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A startling angle on the Sea Harrier displayed on a mock up 'ski jump' as used by the Royal Navy carriers for this type to take off with a greater load. [All photographs Moreno Aguiari]
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By Moreno Aguiari
During a recent trip to South West England, I had the opportunity to visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum – thirty years after my first visit as a young man! Located at RNAS Yeovilton, the Fleet Air Arm Museum is one of the largest aviation museums in Europe, celebrating British naval aviation from 1909 to the present.
With four exhibition halls, over ninety aircraft, more than 2 million records, and 30 thousand artifacts, the Museum is Europe’s largest naval aviation museum. [All photographs by Moreno Aguiari]
In 1963 a small enclosure was created beside the perimeter fence at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, to allow the public to view flying activities on the airfield. One year later, the new Fleet Air Arm Museum, housed in a single hangar, was opened by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. It began with just three aircraft, but over the years has grown into a nationally significant collection of over 100 airframes, and many thousands of artifacts, photographs, and archives.
Incorporated into the National Museum of the Royal Navy in 2015, the Fleet Air Arm Museum is now proud to display the heritage of British naval aviation and is a world leader in historic aircraft paint conservation, as well as being home to the UK’s Concorde 002 prototype. [Click on the photographs to reveal the captions.]
The very historic Sea Vampire LZ551/G was the first jet aircraft to ever land aboard a carrier. [All photographs Moreno Aguiari]
Sea Vampire LZ551/G carries both the ‘G’ suffix on the serial (meaning it was to be kept under armed guard whenever on the ground) and the ‘P’ for prototype reflecting the addition of naval equipment to the type.
The remains of the sole surviving Blackburn Skua, L2940, seen in a diorama as it was found in the depths of a Norwegian fjord.
The Martlet Mk II was an early versions of the Grumman F4F Wildcat family. A total of 100 were built in two series: AM954-AM999 and AJ100-AJ153. But although their number was small, the Mk II was of considerable importance for the history of the Wildcat.
The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne reconnaissance and fighter aircraft. it was widely used by the Fleet Air Arm during WWII.
This Martlet was one of a number originally ordered by the French, but delivered to Britain after the fall of France in 1940.
This is the sole surviving Fairey Fulmar, and was both the prototype for the Mk.I AND the Mk.II before becoming part of the Fairey company’s own fleet as G-AIBE after the war.
Westland Wessex HU.5 XT765 is another ‘Operation Corporate’, Falklands conflict veteran.
The Museum’s Westland Wessex HAS3, XP142 nicknamed ‘Humphrey’, carried out anti-submarine duties
during the Falklands Conflict and helped disable the Argentinian submarine ARA Santa Fe, using depth charges.
Westland Sea King Mk 5 XV663 is on loan to the Museum from the Royal Navy and provides the visitor with a chance to see inside a Search and Rescue aircraft.
The Short S.27 replica represents the first aircraft to take off from a moving ship.
The Sopwith Baby floatplane was used for reconnaissance and as a bomber operating from seaplane carriers, cruisers, naval trawlers and minelayers. Babies were attached to RNAS coastal air stations located in England and Scotland and even RNAS stations in Egypt, Greece and Italy.
A lot has changed since my last visit, using the best of digital technology, and immersive exhibits like a reproduction of a carrier flight deck. Visitors are transported through 100 years of this unique aviation history, from the pioneering years of the First World War all the way through to the modern HMS Queen Elizabeth carriers.
‘The Aircraft Carrier Experience – Airfield at Sea’ is truly an immersive experience giving visitors the opportunity to experience the flight deck of a working aircraft carrier, and see naval aircraft in their natural environment. The whole hall has been converted into a mock-up of the fleet carrier HMS Ark Royal as it would have appeared in the 1970s, with the addition, also, of older historical aircraft such as the Supermarine Seafire. The visitor is ‘flown’ from Hall 2 ‘onto’ the carrier through a converted (vibrating) Wessex helicopter cabin.
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The lineup of aircraft is in chronological order, starting with replica Sopwith Pup N6452, then Supermarine Seafire F.17 SX137, Supermarine Attacker F.1 WA473, de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 XS590, Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 XN957, British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA.2 XZ499 and a McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 XT596 ready to be ‘launched’ off the carrier. The exhibit includes a reproduction of the HMS Ark Royal deck and operations rooms, enhancing the immersive experience for the visitors. [Click on the photographs to reveal the captions.]
An overall view with the Corsair (front left) and the helicopter entry to the ‘carrier’ display behind. [All photographs Moreno Aguiari]
A view of the ‘carrier’ flight deck, with (L-R) the Westland Wyvern, Supermarine Seafire and Sopwith Pup in the background and the Supermarine Attacker nearest the camera.
The Westland Wyvern at the museum is a unique survivor.
Built by Westland Aircraft, the Wyvern type was only in service with the Fleet Air Arm from 1952 -1958.
This Wyvern is one of the pre-production prototypes, and is still fitted with a Rolls-Royce 24-cylinder Eagle engine (the only example of this engine type known to exist).
Wyvern prototype VR137 was used for ground running trials only. It was never flown and was never painted.
The de Havilland Sea Vixen was the first naval aircraft
designed as an integrated weapons system, swapping its cannon for rockets and missiles guided by radar. It could also carry bombs.
HMS Ark Royal was refitted to accommodate the Phantom type in 1967. Additionally the Royal Navy Phantoms had an extra extended nosewheel leg (seen here) for a greater take off angle.
The British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA2 type carried out 1,200 sorties in the Falklands Conflict, against ground and air targets.
The Royal Navy received its first F-4K Phantoms, which received the British designation FG.1, in April 1968.
The Fleet Air Arm operated 28 Phantoms as the Royal Navy’s primary fleet air defense aircraft, also combined with a secondary strike capability.
Between 2007 to the withdrawal of the aircraft from service in 2010, Harrier GR9 types of 800 and 801 Naval Air Squadrons formed the Naval Strike Wing flying from HMS llustrious (RO6) and
Afghanístan’s Kandahar air base.
The Blackburn Buccaneer was a strike aircraft renowned for its strength and low-level flying capabilities. In the 1960s and 1970s it contributed to the Royal Navy’s strategic deterrent.
One of the most significant airplanes exhibited at the Fleet Air Arm Museum is the Corsair KD431, an example of aircraft preservation. In 2000, David Morris, the Curator of the museum made a bold decision. The outer paint layer was carefully removed in a process akin to an art restoration, layer by layer, to see if the as-built aircraft scheme could be uncovered, and also the wartime finish, if either remained beneath.
The process, which was meticulously documented, and published in the book ‘Corsair KD431 — The Timecapsule Fighter’ (in two editions) was a mammoth undertaking. The end result revealed what is probably the last truly original Corsair fighter left in existence and one of very few Second World War aircraft displayed in such original condition. We have published a detailed article about this aircraft here.
The incredibly original Corsair showing not only original paint, but many other historical witness marks as well. [Photograph by Moreno Aguiari][wbn_ads_google_one]
Hall 4 is dedicated to test flying, with the aircraft exhibited demonstrating how advances in design and technology allowed the British aircraft industry to lead the world up to supersonic flight. Concorde epitomized the glamour of the transatlantic jet age during the 1970s and 1980s, and rightly is remembered as proud achievement in Britain’s (and France’s) aeronautical history. [Click on the photographs to reveal the captions.]
An overview of the test display hangar. [All photographs Moreno Aguiari]
Fairey Delta 2 was a high speed experimental aircraft in support of the Concorde programme.
A startling angle on the Sea Harrier displayed on a mock up ‘ski jump’ as used by the Royal Navy carriers for this type to take off with a greater load. [All photographs Moreno Aguiari]
Concorde 002 first flew from Filton Airfield in Bristol on 9 April 1969.
The test pilot for this Concorde’s first flight (and many others later) was Brian Trubshaw. This prototype made 196 supersonic runs during its total of 438 test flights.
During the Falklands Conflict, the versatile British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS1 (Hall 4), armed with American
Sidewinder missiles, accounted
for 20 Argentinian aircraft in
air-to-air combat.
The Fairey Delta 2 experimental aircraft set a new Air Speed Record of 1,132mph (1,811 km/h) on 10 March 1956, with ex-Fleet Air Arm test pilot Peter Twiss at the controls.
The Fairy Delta 2 was used for Concorde development, with its slender ogival wing used to confirm Concorde’s expected transonic, supersonic and low speed handling and performance characteristics.
A rare and historically important aircraft on exhibit, Concorde 002 is the second prototype of this Anglo-French supersonic airliner. She was assembled in Britain and made her maiden flight from the British Aircraft Corporation’s plant at Filton, Bristol, on 9 April 1969, with the first French prototype Concorde 001 flying from Toulouse, France, a month earlier on 2 March 1969. On completion of her test program, she arrived at RNAS Yeovilton in July 1976 and was placed on permanent display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. The aircraft interior is open to the public.
Visitors can see into (but, for safety reasons, not enter) the restoration workshop between Hall 3 and Hall 4. In 2023 the projects currently underway are a Fairey Barracuda torpedo bomber and a Gloster Sea Gladiator biplane fighter.
Not a single complete Barracuda aircraft exists today, but this remarkable project, to bring a Barracuda back, has been underway since the 1970s. Led by the Fleet Air Arm Museum, the ambitious mission is to reconstruct a complete (non-flying) Barracuda aircraft. The Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild presentation opens in September 2023 , showcasing Barracuda DP872’s reconstruction in the museum’s new Arthur Kimberley Viewing Gallery. To learn more and support this particular project click HERE.
Elements of the Fairy Barracuda project, forming the cockpit and center section. [Photograph by National Museum of the Royal Navy]
Piles of Barracuda parts when stored at Cobham Hall. Photo by Peter J. Cooper
Piles of Barracuda parts when stored at Cobham Hall. Photo by Peter J. Cooper
Piles of Barracuda parts when stored at Cobham Hall. Photo by Peter J. Cooper
Piles of Barracuda parts when stored at Cobham Hall. Photo by Peter J. Cooper
Photo from the museum’s workshop area. Photo by PeterJ. Cooper
Photo from the museum’s workshop area. Photo by PeterJ. Cooper
Piles of Barracuda parts when stored at Cobham Hall. Photo by Peter J. Cooper
Photo from the museum’s workshop area. Photo by PeterJ. Cooper
Photo from the museum’s workshop area. Photo by PeterJ. Cooper
With four exhibition halls, over ninety aircraft, more than 2 million records, and 30 thousand artifacts, the Museum is Europe’s largest naval aviation museum and definitely a must for any aviation enthusiast. The Fleet Air Arm Museum is a charity that relies on funding from many sources to preserve the rich history of the Royal Navy. To learn how to support the museum, click HERE.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
