Wings Aviation Museum

The Wings Museum is a totally voluntary organisation run by friendly dedicated volunteers. The museum is a registered charity. We are also affiliated with the Royal Air Forces Association, RAFA.

The Wings Museum is housed in a large "hangar" style building located near to Gatwick Airport and close to Balcombe and Handcross villages in West Sussex. We display an abundance of original memorabilia representing a wealth of "display themes" including: The Home Front, RAF Fighter Command, The Blitz, Battle of Britain, Bomb Disposal, Home Guard, Air raid shelters, Aircraft Turrets, RAF Bomber Command, US 8th Air Force, Luftwaffe, Russian Front, D-Day and Beyond, and much much more. Items on display include aero engines, airframes, cockpits, aircraft gun turrets, uniforms, medals, flying equipment, and hundreds of personal stories of war, sacrifice and courage.

We are proud to display an important collection of personal artefacts and stories which tell the history of the Bomber Offensive in World War Two. This section remembers and is dedicated in particular to the air crews of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command and the US Eighth Air Force who flew raids deep into enemy occupied territory. The individual stories of bravery and sacrifice are set amongst original engines and turrets, many with a story to tell!

Relics from bombers such as the Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Boeing B-17, Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Douglas A-20 Boston and many more. Read the story of a Royal Canadian Hampden shot down on the Finnish border in 1942 told by the pilot “in his own words”, and see the bullet holes that brought his aircraft down. This gritty real-life exhibition brings the bomber offensive to life in a way that touches the hearts of generations old and young.

The story of the fighter pilot is one that has inspired generations. The Wings Aviation Museum tells the story of the individual pilots from all nations including: Britain, France, Russia, Australia, Poland, Canada and Germany. Section dedicated to the history of RAF Redhill where you can learn about the very first RAF Night Fighters that were equipped with Airborne Radar during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

The centrepiece of this display is the cockpit of an original Bristol Beaufighter Mk 1F Night Fighter. We also have a display remembering the service of the RAF and Commonwealth Training Units which are sometimes overshadowed by other parts of the Fighter Offensive. Artefacts include an original Link Trainer which was designed in 1929 and used extensively throughout World War Two.

The Wings Museum is the only place in Europe where visitors can see aircraft which have been recovered from the Russian front battlefields where they were shot down over 70 years ago. These rare warbirds are displayed in crash dioramas to represent the actual crash sites. Read about the last battles of World War Two fought between the Russians and the Japanese.

LEND-LEASE BELL P-63 KINGCOBRA – SOVIET AIR FORCE Friend and Foe now face one another head on in the Ghosts of the Tundra Hall. See a representation of the abandoned airfield where six Bell P-63 Kingcobras were recovered. NAKAJIMA B5N2 KATE – IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY The Nakajima B5N2 Kate can be seen opposite the Kingcobra.

Set on a “beach” scene complete with the sounds of seagulls flying overhead, these impressive remains give a totally unique opportunity to see the aircraft that was made famous during the attack on Pearl Harbor. This aircraft had a long service career and bears many battle scars. It was manufactured in 1942 and later participated in the attack on Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Campaign.

LEND-LEASE DOUGLAS A-20 BOSTON / HAVOC – SOVIET AIR FORCE This once mighty medium bomber can be seen in a “forest” diorama depicting the site where it crashed over 60 years ago. Ghostly reminders of those past battles can still be seen in the form of bullet strikes on the propeller blades and holes in the rear fuselage from 20mm cannon fire. See the now faded American Star and Bar adorning the fuselage and wonder what it would have been like to have been a crew member on board this aircraft during its final moments of flight.

LEND-LEASE HAWKER HURRICANE – SOVIET AIR FORCE In our “Fighter Offensive” section can be seen the remains of a Soviet-operated Hawker Hurricane which battled against Hitler’s forces as he fought his way into Russia during Operation Barbarossa which began on 22nd June 1941. This bold attempt by Hitler proved to be too much, and some of fiercest aerial fighting of World War Two occurred on the Russian Front. This is evident from the numerous bullet holes which are still evident today.

HANDLEY PAGE HAMPDEN P1273 – ROYAL AIR FORCE In our “Bomber Offensive” section of the museum can be seen the remains of a rare Handley Page Hampden which was lost during a ferry flight in Russia in 1942. Read the Canadian Pilot’s story in his own words, and see the bullet holes that brought the aircraft down. You will be amazed at the courage and determination of the pilot and his crew as they endured a hail of fire by the attacking Bf 109.

Step inside a real Anderson Shelter and listen to sounds of The Blitz, and see an original Morrison Shelter which actually saw use during The Blitz in London. Enter the “Dora” room – an emotional story from the Holocaust, with images and artwork about those involved in the construction of Hitler’s “Terror Weapons”. Special Exhibition WW2 Radios – Open Wednesdays and Saturdays As well as our extensive displays and personal stories within the museum’s main building, we also have our very own “Radio Shack” which houses a collection of working wartime radios.

The “Radio Shack” is normally open on Wednesdays and Saturdays only and houses a dedicated display of World War Two aircraft radios alongside other military and civilian radios of the era. Here you can learn Morse Code.