Royal Air Force Museum London
Opened in 1972 by Her Majesty the Queen and situated on the historic site of London Aerodrome at Hendon, our North London Museum is the only London attraction to house over 100 aircraft from around the world including some very early aircraft designs through to the latest modern day jets and military aircraft. With free admission plus free interactive and fun activities, including 3D Cinema and Our Finest Hour, our London museum offers entertaining and educational days out for all the family just 30 minutes from Central London. For further details check our What's On section.
Latest News: 4 July 2009
Now Live - Americans In The Royal Air Force
With Independence Day in the US just around the corner we thought that our American cousins and British fans of all things from 'across the pond' might be interested to learn that the Museum launched today a new online exhibition 'Americans in the Royal Air Force'.
This exhibition explores the contribution that the Eagle Squadrons, the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) and Billy Fiske,amongst others, made to the defence of Britain during World War II.
As part of the exhibition the Museum invites its online visitors to narrate any stories that they may have about Americans who served in the RAF and from any Americans who have served in and worked alongside members of the RAF.
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Visit 'Americans in the Royal Air Force'.
Our Latest Restoration Is Unveiled
At 2.15 pm on 1st July the Royal Air Force Museum's latest restoration, the FE2b, was unveiled to an invited audience of press and the public in the Museum's Bomber Hall.
The FE2b was first introduced as a night bomber on the Wesern front in 1915 and saw front line service against occupying forces until 1919.
The exhibit will be on permanent display in the Royal Air Force Museum's Bomber Hall daily from 10 am to 6pm with admission to Bomber Hall and the rest of the Museum site being free of charge.
If you would like to learn more about the FE2, we have recorded a podcast to celebrate its unveiling which people can access below.
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Listen to our podcast about the FE2
Battle Of Britain Hall Update - Our Finest Hour Open From 2nd July
As part of an ongoing programme of continuous investment in its Estate the Royal Air Force Museum London is conducting a major refurbishment of its Battle of Britain Hall.
From 1st June until 1st July the Hall will be closed in its entirety, whilst a new glass wall is fitted to the East end of the Hall.
From the 2nd of July, Our Finest Hour and the Hall's Battle of Britain Maze will re-open to the public. The Sunderland Hall and the Upper Mezzanine areas of the Hall are currently scheduled to reopen by 24th July, once the fitting of a glass wall to the east gable end of the Hall is completed.
Whilst this work takes place the Museum will open the Grahame White Factory from 10am to 6pm each day.
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Find out which parts of the Hall are open when.
July's Navigator Highlights
This month Navigator, the Museum's online collection, offers 3 new set of highlights for your perusal: US Air Force Equipment, Reconnaissance Photographs plus a selection of Charles Brown photographs from 1955 to 1965.
Existing Highlights that are still available to view include Vehicles, Aircraft and Medals.
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Visit Navigator Online Collection
Picnic By The Pad, 1st July Onwards
Summer is almost here and it’s predicted to be glorious. To help you make the most of this rarest of events, a warm and welcoming British Summer, our team at Wings Restaurant has devised a range of affordable and enticing menus that will tantalise your tastebuds - all of which you will be able to enjoy in our 1940s themed outdoor picnic area, located next to our helipad.
Enjoy a filling bowl of our Pasta of the Day perfectly accompanied with a glass of fruity red wine for only £5 per person, courtesy of our “Pasta Express” range. Children can make up their own picnic box to eat outside from our range of fresh fruits and juices, and nutritionally balanced sandwiches.
On Saturdays, subject to the weather, we will fire up our “1940s Blackmarket Barbeque”; and given that our helipad is used by the Royal Air Force on a regular basis you might just have the added bonus of witnessing a helicopter landing whilst you enjoy the sunshine and your lunch!
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Learn more about our Summer Activities
Did You Successfully Work Out Our Mystery Objects?
We would like to say thank you to everyone who visited our stand at the Biggin Hill Airshow on 27th and 28th June. Your comments and feedback about the Museum were very deeply appreciated.
During the course of the show we ran a Mystery Objects Competition enabling everyone who participated in the quiz to go into a prize draw to win £100 worth of products from the Museum's Shop.
The draw took place this afternoon at 12:30 pm with the Head of the Museum's Retail Division, Frances Galvan, picking out the lucky winner.
Accordingly, the Museum is delighted to announce that Rianna Beaton of Shirley in Surrey won the Prize Draw. £100 worth of prizes of her choice from the Museum Shop will be sent out to her in the next few days.
The Museum will be back at Biggin Hill 2010 and will run a similar competition then. So to all of our entrants who missed out on winning this time hopefully next year could be lucky for you.
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Look at 2008's review
Women Of The Air Force Podcast Now Live
On 2nd of June the Royal Air Force Museum London officially opened its temporary exhibition "Women of the Air Force" which is currently on display at the RAF Museum's London site until the end of the year.
This podcast, which gives added insight in this exhibition and its electronic version which can be viewed in the Online Exhibitions section of this website, includes recordings made at the launch event plus archive material and interviews relating to the important role played by women in the RAF.
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Listen to official opening of Women of the Air Force.
601 Squadron Podcast Now Live
The Royal Air Force Museum London, as part of its Veterans’ Day celebrations of May 2009, unveiled a memorial to the members of 601 Squadron.
The Squadron itself was stationed intermittently on the Museum’s site between 1927 and 1949 and was known affectionately as ‘The Millionaire’s Squadron’.
Sir Torquil Norman, a veteran of the Squadron in its later days, tells, in this podcast, the story of 601 Squadron and some of the extraordinary ‘Millionaires’ who served with distinction in the Battle of Britain and over the skies of Africa and Malta during the Second World War.
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Listen to this month's podcasts
Women Of The Air Force Interactive Forum Now Live
The Royal Air Force Museum has launched, today, an electronic version of its popular Women of the Air Force exhibition, inviting current and former female personnel who served in the RAF, WRAF or the WAAF to share their stories through the online exhibition’s interactive forum.
Nina Burls, the exhibition’s Curator, stated:
“The aim of Women of the Air Force is to address what has been perceived by many of our visitors to be a lack of representation given in the Museum’s displays specifically to women whilst educating the public about how the roles of women in the Service have changed since the creation of the Women’s Royal Air Force in 1918."
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Visit and Contribute to Women of the Air Force
D-Day And The R A F
A special podcast for D-Day that explores the story of the Royal Air Force in the D-Day landings which brought about the freedom of Europe and the end of the Second World War.
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Listen to D-Day and The RAF
Official Launch Of Women Of The Air Force Recorded
The afternoon of Tuesday 2nd June saw the official launch of the Royal Air Force Museum London's latest temporary exhibition Women of the Air Force.
Honoured guests from the service included Air Commodore B. Cooper, Gp Capt Kath Sherritt plus Squadron Leader Carolyn Browing who all attended the official launch which commenced at 14:30 hours.
The opening ceremony was recorded for posterity and will be posted on the Royal Air Force Museum's website in the near future; as will an electronic version of the exhibition inclusive of a forum where current and former female members of the WAAF, WRAF and RAF plus their friends and families are invited to post their reminisces together with their photographs on the site.
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Learn more about Women of the Royal Air Force
Women Of The Air Force
2009 marks 70 years since the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was formed. To commemorate the anniversary, the RAF Museum London is offically launching its newest temporary exhibition: “Women of the Air Force” on 2nd June 2008.
For those who can't wait until this date "Women of the Air Force" can currently be viewed in our Historic Hangars and will be available online from the end of June after its official launch.
In addition to this if you have any youngsters in your party 12 years old or younger don't forget to pick up our free puzzle sheet about Women of the Royal Air Force. Each child who completes the form and drops it into the post box located at the exhibition will go into a monthly prize draw to win £25.00 worth of prizes from the museum shop!
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View online exhibition " A Bohemian in the WAAF "
A Trailblazing Return Made By Popular Demand
5th May to 31st December 2009
Many people identify the Golden Age of aviation as the period between the two World Wars, a time when young men and women sought thrills, danger and, ultimately, international recognition through trailblazing aviation exploits that set the world alight during the 1920s and 1930s.
This small group of pioneers were the first to conquer oceans and seas or just the physical and mental demands of long distance flying without the comfort of the modern technologies that we take for granted today, making their achievements, for many, even more wondrous.
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Learn more about "Wonderful Amy!"
Be Streets Ahead With Streetmap!
Thanks to the clever boffins at Streetmap the would-be first time visitor can now view, in a new service, a taster of what our London Museum has to offer.
All that you have to do is go to www.streetmap.co.uk, type in our postcode "NW9 5LL" and click on the film projector symbol located on the map to see a short video about us.
Alternatively, just select the link below. Enjoy.
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Watch www.streetmap.co.uk video
Don't Forget, When Visiting, Our Society Of Friends' Museum Tours
Don't forget that our Society of Friends offer informal tours of the Museum on a regular basis throughout the week which provide added insight into the aircraft in our collection.
To find out when these tours take place remember to examine the "What's On Today" boards located in the entrance areas of the Battle of Britain Hall and our Bomber Hall.
If the idea of working on one of our aircraft, marine craft or vehicles in your spare time appeals to you, our Society of Friends are looking for able bodied individuals to assist our curatorial team in their preservation and upkeep. No need for experience as training will be given - just the willingness to muck in and make new friends.
For further information click on the link below:
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Fancy working on our aircraft in your spare time? Become a "Friend of the Museum".
RAF Museum London, is one of the two museums housing aircraft and exhibitions which bring the history of the Royal Air Force to life. In the West Midlands - near Wolverhampton, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford displays an equally large and important part of our collection.
Visit Navigator to discover more...
