Army Flying Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Army Flying Museum

One of the museum's galleries
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Established	1987 (1987)
Location	Middle Wallop, Hampshire, England
Type	Aviation museum

The Army Flying Museum is a cool place in Hampshire, England. It's all about the history of flying in the British Army. You can find it right next to the Army Air Corps Centre in Middle Wallop.

What Can You See and Do?

The Army Flying Museum shows you the whole story of how the Army used aircraft. This goes all the way back to the early days with balloons! You'll learn about the Royal Flying Corps (started in 1912) and special air observation post (AOP) squadrons. Then, you'll discover how the Army Air Corps was formed in 1957. This happened when the Glider Pilot Regiment and the AOP Squadrons joined together.

Inside the museum, you can try out flight simulators. There's also an outdoor play park with fun aviation-themed games. You can even explore a control tower that looks just like the one at Middle Wallop.

Helping the Museum Grow

The museum has been working on a big project called 'Project Eagle'. This project has two main parts.

The first part, finished in 2017, created a special memorial. It remembers more than 5,000 people who sadly died while serving in British Army Flying. This includes everyone from the very first pilots to those in the modern Army Air Corps.

The second part, completed in 2019, was a huge upgrade for the museum. It made the museum even better for visitors. They also started new activities and educational programs that ran until 2021.

Amazing Aircraft Displays

The museum has a fantastic collection of aircraft. You can see both planes (fixed-wing) and helicopters (rotary aircraft).

One cool helicopter is a restored Westland Lynx (serial XX153). This very helicopter set two world speed records back in 1972! You can also see other famous helicopters like the Aérospatiale Gazelle, Westland Scout, and Bristol Sycamore. There's even a replica of the unusual rotabuggy.

General Aircraft Hotspur glider

The museum also shows off military gliders used by the Glider Pilot Regiment. These include the large Airspeed Horsa and the Waco CG-4.

ZSU-23-4

You can also see a Soviet ZSU-23-4 Shilka. This was captured from the Iraqi Army during the first Gulf War. It's a special vehicle that could move around and shoot down enemy aircraft using radar. It was an important weapon during the Cold War.

Planes You Can See

Helicopters You Can See