Royal Air Force Museum

One of my favourite places to visit. Having been here many times over the years, I have always really enjoyed a day out to RAF Hendon. They have kept up with the times and introduced new areas to the museum as well as opening up the old factory towards the back of the site, if you are interested in WWII history and you live anywhere near Hendon or are just visiting, it really is worth a visit.

I admit, I went to be a kind wife. My husband was giddy. But it was cool! And huge! Plan to spend 3+ hours.
If you want to sit in a Spitfire, make reservations ahead of time.
The staff were gracious and eager to answer questions. It’s interactive for kids and adults. It was also a nice break from London traffic and busyness. It’s not as posh as the museums in London proper, but the content is good and there are so many aircraft! I really enjoyed watching people get excited about the planes.

I love this place — I would live here if they would let me.
When I used to live in London (back in 2001) I chanced upon this single building museum literally up the street from my flat. Back then, I spent an entire day going through the building in awe of the collection of aircraft and memorabilia.
So imaging my surprise when I was back in London earlier this year and discovered that the museum now is FOUR buildings. The collection has been greatly expanded and includes some truly one of a kind aircraft. Where else can you walk through the interior of a behemoth Sunderland flying boat? Or stand and look into the wreckage of a crashed Halifax bomber?
If you have ANY interest in aviation, and especially if you are a World War aviation enthusiast, this museum is a MUST for your bucket list.
Bring money, and a comfortable pair of shoes — there’s a LOT of walking, but it is well worth the trip.
=;^)

A fantastic place to come and marvel at some incredible bits of aviation history.
It is free entry, but they do have a donation box for people wanting to contribute, and I really recommend you do, it is a fantastic place.
Planes of all types and eras for all to goggle at, as well as quite a few helicopters and military vehicles form across the years.
There is pretty decent little café inside too, selling sandwiches, cakes, drinks and all the usual staples. The filter coffee is not the best, if you are after a nice black coffee, go for the Americano from the special all-​singing-​all-​dancing coffee machine.
And the best part, for those that have kids, there is a massive educational section that takes a look at aerodynamics, the science of how things drop from planes, a hang glider you can sit in… actually, sod the kids, I had an amazing time playing around that part!!!
A great day out, the PERFECT wet day entertainment for the whole family.

Brilliant day out for lovers of aircraft. Hundreds of great exhibits, and lots of additional attractions. Entry is free and car parking costs 4 pounds for 6 hours. Some exhibits attract a charge, but all very reasonable. Museum shop has some great stuff for sale and prices are sensible. Highly recommended, well worth a visit

Can not go wrong here. For visitors near and far it’s an easy, well marked 10 min walk from the tube. There is no admission and they have good food and snacks on site or picnicking available All of this makes for a great museum visit.
This museum has plenty of planes and other vehicles to view and take pictures of. Just absolutely awesome to soak in that older history. Along with some excellent modeling of blown up factories and what London was like during the war.
Again one of the best museums in London and around the world totally free. Please take the time to see some of the history of years gone by from many nations. (and so much of it)
There are only two small things I think they could improve on. One is more photography platforms for shooting pictures up closer to the planes. Can live with the lighting if you gave any sort of flash.
Maybe have a book for sale of all that is in the hangers with some additional information (This may have been available, but I did not see it)
Thank you to all who had a hand in this it was a great pleasure to enjoy and a wonderful family outing
Steve Lazeroff
Rochester NY

This is one of those places that reminds me how great a city London is in terms of its free museums. As a bit of a nerd on this stuff I was blown away by the sheer volume of aircraft, both historic and contemporary. There was a huge volume of information on offer, and if you read it all you could easily spend a day there. My childlike attention span meant I went around quite quickly though, doing most areas within the two and a half hours we spent at the museum. Unfortunately we didn’t make the Battle of Britain exhibition as closing time came round faster that we had planned, but we fully intend to go back. Great place!

Fun place though kind of empty. I suppose due to school being in while we were there.
This is a place to spend hours learning up close and personal about the Royal Airforce’s technologies and advances in avaition and warfare.
Many exhibits and interesting stories such as the tale of the «bouncing bombs.»
DT

I cannot believe this AMAZING museum is free. Absolutely free. Buy the guidebook for about 4 quid, its a useful companion as there is so much to see and take in! If you have any kind of interest in aircraft or the Royal Air Force, you will love every minute you spend here. Be forewarned, the Battle of Britain hangar (the best part) closes at 5:30pm sharp, while the rest of the museum closes at 6pm. Totally missed the Battle of Britain part by a few minutes. But it gives us another reason to go back again!
Skip the flight simulator. It’s watching the Red Arrows from the 90s with a track of «Roll. Go. Roll. Go.» Not inspiring at all, nor do you feel like you’re flying. Totally not worth the money. However, the 4D film was really cool. I really enjoyed the film we watched. That was definitely worth the money spent.
I’m not going to list all of the planes you can see here as many of the reviews already do that, it’s a bit redundant. For me, my favourite part of the museum was the Avro Lancaster and the Lockheed-​Martin F-​35 Lightning II. So awesome! The museum is laid out really well and goes through the history of flight. Totally amazing to think how far flight has come in a few years.
Definitely check out this museum! It’s hard to imagine that the Cosford branch is supposed to be even better than the Colindale location. Three hours is not enough time to spend here. Give yourself plenty of time so you can appreciate everything you see. You’ll thank me later.

Had to work a bit to get here. On my own on my second day in London, navigated the Tube and a fair walk from the station, but I made it. And man was it worth it!
Housed in several buildings including an old aircraft factory, this museum is chock-​full of interesting aircraft. From the early days, through WW2, to current fighters, everywhere you turn there is something impressive. Make sure to follow the maps and signs– I almost missed a gallery.
Did I mention it’s free? Watch yourself in the gift shop though– lots of goodies for plane nuts young and old.

FREE! just pay £3.50 for 6 hours parking!
This place has had a little facelift since i used to frequent it as a kid. A great assortment of planes from the begining of flight up until the new Euro fighter from all over Europe, including a fully restored lancaster bomber and a newly unearthed lancaster waiting for funding for restoration.
As well as planes they have a great battle of britian display showing how wwii was for kids, women and fighters during the war.
Check out the newly moved and recontructed 1900s plane factory and watch tower behind the coast gaurd boats. A look back at Grahame-White’s plane factory from a time when the ‘plane’ was ‘taking off!’

Well if you have a bit of extra time in london the Royal Air Force museum is a fantastic place to visit! there is a vast colection of millitary aircraft modern and the early years WWI WWII. you will need a good few hours to see everything!
Visit my flickr set of my visit to the raf museum:

This is in the middle of nowhere. Even for me in northwest no mans land it takes me two bus rides in an hour to get there. But then again I don’t work near the northern line where Yee Gan O. says you can take the tube and walk, and I was with kiddies on a field trip that day.
That being said. Walking under a HUGE airplane wing can be exciting.
If you have children (or big children) who are interested in aviation, or at least involuntarily yell out «airplane!!!» every time one is overhead, then this is the place for you.
There’s even a little flight simulator in one of the main rooms.
We only went into the main building but I think there were other sections that were more interactive for the kiddies. And there’s a café in there in case you get a bit peckish halfway through.
Beware the gift shop! They have kid sized jumpsuits and bomber jackets. All of my money would have been gone with all the cuteness if I weren’t being dragged around by hungry children wanting to leave already.

I’ve known about the RAF Museum for some time but I’ve never been up until recently. There are lots of planes from different eras including the early days of flying. There are 4 big areas to visit and the interactive information provided is very informative. I’m not an airplane aficionado by any means but I thought it was great.
There are lots of impressive airplanes and one that stood out for me was the Vulcan bomber because of its sheer size. There are are lots of WWII planes some of which are still being restored although a few are in bits and don’t look as if they can be rebuilt but I may be wrong. Its free and all you pay for is parking which isn’t a lot. I would definitely recommend it.

Really great and free museum. Can easily spend a few hours here even with very little interest in planes. Battle of Britain exhibits very good.

Even if you r not into planes, trust me you’ll find dis place quite interesting. Look out for the Eurofighter typhoon. It’s wicked.

The RAF Museum at Hendon is one of London’s little secrets — a free musuem tucked away in north London. However, it’s easily accessible by Tube — 10 minute walk from Colindale station.
Now I have to confess to being a bit of a plane spotter so this museum is right up my alley. The museum is well laid out with a fair amount to see. The planes are mainly older, with old stalwarts like the Vickers Vimy to the Vulcan bomber as well as some old legends like the Lancaster. There are some interactive exhibits as well as more modern exhibits like the 3D cinema and the Eurofighter simulator.
There are also rotating exhibitions that pass through. The Wings restaurant serves hot lunches as well as drinks and snacks
For an aeroplane fan like myself, this is easily a half day if not full day museum. I haven’t yet made it up to the sister RAF museum in Cosford, north of London.

I was admittedly a rather precocious child. Those things that most boys were interested in could not command my interest for even a fleeting instant. I memorized maps and coats of arms, studied history both recent and ancient. Basically, I was a nerd, but a well-​regarded one.
My one lapse into behaving my own age was my fascination with airplanes. I adored them, and still do. I set aside my blooming politics of disengagement and diplomacy, a disregard for military answers even if the answer was buildup to act as deterrent (we know how well this has always worked…), and obsessed over these impossible objects, tin chutes swinging about air currents as remarkably more controlled sailboats on the sea.
The Royal Air Force Museum is a nuisance to access and a political stretch but to me is like both a return to lost youth and a palace of technological achievement. Really, guys: breaking the speed of sound?!

Impressive museum and collection of planes hidden away a short walk from Colindale Station.
Large hangars full of planes and it is usually quiet and not busy. Good place for a different day out.

Ich habe selbst vor einigen Jahren das Museum besucht und war beeindruckt von all den Flugzeugen aus den verschiedenen Zeiten der Fliegerei.
Am meisten habe ich über den Größenunterschied zwischen einem Dreidecker und einem Vulcan-​Bomber.
Das Museum erhält von mir 4 Sterne.

Das Museum befindet sich an der Stelle des ehemaligen London Aerodrome– sozusagen der Geburtsstätte der Fliegerei in Großbritannien. Zwischen den Weltkriegen fanden dort auch die Hendon Airshows statt.
In fünf riesigen Gebäuden sind über einhundert Flugzeuge, Hubschrauber und andere historische Fluginstrumente ausgestellt. Gemälde, Memorabilien und Photographien runden das ganze ab.
Vom Anfang der Fliegerei mit Ballons über einfache Propeller-​Maschinen bis hin zum Düsenjet ist dort die Geschichte der Luftfahrt anschaulich und fesselnd dokumentiert.
Für den Fotofreund ist es besonders zu empfehlen: Das Fotografieren ist hier für private Zwecke gestattet!
Parkplätze sind dort in ausreichender Anzahl vorhanden–
obwohl ich eher die Anreise aus London mit der Tube empfehlen würde. Die nächst gelegen Tube-​Staion ist Colindale Underground (nicht Hendon Central– das wird gern verwechselt!). Von dort aus sind es ca. 10 Minuten Fussweg.
Für das leibliche Wohl ist dort bestens gesorgt. Der Besucher kann hier zwischen zwei Restaurants wählen. Es igibt dort Wings Restaurant und das Wessex Café, beide sogar mit WLAN bzw. WiFi-​Zugang zum Internet.
Dem Museum angeschlossen ist auch ein Shop, indem man nach Herzenslust herumstöbern kann. Man findet dort Dinge, die hier in Deutschland nicht oder nur sehr schwer zu bekommen sind.
So habe ich z. B. einem Freund einen Reprint des Flughandbuchs einer Messerschmidt aus dem zweiten Weltkrieg mitgebracht.
Alles in allem ein grandioses Museum in dem man getrost einen ganzen Tag verbringen kann!
Das Beste zum Schluss: Der Eintritt ist kostenlos!

This is a military museum and therefore I had to overcome a certain uneasyness when entering the compound.
However: The exhibits — military airplanes, helicopters, jets are plenty and very often in unrivalled condition. I was impressed by the amazing technical qualities of Word War II airplanes.
Excellent display and explanations.
Be careful to get there from Colindale tube station and not from Hendon.