Description
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre is a privately run museum set on a former WW2 Bomber Command airfield in East Kirkby. It offers a living history experience where visitors can explore wartime aviation and honour the sacrifices of Bomber Command personnel. The centre was created as a memorial and educational site, preserving history for future generations.
Visitors can see rare WW2 aircraft, including a running Lancaster and Mosquito, plus restoration projects and historic bombers. Exhibits include the hangar, original control tower, RAF Escape Museum, memorial chapel, Home Front displays, and restored RAF vehicles. Guests can enjoy Lancaster and Mosquito taxy rides, interior tours, restoration tours, experience days, exhibitions, a wartime NAAFI café, and even fly-in visits on special operating days.
Experience prices include the Standard Lancaster Taxi Ride (£445), VIP Lancaster Taxi Ride (£485), Lancaster Interior Tour (£80), Mosquito Taxy Ride (£95), Mosquito Experience Day (£80), and Lancaster Winter Restoration Tour (Adult £14, Child £5, Senior £13).
The centre provides an immersive and emotional journey into wartime aviation history. Authentic sights, sounds, and personal stories create a powerful connection to the past. It is an unforgettable destination for history enthusiasts, aviation fans, and anyone wishing to pay tribute to those who served.
Features
- Paid
- Host birthday parties: No
Features
Aircraft: The Centre is home to some of the rarest, most amazing and important aircraft of WW2. The only place in the World where you can experience a running Lancaster and Mosquito together, the Centre has a truly unique collection of WW2 aircraft.
Explore our other aircraft
- Lancaster: A wonderful taxying example of the elegant Lancaster Bomber, the most famous of all heavy bombers of WW2
- Mosquito: The only known NFII and a rare example of this unique and versatile aircraft
- Hampden: One of a very few survivors and undergoing a huge restoration to static condition
- Proctor: An unsung hero of WW2 this important trainer worked away to help with the Bomber Command aircrew training scheme
- B25 Mitchell: American built, RAF operated medium bomber
- Bristol Blenheim IV: Historic twin engined early bomber
Exhibitions: Step back in time to a WW2 Bomber Command airfield.... Explore our amazing aircraft and vehicles alongside fascinating and uniquely personal exhibits linked to Bomber Command. We tell not only the Bomber Command story but also the personal story of those who served in it, remembering those who fought for our freedom.
Explore our exhibitions
- The Hangar: The home of Avro Lancaster NX611 'Just Jane' and DH Mosquito HJ711. Walk within feet of the aircraft, watch the restoration work and take in the many personal stories.
- The Control Tower: One of the main features to the museum is the Original Control Tower restored to show you what an operational tower would have been like.
- RAF Escape Museum: We are very proud to hold the RAF Escaping Society collection, a tribute to all those who helped crashed airmen in occupied Europe.
- Memorial Chapel: A sombre and peaceful place for quiet reflection, displaying the names of all 848 lost aircrew and ground crew from RAF East Kirby.
- The Hampden Restoration & Early Bombers: The forgotten period of Bomber Command's history, plus the Handley Page Hampden restoration project and Vickers Wellington wings.
- Home Front: Exhibits include the Home Guard, rationing, a wartime kitchen, the Land Army, evacuation, make do & mend, the Royal Observer Corps, ARP Wardens and a reconstruction of an Anderson shelter.
Vehicles: We have a variety of rare WW2 RAF vehicles at the Centre. We have dedicated many hours and resources into sourcing and restoring these important parts of Bomber Command's history.
Explore our vehicles
- Fuel Bowser: AEC Matador fuel bowser - A huge vehicle originally used to refuel heavy bombers on Bomber Command airfields.
- Bedford OX & Queen Mary: A very rare unit originally used to move parts of aircraft from factories to airfields and to collect crash recovered aircraft.
- Airfield Tractor: David Brown airfield tractor - A workhorse of the airfield used to tow aircraft and bomb trains.
- Crew Bus: Fordson WOT1 crew bus The only one known in existence this is possibly the rarest item at the Centre, it was used to take crews to their aircraft ready for operations.
- Foam Tender: Fordson WOT1 Foam Tender - The Fire vehicle of choice providing fire fighting foam to an aircraft crash. Another rare vehicle this particular one was used in the final scene of Memphis Belle.
- ATC Caravan: ATC airfield control caravan - always present at the side of the runway to give the green light this is another rare item that has undergone extensive restoration.
The NAAFI: The NAAFI is a wartime building which is home to our admission desk, cafe and souvenir shop. The walls are filled with wartime photos and memorabillia for you to browse over as your enjoy one of our delicious speciality coffees or maybe treat yourself to a slice of cake. We also offer more substantial meals if you would like to have your lunch with us.
A Flying Visit: We welcome many visitors by air to the Centre as we open our grass landing strip for special operating days. We give you the opportunity to fly in to an original wartime airfield and share the runway with some of our iconic aircraft both resident and visiting (PPR required)
11.31 miles
