As of summer 2023 the museum has two temporary exhibitions: Flight of the Red Dragon, about King Charles's time within the Fleet Air Arm and a Falklands Exhibition which brings together five aircraft which served during the 1982
Falklands War, these are: The museum's main display is divided into four areas:
Hall 1 This hall 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, including the front section of the
fuselage of
Short 184 8359, built locally by
Westland Aircraft in Yeovil and flown at the
Battle of Jutland in 1916 before being put on display at the
Imperial War Museum, where it was damaged during the
Second World War when the museum was hit by a bomb. It is displayed in an unrestored condition. Currently 2023 contains the following aircraft:
Hall 2 Mainly devoted to the Second World War, with a side room containing a
Kamikaze exhibit, which contains a
Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka II (BAPC 58), models of
Japanese aircraft and final letters from Kamikaze pilots. Two aircraft from the
Korean War are also displayed. By the entrance to Hall 3 there is a collection of models of British aircraft carriers, illustrating the history of aircraft carrier design. The aircraft on display include:
Hall 3 Improved for 2023: Instead of a traditional museum hall, the whole hall has been converted into a mock-up of the fleet carrier as it would have appeared in the 1970s with the inclusion of historical aircraft such as the Supermarine Seafire. The entrance to this hall is through a converted vibrating Wessex helicopter from Hall 2. A large screen shows historical carrier based information. There is also a series of rooms simulating the carrier's island with projections and a simulated lift ride to the top of the mock carrier. The aircraft include:
Hall 4 002,
Bristol Scout,
BAC 221 and
Hawker Hunter T8M The aircraft on display:
Other displays In addition to the four main exhibition halls, there are a number of smaller displays. These include: • "Barracuda Live - The Big Rebuild", showing the active restoration of
Fairey Barracuda DP872 •
Battle of Taranto, the Fleet Air Arm's most celebrated exploit in World War II. The display includes a
Fairey Swordfish, which can also be seen from the link between halls 1 and 2. • "Merlin Experience", which explains modern
anti-submarine techniques. • "Operation Skua", a reconstruction of the recovery of
Blackburn Skua L2940 • "Pioneers to Professionals: Women of the Royal Navy" • "Saved! 100 years of Search and Rescue" featuring three helicopters and a new soft play area • "Welcome Gallery"
Reserve Collection The museum's collection includes a number of aircraft which are currently being restored and are not on display, although public access is allowed at least once a year. These are housed in Cobham Hall, a climate controlled building across the road from the museum. Aircraft include:
Engines on display rotary engine on display The museum possesses a number of
aero engines located throughout the halls. •
Alvis Leonides •
Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah •
Bristol Centaurus •
Bristol Mercury •
Bristol Siddeley BS.100 •
Clerget 9B •
Bristol Siddeley Pegasus •
de Havilland Gipsy Major •
de Havilland Gipsy Queen •
Rolls-Royce Avon •
Rolls-Royce Nene •
Rolls-Royce Merlin •
Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 •
Sunbeam Gurkha •
Wright R-1820 Cyclone ==Other activities==