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 South West England
| Museum | Cockpits | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boscombe Down Aviation CollectionSalisbury, Wiltshire | Sit in Every open day (Tuesday to Sunday) Panavia Tornado F.2 nose section SEPECAT Jaguar cockpits Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 nose section Hunting Jet Provost T.4(P) nose section |
£13.50 | 49 | The Lancaster cockpit reproduction tour, and a test-and-evaluation pedigree collection you can physically inhabit rather than admire… |
| Bournemouth Aviation MuseumChristchurch, Dorset | Sit in Every day the museum is open |
£10 | 29 | The sit-anywhere policy itself — one entry fee, no per-cockpit charges, a full BAC 1-11 flight-deck sim in a shed, and thousands… |
| Fleet Air Arm MuseumYeovil, Somerset | Look in Every open day BAC/Aerospatiale Concorde 002 |
£21 | 97 | Concorde 002 (G-BSST), the first British-assembled Concorde, which made her maiden flight from Filton in 1969 and now headlines a hall of… |
| Jet Age MuseumGloucester, Gloucestershire | Sit in Every open day (weekends), subject to volunteer guides Avro Vulcan B.2 cockpit Hawker Siddeley Trident airliner Hawker Hunter F.4 nose section Folland Gnat cockpit |
Donation | 15 | Gloucestershire's jet-age shrine (free!) beside Staverton airport: Gloster heritage from the E.28/39 replica to Javelins, with… |
| The Helicopter MuseumWeston-super-Mare, Somerset | Open-cockpit days Open Cockpit Days, about one or two a month (2026 dates run January to December, mostly Sundays, plus Wednesdays in the school holidays) Selected helicopters, including a mobile Gazelle cockpit |
£15 | 108 | G-LYNX, the modified Westland Lynx that took the absolute helicopter world speed record (249.09 mph) in 1986 and holds it still; parked… |
Worth knowing
The Boscombe Down Aviation Collection has 28 cockpits and flight decks to sit in, from the Tornado and Harrier to the Comet and One-Eleven. Bournemouth Aviation Museum encourages visitors of all ages into most exhibits, with no booking. Jet Age Museum opens six cockpits free, with the Vulcan and Trident on short guided tours. At the Fleet Air Arm Museum you can go aboard Concorde 002, but the website does not say which cockpits you can sit in.
- Sit-in on any open day, included in entry: Boscombe Down (Tuesday to Sunday), Bournemouth and Jet Age.
- At Jet Age, collect a free timed ticket at the desk by the hangar doors. The Vulcan has a steep ladder; flat shoes are essential and the minimum height is 1 m.
- The Helicopter Museum holds one or two Open Cockpit Days a month, mostly Sundays, plus Wednesdays in the school holidays. Check its dates list.
Frequently asked
Where can children sit in a cockpit in the South West?
Bournemouth Aviation Museum encourages visitors of all ages into most cockpits. Jet Age has ‘Biggles’ and ‘Amy’ cockpits for children under 1 m tall.
Can you sit in a Vulcan cockpit in the South West?
Yes, at Jet Age Museum. Vulcan XM569 is shown on a free 15-minute guided tour, with a timed ticket from the desk.
What happens on the Helicopter Museum’s Open Cockpit Days?
You climb into selected helicopters, put on a helmet and have the controls explained by a guide. The museum does not list which helicopters are opened.