Hall 1

This hall contains a display about the development of naval aviation from the early days of airships and fabric-covered wooden biplanes to modern jet aircraft and helicopters, including the front section of the fuselage of Short 184 8359, built locally by Westland Aircraft in Yeovil and flown at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 before being put on display at the Imperial War Museum, where it was damaged during the Second World War when the museum was hit by a bomb. It is displayed in an unrestored condition.

Currently 2023 contains the following aircraft:

Hall 2

Mainly devoted to the Second World War, with a side room containing a Kamikaze exhibit, which contains a Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka II (BAPC 58), models of Japanese aircraft and final letters from Kamikaze pilots. Two aircraft from the Korean War are also displayed. By the entrance to Hall 3 there is a collection of models of British aircraft carriers, illustrating the history of aircraft carrier design.

The aircraft on display include:

Hall 3

Improved for 2023: Instead of a traditional museum hall, the whole hall has been converted into a mock-up of the fleet carrier HMS Ark Royal as it would have appeared in the 1970s with the inclusion of historical aircraft such as the Supermarine Seafire. The entrance to this hall is through a converted vibrating Wessex helicopter from Hall 2. The hall itself is a simulation of a section of the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal. A large screen shows historical carrier based information. There is also a series of rooms simulating the carrier's island with projections and a simulated lift ride to the top of the mock carrier. ^[5]

The aircraft include:

Hall 4

The aircraft on display:

Other displays

In addition to the four main exhibition halls, there are a number of smaller displays. These include:

• "Barracuda Live - The Big Rebuild", showing the active restoration of Fairey Barracuda DP872^[8]
• Battle of Taranto, the Fleet Air Arm's most celebrated exploit in World War II. The display includes a Fairey Swordfish, which can also be seen from the link between halls 1 and 2.
• "Merlin Experience", which explains modern anti-submarine techniques.
• "Operation Skua", a reconstruction of the recovery of Blackburn Skua L2940
• "Pioneers to Professionals: Women of the Royal Navy"^[9]
• "Saved! 100 years of Search and Rescue" featuring three helicopters and a new soft play area^[10]
• "Welcome Gallery"^[11]

Reserve Collection

The museum's collection includes a number of aircraft which are currently being restored and are not on display, although public access is allowed at least once a year. These are housed in Cobham Hall, a climate controlled building across the road from the museum.

Aircraft include:

Engines on display

The museum possesses a number of aero engines located throughout the halls.

• Alvis Leonides
• Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah
• Bristol Centaurus
• Bristol Mercury
• Bristol Siddeley BS.100
• Clerget 9B
• Bristol Siddeley Pegasus
• de Havilland Gipsy Major
• de Havilland Gipsy Queen
• Rolls-Royce Avon
• Rolls-Royce Nene
• Rolls-Royce Merlin
• Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593
• Sunbeam Gurkha
• Wright R-1820 Cyclone

Restoration

The museum also carries out various restoration projects. the last project was a Corsair KD 431 which in the summer of 2006 was unveiled as it would have appeared in 1944. In 2023 the projects underway are for a Fairey Barracuda and a Gloster Sea Gladiator. Visitors can see into (but not enter) the restoration workshop between Hall 3 and Hall 4.

Archives

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is the home to an archive of material related to naval aviation.

Visitor facilities

The museum's shop has the most extensive selection of naval merchandise in the area, including various themed books and documentaries such as Sailor.

There is an outside adventure playground for children in the museum's grounds and two cafés.