Trenchard Museum

About the museum

The museum is on the grounds of RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, which the Royal Flying Corps first used for experimental flying before the First World War. For more than seventy years the station trained RAF apprentices under a scheme founded by Lord Trenchard, regarded as the founding father of the Royal Air Force, and today it provides recruit training.

The museum was opened in June 1999 by the grandson of Lord Trenchard and was funded and supported at first by the RAF Halton Apprentice Association. Its collection has grown to include complete aircraft, cockpits, aero engines, weapons, tools, uniforms, models and displays about life, training and notable events at the station. It also covers other former users of the site such as Princess Mary’s Hospital, a dental training school and the RAF Police school.

The James McCudden Flight Heritage Centre, opened in 2014, belongs to the museum and is included in the visit. It has working Link Trainers, flight and cockpit simulators, engine cutaways and a collection of ejection seats and missiles. The RAF Halton Archive is nearby. The museum is run entirely by volunteers.

Highlights

• Folland Gnat trainer and Hawker Hunter cockpit
• Apprentice barrack room and tools made by apprentices
• Aero engines from early pistons to a Tornado engine
• Working Link Trainers and flight simulators in the McCudden Flight Heritage Centre
• Model of Halton airfield and displays on Princess Mary’s RAF Hospital

Permanent exhibitions

• Trenchard Museum collection – Aircraft including a Folland Gnat and a Hawker Hunter cockpit, aero engines, weapons, apprentice tools, a barrack room and a model of Halton airfield.
• James McCudden Flight Heritage Centre – Link Trainer flight simulators, a Chipmunk cockpit, engine cutaways, ejection seats and a complete Tornado engine.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Volunteer-run (RAF Halton)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission and car parking are free; donations are welcome.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Accessibility information is not published on the museum’s website; visitors with specific needs are asked to say so when booking.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The museum welcomes families and runs education and youth programmes. Visitors can sit in a Gnat training aircraft and try flight simulators and a Chipmunk cockpit.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located on an active RAF station; all visitors report to the Main Guardroom at the Main Gate.

Amenities & dining

The museum is on the site of an active RAF station; the website does not list a café or shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit