The Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton

A general view of Hall 1, it contains a display about the development of naval aviation from the early days of airships and fabric-covered wooden biplanes to modern jet aircraft and helicopters.

A replica of a Short S.27, an aircraft similar to this made the first take off from a moving ship in 1912.

Sopwith Baby N2078 built by the Sopwith Aviation Company in 1916.

Supermarine Walrus L2301 is a composite aircraft, constructed using the fuselage and engine of Walrus L2301. Built in 1939, this aircraft never flew in British military service. It was delivered to the Irish Air Corps, which flew it during World War 2, when it carried the Irish designation N.18. On 9 January 1942 N.18 was stolen by four Irish nationals who intended to fly to France to join the Luftwaffe. However, they were intercepted by RAF Spitfires and escorted to RAF St Eval; the aircraft and its occupants were returned to Ireland. It has been on display since 1964.

A more head on view of the Walrus with its wings folded back. and the single Bristol Pegasus VI 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 750 hp.

Westland Dragonfly HR5 VX595 is an early rescue helicopter built by nearby Westland under licence from Sikorsky based on their S-51. It was introduced in the Fleet Air Arm in 1950 and withdrawn in the late 1950's.

The very familiar shape of the Westland Wessex. This is a HU.5 variant XS508 and was used as a troop carrier and could carry 16 Royal Marines. The Wessex was introduced in 1961 and was retired in 2003 when the RAF finished flying them.

For storage on board ships the main rotors folded back. It was also used for search and rescue flights.

Three of the four helicopters in Hall 1 are in this view, the Lynx nearest, the Wessex and the Sea King.

Westland Lynx HAS.3 XZ699 is displayed with its main rotors folded back and the tail folded. The design was introduced in 1978 and retired by the Navy in 2017 and the Army in 2018.

Westland Sea King HAS.6 XV663 was built in 1970 as a HAS.1 variant. It was upgraded to HAS.5 in 1980 with a further upgrade in 1990 to HAS.6 and was retired from active service in May 2000. The starboard side has been painted in yellow to represent a RAF Search and Rescue airframe.

The cockpit of XV663.

At this point I am unsure of the role carried out here. When I find out I will update the caption.

This is N1854 a Fairey Fulmar, a two seat carrier borne reconnaissance/fighter aircraft. This airframe is the prototype and 600 were built between January 1940 and December 1942. This is the only survivor.

To allow the aircraft to be stored below deck of a carrier the wings could be folded and this view shows the complex way in which it was made possible. When extended for flight the wing span is 46 feet, 4 1/4 inches.

This example was powered by a Rolls Royce Merlin III engine of 1,080hp. It had a range of 780 miles and a maximum speed of 270mph, cruising at 235mph. It first flew in January 1940.

AL246 is a Grumman Wildcat F4F (G-36A), one of a batch of 81 airframes originally destined for France but diverted to the UK when France fell in 1940. The Royal Navy called the aircraft Martlet.

The airframe is powered by a Wright R-1820-G205A nine cylinder single row radial engine giving 1,200hp. It had a range of 845 miles and a top speed of 331mph.

The classic US trainer, North American Harvard III EX976 depicted here being serviced.

The cameo shows all the staff working on the airframe are women. The large engine is a 550hp Pratt and Whitney radial engine giving a top speed of 205mph and a range of 750 miles.

SX137 is a Supermarine Seafire F17, the Naval version of the Spitfire. It has been adapted for carrier operations and has folding wings. The long nose and large bulges above the exhaust ports give away that is is a Rolls Royce Griffon powered airframe.

Looking down on SX137 with its wings folded it can be clearly seen that the wing tips fold also.

The business end of the Seafire, behind the bright red spinner is a Rolls Royce Griffon VI delivering 1,850hp. This airframe was built at the nearby Westland factory in September 1945. It was struck off charge in May 1955.

KD431 is a Vought Corsair FG-1A fighter/bomber built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company in Akron, Ohio, USA in August 1944.

The design incorporates an unusual gull wing feature and they fold for storage. KD431 is shown with one wing folded and the other ready for flight.

The powerplant is a Pratt and Whitney R-2800-8 Double Wasp delivering 2000hp. In January 2000 work commenced to remove the 1963 paint to take it back to its 1944 finish, this took five years.

Another from the Grumman stable, this is KE209, a Grumman Hellcat II an F6F-5 built in March 1945. It has a 2,250hp Pratt and Whitney R-2800-10W Double Wasp powerplant with 1,195 mile range and a top speed of 392mph.

A close up of the starboard wing hinge arrangement.

KE209 is shown with D-Day markings.

Moving into the jet age now and this airframe, LZ551, is the third prototype of the de Havilland Sea Vampire design and surprisingly it first flew in March 1944.

The Sea Vampire is a single seat fighter/trainer. It is powered by a de Havilland Goblin 2 turbojet producing 3000lbs of thrust.

On the 3rd of December 1945, this airframe became the first jet aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.

What appears to be a Westland Lynx on steroids is in fact an AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat HMA.2. ZZ532 is about to put down just outside the museum.

ZZ532 on the ground at Yeovilton. The first flight of the new design took place at Westland's factory at nearby Yeovil on 12th November 2009. The AW159 is powered by two 1,362 hp LHTEC CTS800 turboshaft engines which drives the rotorcraft's BERP IV rotor blades.

ZZ378 and an unknown companion fly over the airfield. The Royal Navy has 28 airframes and the British Army has 34.

ZZ532 lifts off again.

Back in the museum and Hawker Sea Fury WJ231 is viewed side on with wings folded.

The Sea Fury first flew on 21st February 1945 and entered service in September 1947. It is powered by a 2,480hp Bristol Centaurus 18 engine.

Sea Furies took part in the Korean War and on 28th July 1950 a USAF B29 shot down a Sea Fury by mistake. After that incident all Commonwealth airframes were painted with Invasion Stripes as depicted by WJ231.

This is a LIM2 in Poland as a copy of a Mig 15 and is here as part of the Korean War Exhibition. A Sea Fury shot down a Mig 15 during that conflict.

This airframe has had its Polish markings removed and North Korean ones painted on. The Lim2 has a VK1 turbojet producing 5,952lbs of thrust.

The museum has a second Westland Dragonfly on display, WN493. This is a HR5 variant and was used for air sea rescue and communications roles.This airframe first flew as a HS3 in March 1953 and came to the museum in October 1966.

This display is something very different. In 1940 a Royal Navy Blackburn Skua L2940 made a forced landing on the frozen surface of Lake Breidal in Norway, having been shot down by a German Heinkel. The cockpit area was set alight by the unhurt crew to destroy aircraft. It was recovered in 1974, and this exhibition shows it as it lay on the lake bed. Prominent in this photo is the Bristol Perseus XII 890hp radial engine.

The scene shows the wreckage on the "bed of the lake" with ice above and the dive team raising items.

One of the wings strapped ready to be lifted and recovered.

The overall scene, very cleverly laid out and depicted.

On display is P4139, a Fairey Swordfish mk I, in reality it is HS618 a mk II airframe, which actually served in the Battle of the Atlantic. It was built under licence by Blackburn Aircraft Ltd and delivered to 834 Naval Air Squadron in May 1943. It was then embarked in HMS Hunter, an Escort Carrier lent to Britain by the United States Government. HMS Hunter served with the British Western Approaches Command in Atlantic convoy defence. During severe weather HS618 was badly damaged in the ships hangar when it was struck by a Seafire that had broken loose.

A general view of Hall 2.