Carrier Experience At Fleet Air Arm Museum Now Open

The world of aviation at sea now has a brand new exhibition to visit.

Called the ‘Carrier Experience’ this new display is all part of the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton, Somerset in the UK. To enter the hall you have to pass through a Westland Wessex Mk V Commando helicopter.

Enter the Carrier Experience through a Wessex Helicopter.

The museum has just spent over £1M to update one of its prime exhibition halls at the Royal Navy Museum. Some of the funding came from the Gosling Foundation.

Aviation at sea started in 1916 when a young pilot landed his wood and wire Sopwith Pup biplane on a modified ship. And since then the service has grown with both technology and tactics.

From tiny slow bi-planes to now vertical take off supersonic jets are the aircraft of choice.

The F35 now in service on the Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth carriers.

The Royal Navy has two brand new aircraft carriers in service and its from them that the F35 fly.

Carrier Experience Is Just One Of The Exhibition Halls

As well as the ‘Carrier Experience’ there are numerous other halls that tell the story.  This is of people, planes and ships that have been part of that aviation journey.

Called the ‘Island’.  This new part of the display allows visitors to walk around and learn in more detail. Projected talks by serving sailors in digital form explain the work undertaken to keep planes and flying and the ship sailing. The ‘island’ is the raised section of aircraft control and other key administration offices of the ship and is along side the main flight deck.

Video displays with real crew explaining their roles in the Island!

These mobile airfields are an important part of the overall security of the UK and its interconnected NATO and European allies.

Museum volunteers are on hand to question and explain more about the aviation or the maritime background and how both areas come together.

Volunteers explain about  aspects of the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

Life on a floating airfield is like living in a small town. With so many different skills and services needed to keep the planes and helicopters flying during a deployment.

Action by pilots and planes of the Fleet Air Arm did contribute to many successes in a whole series of battles or conflicts.

Concorde And The Carrier Experience

From the actions against Zeppelins in World War 1 to key actions during the Second World War against the Italian fleet and battleships like the Bismarck. Later actions by jets and helicopters made a key difference in the Falklands Campaign.

Gift shop and cafe complete the set up and its also possible to view modern present day flight operations as the museum is situated next the RNAS Yeovilton where some Royal Navy helicopter squadrons are based.

Concorde 002 at Fleet Air Arm Museum.

The museum is also home to Concorde 002 the first British Concorde.  This one flew many test flights that were so important to the development of supersonic passenger flight.

Concorde here can be accessed.  Here you can view some of the passenger seating sections and also some of the test equipment that was used at the time.