hendon Museo de la Royal Air Force de Londres イギリス空軍博物館 RAF Museum London Museo de la Real Fuerza Aérea Británica de Londres