Swordfish Restaurant

Really lovely museum. They have a very good collection of naval aircraft. I particularly liked how the museum is set out in such a way that you quite literally walk through the history of British aviation from the beginning all the way to present day. The exhibits are really immersive in the way they are designed. The highlight of my visit was getting to walk through a prototype concord and get up close to the controls. Highly recommended to any aviation enthusiasts.

Having the option to purchase tickets in advance not only speeds things up, but also gives you a little discount. Straight up the stairs and into the gift shop / entrance and showed the tickets on my phone and we were in. There are a couple of pinch points when trying to navigate your way down. When trying to read some of the detail and you have people barging past was a bit frustrating. So much to see and read, with the highlight being Concorde. Never would I have thought I would step aboard. Also enjoyed watching the helicopters take off from the airfield. That was a nice touch, although did get busy in there. Nice we can go on some of the aircraft. Really gives you an appreciation of how skilled everyone is to build, maintain and fly these craft from yesteryear to present day. We were here for over 2 hours and probably will need to visit again as I'm sure we missed something. We didn't really see much in the way of signage, though that could've been us just absorbed in the museum exhibits. Bit disappointed with the size of cafe, no tables free and there was still a queue to get food, so we had to go without and find somewhere else down the A303 to eat. Other than that, we enjoyed the visit. Moderately busy for a weekday in September. Plenty of people about if there were any questions that needed answering, but we were happy just going at our own pace.

Took my son as he's interested in fighter planes. It's very informative, has a wide range of planes and helicopters you can actually go inside and view unlike other museum we have been too. The battle ship deck area is good it gives you an insight into what life is like on them. If you are interested in the navy and planes, I would recommend here.

We had an amazing day here! My Sons enjoyed every second of it. There's dressing up stations throughout the museum, which added to their imagination and created some fun whilst taking photos. They loved exploring all the different aircraft! Their favourite part was the carrier experience! The employee's were wonderful! We look forward to returning within the year!

A fabulous museum that seems to update every time I visit. If you didn't know, Britain pioneered fixed wing heavier than air naval air power. This is part of our heritage that oft seems forgotten. When you look at the planes they flew back then, you do have to take your hat off to those pioneers. Not too many exhibits which is good - overload can be a bad thing. If you're not familiar with the history of more modern naval warfare and its aerial side too, most of what you need to know is explained to you. You follow a chronological course through the museum, to the end of WWII then the Korean war, then the early jets - then the masterpiece of the trip: you go on board an aircraft carrier. Not a real one, that might take a lot of work, but after a bumpy simulated helicopter ride, you walk across a simulated flight deck with the jets of the time on it, then tour the interior of what would have been a 60s and 70s era aircraft carrier. Videos of crew members talking to camera inform you of who did what and how they did it. These are very good, and will appeal to all ages and levels of knowledge. We come right up to the present day with a look at the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier, her air group, and her role in a SAG with other RN vessels. You can also walk through the Concorde prototype, see Sea Harriers from the Falklands war and a Harrier from the Gulf war. It is a full day out, it really is. Downsides: the only cafe on site felt a bit expensive, but as it funds the museum I can handle that. There's a bit too much positive action gender and race role modelling going on too with the photos of personnel in exhibits that represent a view of the modern RN. But don't let that spoil your day - it's a personal niggle, I'd bet anyone under 25 wouldn't even notice it!