Cockpit access changes with volunteers, weather and restoration work. Where a museum's own site confirms it, the table says how and when; otherwise ask at the desk.
Open cockpits in East of England
| Museum | Cockpits | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottisham Airfield MuseumCambridge, Cambridgeshire | Sit in Every open day North American P-51 Mustang cockpit replica |
£6 | 4 | Bottisham hosted the 361st Fighter Group's Mustangs; the museum's restored buildings, Mustang connections and WWII jeep rides make it… |
| City of Norwich Aviation MuseumNorwich, Norfolk | On tours Pre-booked group visits only, subject to volunteer availability Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR.2 Avro RJ85 Avro Vulcan B.2 |
£9 | 33 | City of Norwich Aviation Museum at Horsham St Faith: Norfolk's largest, ~30 airframes including a Vulcan and Nimrod with bookable… |
| IWM DuxfordCambridge, Cambridgeshire | On tours Booked In the Cockpit sessions on selected dates Avro Vulcan B.2 cockpit |
£29 | 146 | Concorde 101 (G-AXDN), the pre-production development aircraft and the fastest Concorde of them all at Mach 2.23 — plus an SR-71A… |
| Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation MuseumBungay, Suffolk | Sit in Most public open days; not all aircraft open at once English Electric Lightning F.3 Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.6 Folland Gnat T.1 cockpit procedures trainer Fokker F.27 Friendship cockpit section |
£10 | 65 | Depends who you ask — the joy is the oddities. Come for the Bloodhound missiles and decoy rarities; stay for volunteer flight-simulator… |
| Vulcan Restoration Trust (XL426), SouthendSouthend-on-Sea, Essex | On tours Booked Vulcan VIP Visit dates Avro Vulcan B.2 |
£10 | 1 | XL426 herself, ex-Scampton display aircraft, whose APU-powered control-surface demos let visitors in the cockpit actually waggle a… |
Worth knowing
The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton has the most. An aircraft-access ticket lets you sit in the Lightning, Sea Hawk and Valetta, though not every aircraft is open at once. Bottisham has a replica Mustang cockpit in its children’s room. The City of Norwich Aviation Museum opens its Nimrod, RJ85 and Vulcan to pre-booked groups. IWM Duxford sells In the Cockpit sessions in Vulcan XJ824. At Southend, Vulcan XL426 is open on booked VIP Visits, when you sit in the pilot’s or co-pilot’s seat.
- Sit-in on an open day: Bottisham’s replica Mustang, included in entry, and Flixton’s aircraft-access ticket. That costs £7.50 per person or £15 for a family of up to five.
- Book ahead for Norwich’s group visits, at £3.50 per person per aircraft. Duxford’s In the Cockpit sessions cost £50 on top of admission; XL426’s VIP Visits are booked too.
- Duxford’s sessions take one adult at a time, with no under-16s. XL426’s late-2026 VIP dates are sold out.
Frequently asked
Where can children sit in a cockpit in the East?
Bottisham’s replica Mustang cockpit, in the children’s room, on any open day. At Flixton, an aircraft-access ticket for one adult and one child costs £10.
Can you sit in a Vulcan cockpit in the East?
Yes, but only by booking. Duxford sells £50 In the Cockpit sessions in XJ824, and the Vulcan Restoration Trust at Southend runs VIP Visits to XL426.
Can individual visitors get into the aircraft at Norwich?
The City of Norwich Aviation Museum mentions access inside the Nimrod, RJ85 and Vulcan only for pre-booked groups. It does not say whether individual visitors can sit in them.