Top 10 things you can do on your school trip to the Fleet Air Arm Museum

Have you ever lost the instructions to a Lego set, and then dropped the Lego set and accidentally trodden on it? Have you then tried to replace the broken parts with parts from another set, only to find it is a slightly different set? 

This is a bit like the challenge which is faced by the team on Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild, the museum’s main conservation project. They have set about trying to rebuild a Fairey Barracuda aircraft, the only of its kind, from as many pieces of restored wreckage as possible. Based in Hall 4, you can find out about the story of the various wrecks and build processes, as the team strive to build a factory grade example.

As you explore the museum, you might spot some of our interactive dressing up stations, there for everyone to enjoy. Will you dress up as a pilot, an engineer or something different altogether? 

Those who choose to take up our Discover More schools’ product will also have additional exclusive dressing-up options and activities made available to them within the activity station boxes. These might be replica Second World War leather jackets, modern-day flying suits and helmets, or something completely different, depending on which theme you choose.
 

Hall 3 is our Aircraft Carrier Experience, a state-of-the-art exhibition which takes you through the evolution of the aircraft carrier. Explore the Flight Deck and learn about some of the key aircraft carrier conflicts throughout the decades. 

Then navigate your way into the depths of our replica aircraft carrier, journeying through different areas of the ship, and finding out about some of the people who work onboard.

As part of our Discovery and Discover More packages, we have developed a series of holistic Guides for teachers to use within their small groups as discussion points. Themed to an overarching topic, they contain prompts for around the halls which help your pupils to

• See (explore a fact about what they can see) 
• Think (ask a question about what they can see)
• Wonder (ask an extension question, which goes beyond what they can see in front of them)

We also have several activity trails available for all of our visitors, if you are looking for a fun activity to help engage your pupils more proactively with the topic.
 

Our Museum Collection has been a source of inspiration for many visitors throughout the decades and why should your school trip be any different? We are very open to you using our museum spaces for your own related activities, be that sitting on the floor and sketching an aircraft or setting up your own physics experiment under Concorde. 

All we ask is that you let us know if you are planning anything out of the ordinary, so that we can best support your needs and make sure it doesn’t negatively impact any other visitor’s experience.

As you explore the museum, you will have the opportunity to test our knowledgeable volunteers about anything and everything Fleet Air Arm related. 

Within our team, we have Royal Navy Veterans, Ex-Pilots, and individuals who are currently serving. They will all be happy to help support your visit - be that finding out where the toilets are or answering the tricky questions of your pupils.

When booking our Discover More package, you will be provided with 6 activity stations dotted throughout the museum for you to use when exploring the halls. 

Once located, teachers or adult helpers with each small group can use the provided instructions to guide the group through a short activity, exploring the objects in the box within the context of the aircraft and exhibitions around them.

For our older secondary students, throughout the day our volunteer team will do ‘Special Interest Talks’ for the general public.

These talks are all included within a museum ticket and cover an aircraft within the museum collection.  Talks usually last about 30 minutes long and they are definitely worth checking out!

With the museum actually being on Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, our viewing galleries are probably the closest you will get to seeing the Fleet Air Arm in operation. 

Throughout the week the runways are in constant use by military aircraft, and if you time things right you might get a chance to see a Wildcat or Merlin Helicopter take off or land. Unfortunately, we can’t say in advance what activity might be happening on any given day, but you stand a good chance of seeing something happening!

We want to make your visit as unique as possible? Where else can you get up close and personal with unique pieces of aircraft history! 

At the Fleet Air Arm Museum You can walk under, around and even through some of our aircraft, including the iconic Concorde 002!

We know that sometimes pupils need to blow off a bit of steam and get some energy out - so why not try out our outdoor play area if the weather is nice enough!