Museums are ranked by how many early jet airframes their inventories list, cockpits and replicas included. Each museum page has the full checklist.
Where to go
South West England: museums with early jet aircraft
| Museum | early jet airframes | Adult entry | Airframes | Examples | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet Air Arm MuseumYeovil, Somerset | 27 | £21 | 97 | Westland Dragonfly HR.5 VX595 Westland Dragonfly HR.5 WN493 de Havilland Sea Vampire I LZ551/G |
Concorde 002 (G-BSST), the first British-assembled Concorde, which made her maiden flight from Filton in 1969 and now headlines a hall of… |
| The Helicopter MuseumWeston-super-Mare, Somerset | 22 | £15 | 108 | Agusta-Bell 47G-3B1 Sioux AH.1 XT190 Bell 47H G-AZYB Bristol Sycamore Mk.3 G-ALSX |
G-LYNX, the modified Westland Lynx that took the absolute helicopter world speed record (249.09 mph) in 1986 and holds it still; parked… |
| Boscombe Down Aviation CollectionSalisbury, Wiltshire | 17 | £13.50 | 49 | Bristol Sycamore HR.14 (Mk.3) WA577 de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 WD321 Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.11 (mod) nose section WD790 |
The Lancaster cockpit reproduction tour, and a test-and-evaluation pedigree collection you can physically inhabit rather than admire… |
| Bournemouth Aviation MuseumChristchurch, Dorset | 12 | £10 | 29 | Avro Vulcan B.2(MRR) nose section XH537 BAC Jet Provost T.5A XW310 de Havilland Vampire T.11 XE856 |
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… |
| Jet Age MuseumGloucester, Gloucestershire | 10 | Donation | 15 | Gloster Meteor F.8 WH364 Gloster Meteor T.7 VW453 Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.13 WM366 |
Gloucestershire's jet-age shrine (free!) beside Staverton airport: Gloster heritage from the E.28/39 replica to Javelins, with… |
| Aerospace BristolBristol, Gloucestershire | 2 | £20 | 14 | Bristol Sycamore HR.14 XL824 Bristol Britannia 101 forward fuselage G-ALRX |
Concorde G-BOAF, the last Concorde ever built and the last ever to fly (26 November 2003, into Filton, forever). You can board her.… |
| Cornwall at War Museum, DavidstowCamelford, Cornwall | 2 | £7 | 8 | Hawker Hunter F.6 XG164 de Havilland Vampire T.11 nose section XK627 |
Cornwall’s big WW2 / military museum on the old RAF Davidstow Moor Coastal Command field — aircraft, military vehicles, humour intact,… |
| British Phantom Group & Bristol Britannia XM496 (Kemble)Cirencester, Gloucestershire | 1 | Seasonal | 5 | Bristol Britannia C.1 XM496 | A working restoration compound at Cotswold Airport (Kemble): the only place on Earth with F-4J, K and M Phantoms together, plus Britannia… |
The era
Early jet age, 1943–1957
The Fleet Air Arm Museum has 24 airframes of the period, including Sea Fury WJ231 and Sea Vampire LZ551/G. The Helicopter Museum has 22, from Sycamores to Skeeters. Boscombe Down Aviation Collection has 16. The Jet Age Museum keeps Gloster’s Meteor F.8 WH364 and Javelin FAW.9 XH903. Bristol Britannia XM496 is at Kemble.
- The Jet Age Museum is free and opens at weekends.
- The Britannia and Phantom site at Kemble opens on open days only.
- Bournemouth Aviation Museum has 11 early jet-age airframes and lets you sit in most cockpits.
What to see
Early jet age types on display in South West England
1943de Havilland Vampire61943Gloster Meteor101944Hawker Sea Fury11945Bell 47 / Sioux31945Cessna, Piper & the American light aircraft11946Supermarine Attacker11946Westland Wyvern11946de Havilland Canada Chipmunk11947Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1511947Hawker Sea Hawk41947Bristol Sycamore41948Westland Dragonfly & Widgeon41948Supermarine Swift21948Handley Page HP.115 & the research one-offs21948Percival Pembroke & Sea Prince11948Saunders-Roe Skeeter41948Slingsby glider family21948Vickers Viscount11949de Havilland Venom & Sea Venom11949English Electric Canberra31949Avro 70711949de Havilland Comet11950Percival Provost11951Hawker Hunter91951Gloster Javelin11952Avro Vulcan21952Handley Page Victor11952Bristol Britannia21953Westland Whirlwind (helicopter)141954Fairey Delta 2 / BAC 22111954Hunting Jet Provost51955Folland Gnat2
Questions
Frequently asked
Where can I see a Gloster Meteor in the South West?
The Jet Age Museum has several, including Meteor F.8 WH364 and T.7 VW453. Bournemouth has Meteor NF.14 WS776.
Which South West museum has the most early jet-age aircraft?
The Fleet Air Arm Museum, with 24, followed by the Helicopter Museum with 22.
Where can I see a Bristol Britannia?
Britannia C.1 XM496 is at Kemble, and Aerospace Bristol has a Britannia 101 forward fuselage.