Aircraft at Solent Sky Museum

Southampton's aviation story — home of Supermarine and designer R.J. Mitchell — from Schneider Trophy seaplanes and the Spitfire to a grand flying boat you can climb aboard.

Spitfires, seaplanes and flying boats

Solent Sky tells Southampton's remarkable aviation story — the home of Supermarine and designer R.J. Mitchell, who created both the Schneider Trophy-winning seaplanes and the Spitfire. It's also one of the best places to see a great British flying boat.

Aircraft highlights to look for

a Supermarine S.6A Schneider Trophy racing seaplane — a direct ancestor of the Spitfire
a late-mark Supermarine Spitfire F.24
the majestic Short Sandringham flying boat — you can go aboard
a de Havilland Sea Vixen and the experimental Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 jet flying boat

📄 Log your visit: take our printable Museum Aircraft Log Sheet — columns for type, manufacturer, registration/serial, variant, country, era, hall/location, seen, photographed and notes. Not every aircraft has every detail, so leave blanks rather than guessing.

Making the most of your visit

Climbing inside the Sandringham flying boat is the highlight — a rare taste of luxury air travel of the 1940s–50s. It's compact and indoors, ideal for a focused visit or a rainy day, and the S.6-to-Spitfire design story is wonderful to log and photograph.

Plan your visit

Opening times, admission prices, events and accessibility change through the year — and which aircraft are on display can change too. Always check the museum's official website before you travel.

Visit the official Solent Sky Museum site →

Highlights compiled from the museum and published references (Wikipedia: Solent Sky). Displays change — confirm on the official Solent Sky site. Last verified: 14 August 2026.

Keep exploring

All UK aircraft museums · UK airport spotting guide · Beginner's guide · Logging sheets & downloads