About this museum
Hiding in Charlwood on Gatwick's perimeter, this charity keeps an all-British collection of piston and early-jet heavies in running order — the point is engine runs, not taxidermy. On run days the Lightning's twin Avons and the Shackleton's four Griffons perform a duet that reviewers describe in seismological terms.
Avro Shackleton WR982 (the £5 guided tour is unanimously endorsed) and a live-engined English Electric Lightning. There's also runway-viewing access for Gatwick traffic as a palate cleanser.
- Shackleton MR.3 WR982 — four Griffons, run regularly
- EE Lightning with live twin Avons
- Hawker Hunter & Gloster Meteor
Open Fridays–Sundays typically; engine-run event days are the ones to target. Small, personal, and staffed by people with logbooks.
“A must-visit for aviation fans and curious commuters!”— British, visitor report
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Avro Shackleton Mk.3 MR3 (WR982 coded "J") | — | |
| Blackburn Buccaneer S1 (XN923) | — | |
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander | — | |
| de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW(TT).2 | XS587 | |
| de Havilland Venom FB50 (J1605) | — | |
| English Electric Canberra B.2 (nose section) | WK146 | |
| English Electric Lightning F.53 | ZF579 / 53-671 | |
| English Electric Lightning F.53 (cockpit) | ZF589 | |
| Gloster Meteor T7 (VZ638) | — | |
| Hawker Hunter F51 | — | |
| Hawker Hunter T7 (XL591) | — | |
| Hawker Sea Hawk FB5 (XE364) | — | |
| Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3 (XV751) | — | |
| Percival Sea Prince T1 (Former Royal Navy WP308) | — |
Inventory researched 2026-07-18: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4. Aircraft move between sites; report corrections to the compiler.
Location & contact
- Address
- Lowfield Heath Rd, Charlwood, Gatwick RH6 0BT
- Phone
- 01293 862294
- Website
- www.gamc.org.uk/
- Hours
- Fri–Sun 10am–5pm
(from your local clock — verify before travel) - Gazetteer
- SE-02 on the situation map