About us

History

The Army Flying Museum is located at Middle Wallop, close to Andover, in Hampshire. The Museum tells the story of British Army Flying from the early days of military ballooning to the modern Army Air Corps. The collection was started in 1946 at RAF Andover but later moved to Middle Wallop and first opened to the public in 1974.

In 1984, the Museum moved from a location “behind the wire” to a new, purpose-build hangar which is located on the edge of an active airfield. The Museum has since been extended twice more and now comprises two large aircraft halls (the Prince Michael of Kent Hall and the Hayward Hall) a learning centre, a 1940s house display, a play park and conference facilities.

The collection covers the five main branches of Army Aviation: Royal Engineers (1878 – 1912), The Royal Flying Corps (1912-1918), Air Observation Post Squadrons (1941 – 1957), the Glider Pilot Regiment (1942 – 1957) and the current Army Air Corps (1957- to date). Over 40 aircraft can be seen in the Museum. These range from a First World War biplane to a HueyCobra attack helicopter plus an example of every Allied glider used operationally during the Second World War. 

Highlights of the collection include a Sopwith Pup – an example of a single-seat fighter introduced in 1916 -and a Lynx helicopter which broke the world speed record in 1972 by achieving an average speed of 199.92 miles per hour (321.74 km per hour) in a 100km closed circuit. It was also the first British helicopter ever to complete a barrel roll. 

Administration

The Museum is run by a small team of staff and supported by over 50 volunteers. The current administration is:

We also have a team of part-time receptionists and wardens, as well as café and event staff. Please have a look at job vacancies if you are interested in working for the Museum, or volunteering if you would like to support the Museum with your time and expertise.  

Mission, Vision and Values

Our Mission – what we do at the Army Flying Museum:

‘We tell the story of Army Flying’

Our Strategy should be designed to take us from where we are now to where we want to be in the future. Determining strategy therefore requires us to define where we want to be in the future (our Vision). 

Our Strapline is:

We will ensure that we

‘Engage, inspire and entertain a generation through the story of Army Flying’.

Our Vision is:

‘To be an entertaining, engaging, inspiring and viable museum, telling the story of Army Flying, that is admired for first class conservation, interpretation, access, learning and research, all supported by a highly motivated team.’

This statement contains a number of key elements including

• ‘entertaining’ – our visitors must have a good time when they visit
• ‘inspiring’ – we want our visitors to be inspired
• ‘viable’ – financially resilient
• ‘telling the story of Army flying’ – this is our rationale and makes us distinctive from other military museums
• admired for
  • ‘first class conservation’ – we must properly husband and preserve our heritage
  • ‘interpretation’ - our collection must be imaginatively presented
  • ‘access’ – our collection and services must be accessible to all
  • ‘learning’ - a prime role of museums
  • ‘research’ - we must provide proper research facilities and be a centre of expertise
  • ‘highly motivated team’ – possibly our greatest asset – they need to be properly managed and guided.

Our Values are:

• Enterprising
• Determined
• Open
• Inclusive

These values guide our work and our conduct as trustees and employees of the Army Flying Museum.