East Midlands Aeropark, Castle Donington — aircraft, plane-spotting & opening times

Station briefing

About this museum

Also known as / searched as: East Midlands Aeropark · East Midlands Airport museum · East Midlands Aeropark tickets · Castle Donington aeropark · Aeropark EMA · plane spotting East Midlands Airport

East Midlands Aeropark: a Vulcan, Nimrod R1 and Buccaneer parked on grassy mounds overlooking EMA's runway — half museum, half premier plane-spotting venue with a picnic culture.

Listed inventory: 35 airframes.

35 on charge

Sortie notes

Interior access depends on volunteer numbers; sunny weekends deliver, wet Tuesdays may not — reviews are honest about this.

Visitors liked

“Great place. Volunteers are fab and very helpful/knowledgeable. Lots to see and great to sit with a picnic and watch the planes landing and taking off.”— elaine FURY
“A brilliant little aeropark for views of East Midlands airport arrivals and departures. The staff are really friendly and knowledgeable about al the aircraft and it’s amazing to get so close to the Vulcan.”— Adam Fretwell PT

Public map reports · excerpted for reference · not reviews collected by this gazetteer

In The Hangar

The collection in profile

26 types held here that we have drawn and built in 3D. Choose one to turn it over, or see all 127 in The Hangar.

Visitor questions

Frequently asked

How much does East Midlands Aeropark cost?

Adult admission is listed as £5. Check the museum's current prices before travelling.

Which aircraft can you see at East Midlands Aeropark?

The listed collection includes Aérospatiale Gazelle (XX457), Armstrong Whitworth Argosy (G-BEOZ), Armstrong Whitworth (Gloster) Meteor TT.20 (WM224), Avro Vulcan B.2 (XM575), BAC Lightning F.53 (ZF588). Aircraft move between displays, so confirm current holdings before travelling.

Does East Midlands Aeropark have parking or a cafe?

Parking is recorded on site; a cafe or restaurant is recorded. Check current facilities with the museum before travelling.

Order of battle

Airframe checklist

Tick them off as you go. Identities are as held in the gazetteer survey — verify against the museum’s own labels if something has moved.

	Type	Identity
	Aérospatiale Gazelle	XX457
	Armstrong Whitworth (Gloster) Meteor TT.20	WM224
	Armstrong Whitworth Argosy	G-BEOZ
	Auster T.7 (mated to Auster AOP.6 fuselage, under restoration)	WE558
	Avro Vulcan B.2	XM575
	BAC Lightning F.53	ZF588
	BAe Nimrod R1	XW664
	Beagle 206X	G-ARRM
	Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B	XV350
	de Havilland Chipmunk T.10	WP784
	de Havilland Dove	G-ANUW
	de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.22	XG737
	de Havilland Vampire T.11	XD534
	de Havilland Vampire T.11	XD447
	English Electric Canberra T.17	WH740
	Gloster Javelin FAW.9	XH767
	Gloster Meteor NF.13 cockpit	WM367
	Handley Page Jetstream T.1	XX494
	Hawker Hunter FR.10 (composite incl. XG226 and PH-NLH parts)	XJ714
	Hawker Hunter GA.11	WV382
	Hawker Hunter T.7	XL569
	Hawker Sea Hawk FB.3	WF299
	Hunting Jet Provost T.4	XP568
	Percival Provost	WW442
	Schleicher K-8 glider	—
	SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3A	XZ369
	Slingsby Cadet TX.3	WT914
	Vickers Vanguard 953C cockpit	G-APES
	Vickers Varsity T.1	WL626
	Vickers VC10 forward section	XV108
	Vickers Viscount 804 cockpit	G-CSZB
	Westland Lynx HAS.3	XZ721
	Westland Sea King HC.4	ZD477
	Westland Wessex HC.2	XT604
	Westland Whirlwind Series 3	VR-BEP

Inventory last verified 2026-10-08: source 1 · source 2. Aircraft move between sites; report corrections to the compiler.

Visit

Location & contact

Address: Hill Top, Castle Donington, Derby DE74 2PR
Phone: 01332 850591
Website: www.eastmidlandsaeropark.org/
Gazetteer: MI-07 · Midlands & Lincolnshire · the situation map