UK aircraft museums & logging guides
The UK's aviation museums are a spotter's paradise — historic fighters, Cold War jets, airliners and one-off prototypes you can get close to and log. Here's what to see at 13 of the best, by region.
Museums are for logging, not just looking
Every museum aircraft has a story — type, maker, variant, and a civil registration or military serial. Record what you see and build a collection that grows with every visit.
Get the Museum Log Sheet →What to record
Aircraft type · manufacturer · model & variant · civil registration or military serial · operator · country · era · hall/location · seen · photographed · notes. Leave blanks where a detail isn't shown — never guess.
London & the South East
RAF Museum London
The national museum of the Royal Air Force, on a historic airfield site in north London. Aircraft spanning the whole sto…
Colindale, LondonBrooklands Museum
Set at the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation near Weybridge, Brooklands combines racing and flying heritage …
Weybridge, Surreyde Havilland Aircraft Museum
Often described as Britain's oldest aviation museum, near St Albans — the largest UK collection devoted to a single manu…
London Colney, HertfordshireEast of England
IWM Duxford
One of Europe's largest aviation collections, on a historic wartime airfield near Cambridge. Several hangars of British,…
Duxford, CambridgeshireShuttleworth Collection
A world-famous collection of airworthy vintage and veteran aircraft at Old Warden, best known for regular flying display…
Old Warden, BedfordshireThe Midlands
RAF Museum Midlands (Cosford)
A large RAF collection in Shropshire, home to the National Cold War Exhibition — where you can stand beneath all three o…
Cosford, ShropshireMidland Air Museum
A jet-age collection beside Coventry Airport, celebrating Coventry-born Sir Frank Whittle's jet-engine heritage — with a…
Coventry, WarwickshireNewark Air Museum
One of the UK's largest volunteer-run collections, on the former RAF Winthorpe near Newark — two halls and an outdoor pa…
Newark, NottinghamshireSouth & South West
Fleet Air Arm Museum
Britain's museum of Royal Navy aviation, beside the working air station at RNAS Yeovilton. Four halls of naval fighters,…
Yeovilton, SomersetSolent Sky Museum
Southampton's aviation story — home of Supermarine and designer R.J. Mitchell — from Schneider Trophy seaplanes and the …
Southampton, HampshireArmy Flying Museum
The story of flying in the British Army at Middle Wallop, from Royal Engineers balloons to the modern Army Air Corps — e…
Middle Wallop, HampshireNorthern England
Scotland
Make a day of it
Pair a museum visit with nearby airport spotting, and log it all on your printable sheets.
UK airport spotting guide →