Brilliant, hidden away, but welcoming and teaming with exhibits. All volunteer staff that are enthusiasts, engaging, informative and helpful. This active museum is continuingly developing and keen for memories, exhibits... read more and helpers. A must visit for everyone that respects the sacrifice made by those young men in the quest for our peace.

  We visited the Museum yesterday. The star attraction was the start up of a renovated Merlin engine from a crashed Halifax bomber. This was a considerable engineering feat and is... read more a superb example of dedication and hard work - typical of the Museum. What is so delightful is the variability of the collection of items. Of particular interest amongst many items was the fuselage of the Bell P-63 recovered from Russia, the restored Austin 7 and the C-47. As one might expect, the staff were very knowledgeable, full of good humour and unstuffy.

This is a unique collection and well worth

  Great museum focused on WW2 and RAF, the volunteers really know their stuff and have a passion for their subjects. Great to hear they filmed the Band of Brothers in... read more th

  A really informative and moving collection of artefacts, organised into themed displays. None of the polish of the bigger museums and all the better for it!

  A hidden jem of a place, a small friendly museum packed full of stuff, well worth the money. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of WW2... read more Avaiation. Will certainly return again and again

  Very disappointed with this museum. Scruffy and untidy. No logical layout and very little in the way of real aircraft

  A really informative and moving collection of artefacts, organised into themed displays. None of the polish of the bigger museums and all the bette

  A significant and somewhat timely reminder of the people who so courageously defended our shores.
A genuinely very interesting place to visit for all ages. would recommend everyone to... read more find this hidden treasure of memories and artefacts

  a very warm welcome from volunteers at the museum. enormous amount of material and authentic exhibits. the personal stories with medals and photos of actual people from the war... read more service was so touching and informative.

  The Wings museum has a fantastic collection of aircraft items from the second world war. It has UK, German, Japanese and Russian items and tells the whole story of the... read more brave airmen & women that served in that terrible conflict.

There is even a fuselage from a plane that was uses in the film Band Of Brothers.

A very informative and interesting couple of hours there will amaze you.

  We had often driven past this museum so decided to visit. It was really interesting and the 2 volunteers on duty were really friendly and knowledgeable. There are so many... read more artefacts including from planes that were shot down or crashed and these have come from various countries. There is also a section on the home guard and various life stories of different service men. If you are even a little bit interested in the 2nd world war this is definitely a place you should visit. The only thing I would say is if you visit in the winter wrap up warm as the museum is in an outbuilding and there is no heating so it was a bit cold.

  I have visited this museum a couple of times now and always find it fascinating. There is so much to see and learn mostly focused on WW11. They are restoring,... read more improving and changing much at each visit. They really need a new premises and more space to display their large collection properly. A must for WW11 aviation enthusiasts with rare aircraft albeit not yet restored but displayed as found in the field of conflict. So much to read and learn with genuine artefacts to display the stories of history.
The volunteers are also very welcoming and will take the time to relate their extensive knowledge of the exhibits and history. Attached to the museum is a separate display of historic aircraft and military radios, fascinating. Good value for money.

  Really interesting museum volunteers who were more than happy to talk about the displays. Lots of artefacts although no complete aircraft as all come from crash sites. It... read more really is different and fascinating.

Very enjoyable visit.

  This a thoroughly absorbing and interesting place to visit.
There's a great deal to take in, so give yourselves plenty of time.
My Wife was very taken with the navigation... read more map in the Dakota.
Will recommend to all!

  The Wings Aviation Museum is situated in a Hangar at Bucklands Farm near Balcombe, approximately 15 minutes drive from Gatwick.

It is a registered charity, run by volunteers and... read more is associated with the Royal Air Forces Association.

On display are various aviation items such as engines, airframes, uniforms, flying equipment and medals. Surrounding these are hundreds of personal accounts from the war, providing first-hand examples of courage, sacrifice and heroism.

The museum is working on several restoration projects such as a cockpit of a North American B-25, Avro Lincoln Instrument Panel and the iconic Hawker Hurricane cockpit.

The team at Wings are heavily involved in aviation archaeology, and have been involved in digs across Britain and France.

If you're a fan of the HBO series Band Of Brothers, they have the Douglas DC-3 Dakota fuselage that was used during the filming there too.

All in all a great day out, very informative if you are interested in military aviation and worth a visit.

For more information and recommendations please see our Facebook page @sussexconcierge

  We had passed the sign to the Wings museum on several occasions & always wondered what was there so we decided to take the time to find out.
Were warmly... read more greeted on arrival. Everything was undercover in a hangar-type building, so ideal in the Autumn months when you cannot rely on decent weather.

Lots of interesting artefacts relating to the many bombers of WWII inc. German planes - Heinkel, Fortress, Junkers, Lancaster, Wellington etc. etc. Fascinating stories relating to the pilots who flew the aircraft too, some as young as 19 or 20! It's only a relatively small attraction so no cafe on site but a drinks machine en route if you need one or visit Balcombe village after for lunch or tea & cake.

The gentlemen who was running it yesterday was very knowledgeable & approachable if we'd any questions. We took our time & spent 2 1/2 hours there but it could be done much quicker if you don't have that much time to spare.

Great for singles, groups or families with older children. They are grateful for donations should you have any interesting memorabilia relating to WWII. They are also looking for volunteers.

Plenty of parking. Hand sanitiser on arrival, we gave our contact details for track & trace & had to wear our masks all the time but we felt very safe visiting. They accept cash or credit card & a discount for over 60's. Worth a visit so take the time to support & explore this interesting attraction.

  My partner and I have spoken for years about visiting “Wings”, as we live in the vicinity.

So, we got there on a warm and sunny morning. We... read more were almost the only people there, but paid our entry fee of £8.00 each, and went in.

I guess this museum is really about WW2 Memorabilia, and for enthusiasts for this sort of exhibition.

We do get that almost everything that we saw was connected with the supreme sacrifice by many many servicemen, and therefore this review recognises the passion of the individuals who have been instrumental in creating it. However, our expectations were for a Historical Museum displaying WW2 aircraft, rather than just artefacts from sites of shot down aircraft.

If I’d known what we would actually see, I could have made a better and more informed choice, but I do feel that the website wasn’t fully accurate in providing information on the actual content.

So, all in all our experience was a little disappointing. However I can understand that it has quite a specialised appeal for certain people, and in particular, those who are passionate enthusiasts. And, I think more needs to be done to provide

Finally, I must say that it was nevertheless of interest and it increased our knowledge, but our expectations were for rather more exhibits of whole aircraft.

  We loved this museum! Fascinating mix of war time objects and salvaged planes. Really interesting stories told of the aircraft and war time and lives tragically ended too soon.

  What a fantastic find! A small yet immersive experience, packed with hundreds of rare, original helmets, uniforms, and field gear from World War II. The experience is complete with... read more first-hand personal narratives and accounts in a variety of formats, including diaries, memoirs, journals, and non-fictional accounts. You really get a feel for the events of the war. The staff were warm, friendly, and great with the kids. Well done.

  To keep 4 teenagers aged 12-17 interested, this World War 2 based museum is amazing!
Loads of genuine parts, footage, uniforms, information, all painstakingly collected and displayed!
The night visit... read more last eve was eerily brilliant! Air raid sirens and news reports playing in the background as you stroll around the artifacts.
Thoroughly recommend this place.

  Visited on 1 November with our 6 and 9 year. The place is full of great exhibits and really worth a visit. Our kids loved it and would have spent... read more ages there if they could! Well worth a visit.

  Have seen the signs for this museum for many years so was curious to check it out. It is jam-packed with exhibits and while planes are the main feature, there... read more was also a lot of other things related to WW2 to see. Volunteers are very knowledgeable and friendly. Good value for money and worth the visit

  Great little spot tucked away in an unsuspecting area. Merlin engine run is a must-see (hear) if you can make one of these dates. Only thing I'd like more is... read more a physical ticket... the receipt isn't much of a memento.

  Great Museum, very helpful and knowledgable Staff. lots of exhibits and stories to read some very moving to read. if you are interested in the Battle of Britain... read more or aircraft archeology this museum is a must.

  Very interesting visit, really brought home to us the reality of WW2 being fought in the skies over this country and Europe. The personal stories of those heroes made it... read more very moving.

  Great little museum. It doesn't have a load of planes like some air museums but it does have a lot of interesting stories. You need to take time... read more to read the captions to get the most out of it. Enthusiastic staff. The radio shack didn't look interesting at first but some of the working exhibits mad it worth a visit.

  Thanks to the team who look after this museum, we found it really amazing for children and adults. Full of information of the history in many wars, with good hands... read more on learning about many types of planes.

  Found almost by accident (a leaflet at another site) and decided to take a chance although wasn't sure what to expect - whether there was enough to see. We... read more certainly were not disappointed. The exhibits were accompanied by plenty of information and often accompanied by information about those involved, not just those who gave their lives but those who survived. While looking at a restored aeroplane is great, being able to see the salvaged aircraft and other items makes it all the more interesting. A great find.