The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in Bungay is a wonderful place to explore the rich British aviation heritage. What’s even better is that it’s completely free to visit, and the friendly staff of volunteers is always happy to help you learn more about the exhibits. The museum is also perfect for children, with dedicated areas for them.
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What’s On at Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum
The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is a place of wonder for aviation enthusiasts. It is a vast space, filled with over 66 aircraft, including fascinating cockpits, and over 30,000 smaller artefacts. A team of friendly and passionate volunteers runs the museum. They are always eager to share their knowledge and love for British aviation history.
Despite its classic museum appearance, with no catchy or interactive exhibits, the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is a place of great interest and is home to many exciting aviation exhibits. From themed buildings dedicated to the Royal Observer Corps No. 6 Group, the 446th (H) Bomb Group USAAF, RAF Bomber Command, RAF Air-Sea Rescue & Coastal Command, and local aviation from the pioneer years to the present day, to numerous exhibitions on special subjects including WWII Decoy Crews, Boulton & Paul Norwich, RAF Link Trainers, aerial photography, radio/radar/electronic countermeasures, the Home Front, and Luftwaffe wreckology, there is something for everyone.
The museum also offers some facilities, including a shop, a snack area (NAAFI), and picnic tables. Even though the museum’s craftsmanship may not be the most attractive, the passionate volunteers make up for it by creating a welcoming atmosphere that makes visitors forget the museum’s shortcomings and fall in love with British aviation history.
Plus, if you loved the Master of the Air series, you’d like to know that the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is near the site of the 446th Bomb Group base at Bungay.
External Exhibits
The museum boasts an impressive collection of larger aircraft displayed outdoors. This includes a number of early jets from the RAF and Royal Navy, V-Bomber cockpits, and foreign aircraft such as the MiG-15 and Pucara. Additionally, the museum features a variety of fascinating relics recovered from the sea and digs, and an Anderson Shelter. It provides you a unique glimpse into the past.
Hangars
As you step inside the hangars, you’ll see an impressive collection of aircraft and aviation-related memorabilia, such as training aircraft, early gliders, and several microlights, ejector seat and aircraft engine displays, and several model aircraft collections.
Along with aviation-related items, the hangars have extensive cabinet displays showcasing Civil Air Patrol, Berlin Airlift, Airborne Forces, and other uniforms and equipment. There is also a gallery of oil paintings of aircraft by local member John Constable Reeve, which add a touch of artistic flair to the already impressive collection. In my opinion, one of the most fascinating items on display is the aircraft tug used during WWII. I never seen any elsewhere.
In the first hangar, you’ll find some iconic aircraft, including EE Lightning, Sea Harrier, and Spitfire, along with Piston Provost and Vampire. The Boulton & Paul Hangar is equally impressive, featuring Whirlwind, Widgeon, and Sycamore helicopters, a U.S. Civil Air Patrol Fairchild F.24 of WWII, the nose of a WWI Felixstowe F5 flying boat, and a 5/8ths scale replica Fokker D.VIII German WWI fighter. Additionally, you’ll find several early gliders, including a replica Colditz Cock, an Avro Anson, Luton Major and Flying Flea, the unique Goldfinch Amphibian, a large collection of radio equipment, plus photographs of Boulton & Paul aircraft.
In the hangars, there is also a café where you can refresh yourself with light snacks and fundraising bric-a-brac and collectors’ sales stalls for a unique souvenir.
Other Museum Buildings
Spread across the area, the other building of Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum hosts the rest of the collection. The 446 BG building exhibits an extensive collection of memorabilia from the Flixton airfield. The collection includes aircraft components, equipment, uniforms, personal effects, and digitised images. Recently, the museum added a collection of US personnel-inscribed bricks from a wall of the old Ditchingham Maltings, which was the base of 2212 Quartermaster Truck Company Aviation USAAF in 1944.
Another building, the RAF Bomber Command, features large components from a 9 Squadron Wellington bomber, recovered from its crash site, a mock-up Lancaster forward fuselage used in the film Dambusters, and impressive displays of aircraft instruments and equipment, uniforms, personal effects, and model aircraft.
The RAF Coastal Command & Air-Sea Rescue building showcases pictures and models of aircraft that had served in Coastal Command. There is also a vast collection of high-speed launch models, uniforms, and equipment used by the RAF Air-Sea Rescue service. The building also has a large display of photographic images.
The Royal Observer Corps building consists of a mock-up underground control room/bunker, examples of ROC equipment and uniforms, and other memorabilia. The Ken Wallis Hall, built in honour of the museum’s President from 1976-2013, contains a Stearman, two autogyros, more microlights, an RAF Airborne Lifeboat, and several military vehicles, including a 1942 Morris Armoured Reconnaissance Car in RAF Regiment markings.
Flight Simulator
Within the aviation exhibit, there is a Link Trainer Room which contains two operational simulators. Additionally, there is a wheelchair-accessible flight deck with another MS Flight Simulator system. The area also includes an extensive collection of historical artefacts such as valves, gun sights, models, two target drones, cut-away components, pictures, and signs from RAF Coltishall and RAF Marham. In this room, you can also experience a Virtual Radar system.
Memorials
In the vicinity of the 446 BG building, there are three poignant memorials that pay tribute to the brave personnel who fought in World War II. One honours the 446 BG personnel, while another the 2nd Air Division USAAF personnel. Additionally, a metal statue stands tall in memory of the courageous British and Allied pilots who lost their lives during the war.
The area is beautifully adorned with a small memorial garden that adds to the serene ambiance of the place. Beyond the Flixton village lies a marble memorial that honors the 446 BG personnel. Unfortunately, only a few remnants of the airfield infrastructure can be found now. It was once the home to units of the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force.
History of Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum
The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is a beacon of East Anglia’s aviation heritage. Enthusiastic volunteers run the museum, with just one paid staff member. It is a registered charity that aims to record and preserve the rich history of aviation in the Eastern counties.
The museum’s story dates back to late 1972 when a group of aviation enthusiasts came together to preserve aircraft and artefacts and document the history of aviation in the region. The following year, the society activities started in a Nissen hut behind the Flixton post office. In May 1976, the museum was officially inaugurated by the late Wing Commander Ken Wallis, who later became the President.
As the collection grew, the museum required a larger building, and it find a suitable site in the Bungay/Flixton airfield area. The owners of the Buck Inn offered a barn and a meadow for aircraft display. In 1984, the museum purchased almost 8 acres of land to cater for further expansion needs. The museum then started sourcing and erecting buildings and a hangar.
Today, the museum’s collection boasts a wide variety of aircraft and artefacts, with themes ranging from the occupation of the airfield by the 446th Bomb Group USAAF to aviation in the East of England, as described in the TV series Master of the Air.
Events at Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum
The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum organises regular events and activities throughout the year. From classic car meetings to East Anglian Air Ambulance fund raisings, aviation art and model meetings, RAF and Veteran Day, and much more, the museum offers a diverse range of activities.
The museum is committed to community involvement and outreach. It actively collaborates with local schools and associations like Scout groups and the Suffolk & Essex Children’s University to provide unique learning experiences for children. The museum actively encourages children to participate in its activities, providing them with the chance to learn about survival methods, Morse Code, and explore the museum’s exhibits.
Overall, the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is an excellent destination for anyone looking for a fun, educational, and immersive experience that celebrates the rich British aviation history and culture.
Practical Information to Visit Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum
The museum boasts a vast and impressive collection that is sure to captivate visitors for hours on end. You may even find that one visit is not enough to see everything. With new items added to the collection on a daily basis, there is always something new to discover. For children, there are interactive activities in the hangars, as well as a fun sit-in aircraft and a small playground outdoors.
If you’re lucky enough to catch one of the staff in the Link Trainer Room, you may even have the opportunity to experience a simulated flight in a WWII aircraft for a small donation.
The admission is free of charge to all visitors. As many free British museum there are donation boxes located throughout the museum. I recommend you to leave some pounds, as your support helps the volunteers to grow and mantain the museum. If you need a suggestion about how much to offer, a similar museum can ask for £5-£7 per person, but it’s really up to you.
The Museum with Children
The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is a fantastic place to visit with children. Outside, there is a small playground with a picnic area. Inside, there are trolleys designed as airplanes and helicopters, which kids can ride on.
Additionally, there is a simulator for children to pretend to fly a plane and a Morse communications corner where they can experiment. My son has loved this museum since we first visited it, even before he became interested in aviation.
How to Get to the Museum
The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is located in the Suffolk countryside. It is also a short distance away from Bungay by car, where some castle ruins can also be seen. In fact, we visited the Bungay castle after our visit to the museum.
As far as I know, the museum can only be reached by car, as there is no public transportation available. Buses stop about two hours’ walk from the museum. In fact, I used my car to reach the museum. I recommend to use SatNav or Google Maps, entering the postcode NR35 1NZ.
Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum
Flixton
Bungay NR35 1NZ
The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum is an old museum run by friendly volunteers that boasts fantastic aircraft exhibits. If you find yourself in Suffolk, I recommend visiting it. You’ll be treated to a truly unique experience that is both educational and entertaining. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think about this place for truly aviation lovers.