Society of Friends Fleet Air Arm Museum

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Society of Friends Fleet Air Arm Museum

The UK's leading naval aviation Society, we support solely the Royal Navy Museums: Naval Aviation at Yeovilton, Somerset.

SoFFAAM is Registered Charity 280725
The object of the Society is the education of the public by promotion, support, assistance and improvement of the Fleet Air Arm Museum. The Society elects a trustee Council annually including a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary. An educational schools travel bursary to visit the museum is now offered by the Society. Patron: Commodore Bill

Covington CBE RN (Retd)

SoFFAAM covers naval aviation from its early seaplanes and the formation of the Royal Naval Air Service, to the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier F-35 Lightning strike jets of today. Our members live in both the UK and overseas. Members receive the “Jabberwock” journal every quarter. Entertaining speaker evenings are held at Yeovilton monthly and cover aviation topics past, present and future. Our talks programme is also streamed live for members not local to Yeovilton. As a member you'll have free access to the Museum at Yeovilton and will get 20% discount in the museum shop and catering outlet. A membership programme of day trips, visits and social events is also offered. All monies raised go to supporting FAAM and news on donations and funding support can be found on the Website. To join us download the Membership Form here...
https://www.fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SoFFAAM-Membership-Leaflet-JANUARY-2024-WEB.pdf

09/08/2026

Remembering Lt Robert Hampton Gray VC, DSC, RCNVR who was killed on 9 August 1945...

01/08/2026

Our final lecture evening before a summer break came from Stephen White of the Fairey Barracuda DP872 Rebuild.
The Barracuda was the Royal Navy's must numerous type during the Second World War yet none were saved for preservation and Steve and the team in Hall 4 at RNMNA are aiming to put that right. It's a project the society has funded previously.
Attendees were given the opportunity to see the project's current parts inventory. Keep at it team - only a few more years to go! 👍

To view our autumn speaker programme click https://www.fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/talks
All are welcome to attend. If the talk is on a Saturday a Museum entrance ticket is required by non-members.

29/07/2026

Talk Night 30 July
The last lecture evening of our current series is tomorrow night and features the Museum's own Fairey Barracuda DP872 Rebuild project with Stephen White.
All welcome, tickets on the door and refreshments for a donation.
fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/talks

26/07/2026

A reminder that during the south Somerset school summer holidays the Museum is open 7 days a week. 👍
https://www.royalnavymuseums.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum

25/07/2026

Get up to speed on the progress of the museum's ambitious Fairey Barracuda Rebuild project this Thursday! Listen online to Stephen White's lecture evening on 30 July (via zoom) for only £4.
E-tickets must be obtained by 7pm on Tuesday 28 July and the talk link will be mailed on 29 July. All welcome and monies raised go towards helping Royal Naval Museum Naval Aviation, Yeovilton.
https://www.fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/talks

19/07/2026

Membership of SoFFAAM offers 4 (40-page) journals to your door or mailbox annually and our Summer 2026 edition is due out in August – just in time for holiday reading.
Jabberwock articles range from the Royal Naval Air Service to the Royal Navy squadron deployments of today. Foreign naval air arms are not excluded when spaces allows. Features are provided by the membership and include many personal experiences of Fleet Arm Arm life in the Senior Service.
Interested? Click here for fuller details...
fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/jabberwock
*Overseas membership offers an E-jabberwock 👍

16/07/2026

Thursday 30 July 19.30
Join us for our July presentation by Stephen White on RNMNA Fairey Barracuda DP872 Rebuild.
One of the questions Steve will address is the effectiveness of the Fleet Air Arm air raids on Tirpitz April-August 1944.

All welcome and if not local to south Somerset you can join live Online 👍
E-tickets (£4) must be obtained in advance and by 29 July. All monies raised help support the Fleet Air Arm Museum

15/07/2026

Grateful to Steve Rickman for sharing this UK MoD photo of a Cold War Royal Navy 892 Squadron intercept of a Soviet Naval Aviation Tupolev 'Bear' as the huge maritime patrol aircraft was codenamed by NATO Maritime Command.
Four Kuznetsov turboprops, with their contra-rotating propellers, made the 'Bear' faster than the Hawker Siddeley Ni**od MPA.
The various external fairings and blisters suggests a 'Bear J' variant. Note the rear tail gun turret.

fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/jabberwock

14/07/2026

Vive la France - National Day of France
The front cover of our 2024 Jabberwock 116 journal featured a Marine nationale submarine that had been 'found' by a RNAS Culdrose Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine warfare helicopter.
The Royal Navy celebrate their national day on 21 October annually. 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷

fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/jabberwock

12/07/2026

Perfect flying weather
A sun-drenched airfield graced Army Flying Museum's Wings & Wheels event on Saturday, with a sell-out crowd of over 4,000 enjoying the flying displays. Aircraft anniversaries celebrated at the Hampshire venue were the Supermarine Spitfire and De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk two-seat trainer.
The Second World War saw Americans, Australians and Canadians (including 406 Squadron) serve at Middle Wallop, which during the 1940 Battle of Battle was a Royal Air Force 10 Group Fighter Command station. Significantly, in early 1945 the RAF station was transferred to the Royal Navy as an administrative HQ for Mobile Operational Naval Air Bases as they became known. Several MONABs were established at Middle Wallop's HMS Flycatcher for onward transfer to RN British Pacific Fleet theatre of operations in the Far East. A profile on MONAB RN aircraft carrier support featured in society Jabberwock journal 121 and 122.

A British Army Army Air Corps role demo provided the flying finale and included a Somerset-resident AAC Wildcat AH1 (Army Helicopter Mark 1). It was good to see the Royal Navy Parachute Display Team “The Raiders” drop, with a female helicopter pilot from RNAS Yeovilton's 846 Squadron one of their number. 🇬🇧

Our sincere thanks goes to AFM for their hospitality and warmth of welcome. 👍

fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/jabberwock

Address

Royal Navy Museums Naval Aviation
Yeovilton
BA228HW

Website

http://www.fleetairarmfriends.org.uk/

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