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.

  A really informative and moving collection of artefacts, organised into themed displays. None of the polish of the bigger museums and all the better for it!

  amazing experience, lots to look at and a wide variety of cool items salvaged from ww2, came here with my dad for father's day/ his birthday and was not disappointed

  We had passed the sign to the Wings museum on several occasions & always wondered what was there so we decided to take the time to find out.
Were warmly... read more greeted on arrival. Everything was undercover in a hangar-type building, so ideal in the Autumn months when you cannot rely on decent weather.

Lots of interesting artefacts relating to the many bombers of WWII inc. German planes - Heinkel, Fortress, Junkers, Lancaster, Wellington etc. etc. Fascinating stories relating to the pilots who flew the aircraft too, some as young as 19 or 20! It's only a relatively small attraction so no cafe on site but a drinks machine en route if you need one or visit Balcombe village after for lunch or tea & cake.

The gentlemen who was running it yesterday was very knowledgeable & approachable if we'd any questions. We took our time & spent 2 1/2 hours there but it could be done much quicker if you don't have that much time to spare.

Great for singles, groups or families with older children. They are grateful for donations should you have any interesting memorabilia relating to WWII. They are also looking for volunteers.

Plenty of parking. Hand sanitiser on arrival, we gave our contact details for track & trace & had to wear our masks all the time but we felt very safe visiting. They accept cash or credit card & a discount for over 60's. Worth a visit so take the time to support & explore this interesting attraction.

  A hidden jem of a place, a small friendly museum packed full of stuff, well worth the money. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of WW2... read more Avaiation. Will certainly return again and again

  Could not fault the guys who work here! From the second we approached the entrance, we were warmly greeted by a fantastic gentleman! Ended up chatting to him for a... read more quite a while about the origins of the museum and the issue they have of inadequate space, due to the size of their collection!

Once we got into the museum, the warm welcome continued! We were greeted by a team of friendly and it turned out, rather excitable men! Especially when 4 guys in their mid 20’s turn up!

Within 5 mins, we were being offered a little treat! (I won’t spoil it, in case you’re lucky enough to get shown!) One of the gentlemen took time out of his day to go through the average cockpit whilst sat in an open canopy! And with him being a pilot, couldn’t have anyone better to show us, basically, how to fly!

But, they were also understanding enough to leave us to ourselves to some exploring, with the odd explanation about items we may have missed (there’s a tonne of bits for you to go see)

A great exhibition they have is one of the planes used in the Band Of Brothers TV series, which you have the opportunity to go into and explore!

Overall, the volunteers were nothing but outstanding and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and look forward to the future of the museum with the move to a bigger site!

All the best guys and thank you for such a great trip!

  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!

  Very much enjoyed our second visit to the Wings Museum. There is so much to see and take in that it merits a second trip.

Each object has a... read more story, many profoundly moving.

We plan to go back again when the radio shack is open.

  Visited with a group of friends all of whom are WW2 reenactors. Great visit, so much to see. Friendly staff who made us feel very welcome. Definitely worth a visit.

  A building full of STUFF. All of which has obviously been lovingly curated as every oily bit of metal and every odd thing has been researched, identified and explained. The... read more staff are volunteers who know what they are caring for. If you read every label you would be here for days. The amount of exhibits in the space available means it is a jumbled treasure trove of military equipment. I noted one of the staff members giving special attention to a young lad who was probably autistic ( my daughter is ) and appeared tuned into the boy's need to see and touch. It’s that attention to sharing their work’ that led my brother in law and me to start sorting out my deceased father in law’s pilots books and shoulder flashes for donation to people who know and care about history.

  We visited with our 2 grandchildren aged 11 and 10, and they had such a lovely time. All the staff were very informative, and a big thank you to... read more Jeff for giving the children a taste of carrying a heavy parachute, and the experience of jumping out of the back of the plane. Money well spent, and we would definitely recommend a visit. Tha

  This a thoroughly absorbing and interesting place to visit.
There's a great deal to take in, so give yourselves plenty of time.
My Wife was very taken with the navigation... read more map in the Dakota.
Will recommend to all!

  Such a wonderful museum, so much to see and learn. Every volunteer was so helpful, eager and informative, really lovely to have been shown some special treasurers and then found... read more out about them from their knowledge. My lad even got to try some of the items including holding a gun, wearing a hat & parachute. He loved his visit. Thank you so much

  a very warm welcome from volunteers at the museum. enormous amount of material and authentic exhibits. the personal stories with medals and photos of actual people from the war... read more service was so touching and informative.

  a rainy winter Sunday seemed the perfect excuse to visit somewhere we had often passed signs to but never visited and I am very glad we did. very helpful and... read more knowledgeable staff, fascinating exhibits, crashed aircraft might seem a bit morbid but the human story told with each display gives a very real and moving experience of what ww2 was really like to live through. wheelchair access was ok, there is access available via the farm next door to avoid the steep entrance path.

  I have visited this museum a couple of times now and always find it fascinating. There is so much to see and learn mostly focused on WW11. They are restoring,... read more improving and changing much at each visit. They really need a new premises and more space to display their large collection properly. A must for WW11 aviation enthusiasts with rare aircraft albeit not yet restored but displayed as found in the field of conflict. So much to read and learn with genuine artefacts to display the stories of history.
The volunteers are also very welcoming and will take the time to relate their extensive knowledge of the exhibits and history. Attached to the museum is a separate display of historic aircraft and military radios, fascinating. Good value for money.

  Great little museum. It doesn't have a load of planes like some air museums but it does have a lot of interesting stories. You need to take time... read more to read the captions to get the most out of it. Enthusiastic staff. The radio shack didn't look interesting at first but some of the working exhibits mad it worth a visit.

  Smaller than I thought it would be be but still very glad I went along. Lots of exhibits put together with a lot of love and enthusiasm.

I... read more made a joke about shrapnel in the title but it seems like all the personal collections from all the schoolboys collecting this at the time has been utilised which is really touching, Bearing in mind it was life and death for the airmen it seems quite appropriate in a way and the fate of a lot of them is detailed in the exhibit.

Well worth a visit with lots of interesting stuff & excellent value for mo

  a very warm welcome from volunteers at the museum. enormous amount of material and authentic exhibits. the personal stories with medals and photos of actual people from the war... read more service was so touching and inf

  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.

  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

  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.

  A really informative and moving collection of artefacts, organised into themed displays. None of the polish of the bigger museums and all the bette

  Great little spot tucked away in an unsuspecting area. Merlin engine run is a must-see (hear) if you can make one of these dates. Only thing I'd like more is... read more a physical ticket... the receipt isn't much of a memento.

  Great little museum. It doesn't have a load of planes like some air museums but it does have a lot of interesting stories. You need to take time... read more to read the captions to get the most out of it. Enthusiastic staff. The radio shack didn't look interesting at first but some of the working exhibits mad it worth

  A hidden jem of a place, a small friendly museum packed full of stuff, well worth the money. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of WW2... read more Avaiation. Will certainly return again and again

  The signs to this museum are almost impossible to see,but seeing this slightly eccentric museum is worth the effort.
There seem to be bits and pieces of virtually every aircraft... read more that flew in WW2.Crews equipment and effects,bomb casings,undercarriages, fuselages they are all there to be seen.
Not as good as Tangmere,but still worth the effort.

  Was very interesting ended up talking to 2 very nice volunteers who gave me and my friend some very interesting history about all the artifacts in the building... read more and about how the museu