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.

  First we have to say that the customer service was warm and friendly.

The museum has a lot of interesting artefacts on display and will need a second... read more visit to take in all the well-documented history it has on display. It was surprising to see the size of the aircraft's.

  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

  This is a great little aviation / WW2 museum. I enjoyed it even more than I expected too; my three year old daughter enjoyed it too, which was a bonus.

  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.

  Had a great time here, so much to see from WW2. Lots of local things that happened during the war. The Dakota from tv series Band of Brothers was incredible,... read more which you can go inside and can sit inside cockpit of Chipmunk. Highly recommend.

  Had a great visit to Wings Museum yesterday, lots of Aviation related exhibits, recovered wrecks all with intresting and personal stories to give you the background. Went to see the... read more excavated wreck of my Fathers Lancaster Bomber and was surprised at how much information there was..staff very helpful and friendly.

  Very good wartime exhibits with some excellent partial aircraft restorations.
Interesting radio section.
Very knowledgeable and friendly volunteer staff.

  Went here with my father and son. There was a wide variety of artifacts and memorabilia on display to keep us all interested. My son particularly enjoyed sitting in the... read more cockpit of the training plane. The highlights were the remains of the Russian & Japanese aircraft. We all enjoyed the visit - it would be great if a guide book were available!

  This museum while small is of great interest to ww2 enthusiasts and aircraft fans alike, unlike the sterile world of the more main stream museums, wings has managed to capture... read more the history of ww2 in a fascinating way. A must not miss visit. The guys that help run the museum are happy helpful and very experienced. Feel immersed in the history and climb on board a real dc3 from ww2 and a movie prop from band of brothers!! Well done guys fan bloody tastic!

  I went today with my son ( loves war/aviation stuff ) my dad ( also an aviation enthusiast ) and my mum. Whilst I popped to the toilets the kind... read more gentlemen were sorting out a dodgy wheel on my dad's walker. The museum is in a hangar and can get a tad warm when the sun is out but there was air coming in from the door. The museum has so much in it that you don't know what to look at first. There's a great array of war artifacts and it's quite touching seeing some of the stories. The gentleman were very helpful and informative. I would recommend here for anyone with even a slight interest in World war and or aviation.

  Visiting on a rainy Sunday morning with my husband and 4yr old. My husband is a military history enthusiast and was blown away with just how much was crammed into... read more the builder! Parts of planes, bombs, guns, uniform...the list goes on. Theres even an old officer mess door!
The guys who were volunteering were full of knowledge and couldn't have been more helpful. They let our son sit in a cockpit and were happy to help out. During the week, the radio shack is open, where you can come down and use the old 2 way radios.
This really is a hidden gem and ideal for anyone who is interested in history or for kids learning about WW2 at school

  There is so much to see and explore at this well run museum that you really cannot do it in one visit. We have been twice now and plan... read more to go many more times.

  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.

  Not a great deal to see but military enthusiast would no doubt find much of interest but appears to be a lot more exhibits yet to be shown and not... read more ready yet

  A secret collection of genuine artefacts from aviation history in the sussex countryside. A non profitable display supported my volenteers and donations. Its small scale with basic facilities but... read more for people who are enthusiastic in aviation it’s a gem of real life treasure! Staff are knowledgable and passionate and my 5 and 7 yr old had a lovely hour looking around and sitting in the cockpit of an aircraft. We will definitely be back!

They also had good social distancing awareness and it’s in a light and airy hanger/warehouse.

  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.

  Small, but perfectly interesting.

Spent 90 mins here, and their ww2 artefact collection is very impressive.

I particularly liked the air raid shelter.
... read more /> At £8 per person it is just about decent vfm.