Midland Air Museum

Incorporating The Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre

Welcome to the Midland Air Museum!

Located beside Coventry Airport, the museum sits at the heart of a region known for its aviation, engineering, and manufacturing history. Coventry and the surrounding area played a major role in Britain’s aircraft production and industrial innovation throughout the 20th century.

The museum has been created through the dedication of our volunteers and staff, offering visitors of all ages a welcoming opportunity to explore Britain’s aviation heritage through historic aircraft and exhibits.

Awarded Nationally Accredited Museum status in 2008, the Midland Air Museum continues to preserve and share these important stories for future generations.

We hope our website provides you with all of the information that you need to plan an enjoyable day!

Avro Vulcan
Classic cars at the museum
Mi-24 Hind helicopter
Argosy Tea Room
Tornado GR4 with the Mi-24 Hind behind it
Danish Air Force F-104 Starfighter
Vickers Viscount airliner
Museum Shop
L-R: Gloster Javelin, Hawker Hunter and Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy on a cold winter evening
Tornado GR4 on an icy winter morning
Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy cockpit
Sea Harrier FA2 on a cold winter morning
L-R: F-4C Phantom II, F-86 Sabre and MiG-21
Gloster Meteor in our main hangar
Inside the new hangar, opened 2024
F-4C Phantom II in Vietnam colours – ours is a genuine MiG killer!
Exhibits in the museum
Inside the Harrier II GR7 cockpit
MiG-21 (front), F-86 Sabre (middle), F-4C Phantom II (back)
Vulcan B2 XL360
Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy
Mi-24 Hind helocopter
Navigator Plotter and AEO positions inside the Vulcan
Mi-24 Hind helicopter
Navigator Plotter and AEO positions inside the Vulcan

Latest updates on Instagram

Follow us on Instagram – @midlandairmuseum. We frequently post about museum news, events and topics of interest on our Instagram account.

Please note, the Instagram is volunteer-managed. Please use the contact details on our website to send enquiries.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ7i2WUMZqM/

The Midland Air Museum has a large collection of plastic models that illustrate and display many aspects of aviation and the diversity of aircraft from all ages and manufacturers.

The Kaman HH-43 Huskie was a compact twin-rotor rescue and firefighting helicopter developed by Kaman Aircraft in the 1950s for the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Distinguished by its intermeshing ‘synchropter’ rotor system, which eliminated the need for a tail rotor, the HH-43 excelled at hovering stability and manoeuvrability in confined areas. The synchropter system was largely designed by German aeronautical engineer Anton Flettner, who also designed the Kolibri - one of the first helicopter prototypes ever produced. The sole remaining example of this is also on display at the museum.

In 1946, the British Government decided to create an independent nuclear deterrent after the United States refused to supply atomic weapons to the UK. Nuclear research and production facilities were established at Windscale (now Sellafield) and Aldermaston, where Britain’s atomic weapons programme was developed.

Recently we posted about aircraft manufacturing in Coventry, highlighting the Armstrong Whitworth Meteor Night Fighter (NF) as a key example. Developed post-war, the Meteor NF answered the RAF’s urgent need to replace the increasingly obsolete de Havilland Mosquito as a night fighter, with the Venom F2 serving only as a temporary solution.

Looking for something to do this Bank Holiday? We are open! Come and explore our collection, have a tour of the Vulcan cockpit, let the little ones let off some steam... whatever it is, have an enjoyable day with us!

Happy #PhantomFriday! Joined here by the F-86 Sabre, pictured from the steps of the Hind.

More classic sports cars mixed with classic aircraft! Last weekend we welcomed the Triumph TR and MG Midget club and as you can see, members were keen to get the obligatory photos of their cars by the Vulcan! Lovely to see the classic British sports cars at the museum. We hope that they had an enjoyable day at the museum.

Happy #TonkaTuesday! Have you visited the museum in the recent sunny weather? The sun makes all the planes look better.

Continuing the story of local aviation manufacturing, we enter the jet age, a period that transformed the industry by greatly improving aircraft performance and capability.

Classic sports cars with classic fast jets - as AGMs go, we think this is quite a cool one. We recently hosted the Rochdale Car Club for their AGM and as you can see, members were keen to get the obligatory photos of their cars by the Lightnings! We hope that they had an enjoyable day at the museum.

Progress update on the Sea Hawk (pictured in recent sun!) We started restoration work on this last summer and have recently applied all the primer and started to paint the new scheme. She previously wore the 802 NAS Royal Navy scheme, and will be repainted into Indian Navy 300 Sqn 'Tiger' colours this year. The Indian Navy Sea Hawks have a special connection to Baginton in that they were built here by Armstrong-Whitworth on close to what is now the museum site. Although the Sea Hawk was a Hawker design, they only built the first 35 - the rest were built by Armstrong-Whitworth.

Read what our visitors thought!

If you enjoyed you day at the museum, please leave a Google review. It goes a long way to spreading the word about what we do!

    
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Stephen Bright 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Went to the museum with low expectations but left having been amazed! The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly and we spent about 40minutes in the.Vulcan bomber listening to a great guide. Thoroughly recommend this museum ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   joshua williams 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fun morning out
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Adrian Lee 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Nice museum, knowledgeable staff lots to see , free parking,  all tea room
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Felipe Pineda 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very fun museum! Hosted by very passionate volunteers :)
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Godwin Zwanenburg 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Nice museum, dedicated to the inventor of the jet-engine. You van have a unique look inside a British nucleair bomber.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Adam Harrison 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Amazing museum with a wide and varied selection of exhibit. Eddie and Barry were very welcoming and knowledgeable, and even let me have a go on the cockpit simulator, which really made the visit memorable. Thanks again!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Dave 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great staff and excellent customer service
  
 
  
  
 
 
      Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more